Limitations of Critical Paths

• It can encourage rigidity
• On paper CPA works best with fixed times for each activity and a fixed sequence of activities, this may encourage managers to see these timings and this sequence as unchangeable, so they may miss opportunities to reduce overall time
• Complex activities may be difficult to represent accurately on a network diagram
• CPA relies on estimates of the expected durations of activities
• If estimates are inaccurate the whole process may break down
• As major projects are often 'one-offs', it is possible the business has no experience in this field, consequently the probability of producing an accurate forecast of timings is low
• CPA encourages businesses to focus on the speed of a project, rather than other elements such as quality and flexibility to meet customer's needs