Strategy: Critical Path Planning

Strategy: Critical Path Planning

Key Question: What is the shortest path?

Methodology

Critical Path Method (CPM) adapted for experiment execution:

1. Activity Listing — enumerate all implementation tasks
2. Dependency Sequencing — determine predecessor/successor relationships
3. Duration Estimation — three-point PERT (optimistic, most likely, pessimistic)
4. Forward Pass — calculate earliest start/finish for each activity
5. Backward Pass — calculate latest start/finish, identify zero-float path
6. Resource Leveling — resolve resource conflicts on parallel paths
7. Buffer Insertion — add project buffer (Critical Chain method) at convergence points

Execution Flow

activity-listing
    → dependency-sequencing
        → duration-estimation
            → critical-path-calculation
                → [resource leveling if conflicts]
                    → [buffer insertion]
                        → OUTPUT: annotated task graph with critical path highlighted

Budget Gate

Key Decisions

• If critical path is too long: look for fast-tracking (parallel execution) or crashing (more resources)
• If resource conflicts exist: prioritize critical path tasks over float tasks