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Driving Path

Driving Path

Scheduling Terms Reviewed by forProject Technology - updated Sep 2026
Quick definition: The Driving Path is the sequence of linked tasks that determines the completion date of a specific milestone or task, calculated the same way as the Critical Path but traced back from that milestone rather than from the project finish.

A Driving Path is calculated exactly like the Critical Path, but traced back from an interim milestone or task rather than from the project finish. It is the longest continuous chain of tasks leading to that milestone — other chains reaching the same point are shorter and therefore have slack. Its tasks are the ones preventing that milestone from completing any sooner, which makes it the answer to "what is actually holding this date?" In practice it is identified by tracing the chain of predecessor and successor relationships that drive the milestone's date. Like the Critical Path, it normally runs back to Time Now, though it can begin later if the driver originates from a constrained input. A project can have many Driving Paths — one for every milestone worth managing.

Why it matters

A Driving Path reveals what is determining the date of a milestone the team or the customer cares about — a delivery, a test event, or a phase gate — which Critical Path analysis will not surface unless that milestone happens to sit on the Critical Path. Because an interim milestone can slip while the project's finish date holds steady, the Driving Path is often the earliest indication that a commitment is at risk. Both analyses are normally run together: the Critical Path to the project end, and Driving Paths to the key milestones along the way.

Also known as
N/A
Used in
Critical and Driving Path Analysis; interim milestone and key event forecasting; IMS narrative reporting

FAQ

What's the difference between the Driving Path and the Critical Path?
Both are the same calculation — the longest continuous chain of logically linked tasks driving a date — but they point at different endpoints: the Critical Path drives the program end date, while a Driving Path drives the completion date of an interim milestone or task.
Does a slip on the Driving Path always cause the project to slip?
No — a slip on a Driving Path does not always mean the project will finish late. The milestone it drives may have float relative to the project finish, so that date can move without the end date moving. That is precisely the value of Driving Path analysis: it surfaces at-risk commitments that Critical Path Analysis alone would miss.
Definition maintained by forProject Technology.
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