Interactive Schedule Analysis Demonstration

Schedule Float Demonstration

Calculate early and late dates, distinguish Total Float from Free Float, identify the critical path, and simulate activity delays to see when successor work moves and when the overall project completion date is affected.

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Demonstration at a glance
Level Foundation–Intermediate
Typical duration 15–20 minutes
Learning format Guided CPM float analysis
Best for Project managers, schedulers, planners and controls professionals
Demonstration overview

See Why Total Float and Free Float Are Not the Same Thing.

Float measures schedule flexibility. Total Float focuses on how much an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish date, while Free Float focuses on how much it can be delayed without delaying the early start of an immediate successor.

  • Build the activity network and establish durations and dependencies.
  • Use the forward pass to calculate Early Start (ES) and Early Finish (EF).
  • Use the backward pass to calculate Late Start (LS) and Late Finish (LF).
  • Calculate Total Float = LS − ES = LF − EF.
  • Calculate Free Float = earliest successor ES − current activity EF.
  • Identify activities with zero Total Float as the current critical path.
  • Simulate delays to distinguish successor impact from project-completion impact.
Guided Demonstration

Schedule Float Demonstration — Step by Step

Complete each locked stage before the next unlocks. Every reveal visibly changes the schedule dashboard.

Learning stages
Foundation Stage 1 of 8

Build the Activity Network

Current instruction
Interactive Float Dashboard

Integrated Service Release Network

Reveal the seven activities and dependencies before calculating schedule dates.

100%
Critical / Total Float 0 Total Float Free Float Delay simulation

Focus Mode keeps the guided-learning pane and float dashboard together while hiding surrounding page content. Dashboard Full Screen shows only the schedule dashboard and can be launched from Focus Mode. Exiting Dashboard Full Screen returns to Focus Mode if Focus Mode was active.

Schedule status: Reveal the activity network.
Supporting Schedule Register

Float Calculation Table

Schedule values appear progressively with the guided calculation.

Activity Duration Predecessor(s) ES EF LS LF Total Float Free Float Status
Experiment Mode

Delay an Activity and Observe the Effect

Experiment Mode is isolated from the guided example. Select an activity, apply a delay, and compare that delay with the activity's Free Float and Total Float.

Free Float —
Total Float —
Immediate Successor Shift —
Project Completion Impact —
Check Your Understanding

Quick Knowledge Check

Choose an answer, then check it.
Schedule Float Quick Reference

Core Float Concepts

Measure Formula / Meaning Management Interpretation
Early Start (ES) Earliest time an activity can start based on predecessor logic Calculated during the forward pass
Early Finish (EF) ES + Duration Earliest time the activity can finish
Late Finish (LF) Latest finish that does not delay project completion Calculated during the backward pass
Late Start (LS) LF − Duration Latest start that preserves project completion
Total Float LS − ES = LF − EF Delay available before the project finish is affected
Free Float Earliest successor ES − current activity EF Delay available before an immediate successor's early start is affected
Critical Activity Total Float = 0 in this unconstrained example Any delay can affect project completion unless recovered elsewhere
Important: every activity-on-node network shown in this tool includes explicit START and END nodes. Float belongs to the schedule network, not automatically to one activity owner. Calendars, constraints, leads/lags, resource limitations, imposed dates, progress, and schedule updates can change float values. Negative float can also occur when imposed constraints require completion earlier than the network currently permits.
Forward Pass
Backward Pass → Total Float / Free Float
Critical Path → Delay Impact