Find the critical path before you promise the date
Identify the dependency chain that controls a painting project's finish date before committing to the customer.
The move: promise dates from dependencies, not optimism. Activities Write the actual activities, not broad phases. Paint exterior is too vague. Wash siding, dry siding, scrape trim, repair rot, prime bare wood, approve color, finish body, finish trim, remove masking, and walkthrough are schedule objects you can reason about. Dependencies Ask what must happen before this can start. This exposes customer decisions, weather windows, supplier lead times, access constraints, and other trades. A painting contractor often loses days not because painting is slow, but because a prerequisite was invisible. Float Some tasks can move without affecting the finish. Others cannot.…
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