FLOATPATH
FLOATPATH(task)
Which float path into the task you name each task is on. Path 1 is the chain of work that drives that task: any slip on it moves the task. Path 2 is the next most critical chain into it, path 3 the next, and so on. A task that doesn't lead into it at all is blank, with the reason.
The paths are traced back from the task you name, through each task's predecessors, ranked by how far each can slip before that task moves (FLOATTO). How they are traced, by total float or by the float on each relationship, and how many are numbered, are the project's float path settings. A task is on one path only: the most critical one it leads into it by.
Arguments
| Argument | What to give it |
|---|---|
| task | One task, such as Task("MS_SUB"). It is the same task for every row. |
Examples
Formula column Path into MS_SUBPath into MS_SUB = FLOATPATH(Task("MS_SUB"))
Each task's path into MS_SUB. Group the Gantt by it, each value, to see the paths one after another: path 1 first.
Formula=FLOATPATH(Task("MS_SUB")) = 1
The tasks driving MS_SUB. As a filter, the chain to watch for that milestone.
Formula=IF(NOT(ISBLANK(FLOATPATH(Task("MS_SUB")))), FLOATTO(Task("MS_SUB")))
How far each task on a path into MS_SUB can slip before MS_SUB moves; blank off the paths.
Measure (on the project)=COUNT(FILTER(Tasks, Tasks[Path into MS_SUB] = 1))
As a measure, from the column above: how many tasks drive MS_SUB.
Reach for something else when
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| How far each task can slip before the task moves, as a number | FLOATTO |
| The paths into the project's end | FLOATPATH of the project's finish milestone, or [Total float] |
| Every task with any path to the task, whatever its float | INCLUDES(Downstream, Task("MS_SUB")) |
Common questions
Can a task be on two paths?
No. A task that leads into the task by several chains is on the most critical of them, the lowest path number, as the paths are numbered.
Why is a task that leads into the task on no path?
The project numbers so many paths and stops; the tasks on the paths it didn't number are blank. The number is a float path setting of the project.
Can each row trace paths into a task of its own?
No: "FLOATPATH measures float to one task for every row; this differs between tasks, so float would be measured again for every row. Name one task: FLOATPATH(Task("MS_SUB"))".
The editor refuses this=FLOATPATH([Task])