WebSphere Lombardi Edition 7.2 > Use Process Portal > Use Critical Path Management features
Change the critical path projection
There are several routes, or paths, that can be used to complete a process, and the time needed to complete each path depends on how long it takes users to perform each task along the path. Generally, the critical path is the route that takes the most time to complete. The time required to complete each path is calculated from the durations and due dates of the tasks in the path.
The Critical Path Management features in Lombardi Process Portal enables you to identify different paths in the process and analyze how long it will take to complete the process using the following projections. To change the projected path for the currently running process instance, select one of the following options from the Projection drop-down list:
If a business process definition (BPD) does not include any decisions, then there will be only one path through the process and all three projection types will be the same. When a BPD includes one or more decisions, it is possible to calculate more than one path through a process.
| Projected path | Description | Data used to calculate |
|---|---|---|
| Optimistic | When one or more paths can be calculated for a BPD, the path that takes the least amount of time to complete is the Optimistic path. | The shortest path is calculated using the durations and due dates of each pending activity. |
| Pessimistic | When one or more paths can be calculated for a BPD, the path that takes the most time to complete (excluding loops) is the Pessimistic path. | The longest path is calculated using the durations and due dates of each pending activity. |
| Historical | When one or more paths can be calculated for a BPD, this is the path most likely to be taken based on past executions. | Performing a historical projection requires that the process has autotracking enabled and tracking definitions must have been sent to Performance Data Warehouse before instances of the processes started running. See Tracking Performance Data for the Optimizer in Lombardi Authoring Environment User Guide for more information. Historical projections are not valid if data does not exist in Performance Data Warehouse for the current process. |
The durations and due dates for activities are based on the settings made by the process author in Lombardi Authoring Environment. See Enable a process for critical path analysis in Lombardi Authoring Environment User Guide for more information.
When you select Historical from the Projection drop-down list, an additional Historical Scenario drop-down list appears to the right where you can select the scenario to use as the basis for your historical projection. The default scenarios are listed in the following table. If you have created or have access to other historical analysis scenarios (See Create historical analysis scenarios in the Authoring Environment User Guide or online help), those scenarios are also available for selection.
| Historical projection | Description |
|---|---|
| This Week | Analysis is performed using historical data for process instances that ran in the current week. |
| Last Quarter | Analysis is performed using historical data for process instances that ran in the preceding quarter. |
| All Completed | Analysis is performed using historical data for all previously completed instances of this process. |
| All Available | Analysis is performed using historical data for all instances, including currently running and all completed instances of this process. |
| All In-Flight | Analysis is performed using historical data for currently running instances of this process. |
| This Year | Analysis is performed using historical data for all process instances running or completed in the current year. |
| This Quarter | Analysis is performed using historical data for all process instances running or completed in the current quarter. |
| Last Year | Analysis is performed using historical data for process instances that ran in the preceding year. |
| Last Month | Analysis is performed using historical data for process instances that ran in the preceding month. |
| This Month | Analysis is performed using historical data for all process instances running or completed in the current month. |
| Last Week | Analysis is performed using historical data for process instances that ran in the preceding week. |
When you change the projection, the Projected Due Date changes in the Instance Details section to show the impact of the projected path on the duration of the entire process. Also, the Critical Path Management section displays the milestones, activities, and tasks that are relevant to the projected path you have selected.
If only one possible path exists in a BPD because there are no decisions or other gateways, the projections for Optimistic and Pessimistic are the same.
To view a graphical representation of the current projected path, click the Show Process Instance Diagram button on the toolbar, :
Lombardi Process Portal displays the process instance diagram in the Flash viewer. The current activity in the running process instance is highlighted in yellow, and the sequence lines for the projected path are highlighted in purple from the current activity to the end of the process. Also, if you have selected a milestone or an activity in the Critical Path Management section, that milestone or activity is highlighted in purple and has a thick black border.
Parent topic: Use Critical Path Management features