Excluding tasks from critical path

[EngBen]

(Now with the correct title!)

I'm a completely new user of MS Project - a new engineering director has replaced our previous software with it.

I want to include tasks on it that run before and after the main project start date, as we are co-ordinating contractors on-site between multiple areas. However, I don't want my critical path defined by these projects.

Can I exclude tasks from the critical path?

Thanks in advance,
Ben.

 

[PDQBach]

A critical path task is a task that has 0days slack (by definition).

Once you put a task into the MS Project schedule, the days of slack are calculated and that alone controls what items appear in the Critical Task filter.

So ... create your own filter that matches the Critical task filter and includes a second condition based on the Finish date.

Project | Filtered for | More filters...

Click on "Critical", click on the Copy button

Change the name to something you recognize

Add a condition (or as many as you find necessary) to exclude tasks where the Finish date is less than some arbitrary date or you can have the user enter a date by setting the 'Values' entry to:

"Finish before:"?

The quotes are necessary. The user will be prompted (when the filter is selected) to enter a date. By clicking on the dropdown in the prompt, the user can select any desired date.