Complete a quick online search for pre-order and you’ll be met with the option to buy a myriad of games, tech, toys, clothes, and music, usually before the final product has even physically materialised. As consumers who are accustomed to an on-demand shopping experience, the ability to pre-order the latest products satisfies our inner need for instant acquisition. Just a few clicks and you can rest assured that you’ll have the goods as soon as the release date rolls around. That is, as long as everyone involved in the product life cycle and supply chain adheres to their deadlines and nothing goes wrong. With the process of pre-ordering so disconnected from human interaction, it’s easy to become complacent when considering what really happens when you pre-order.

This is where Critical Path software plays its part, providing a transparent path of actions to be completed by calculated deadlines. The critical path method is a crucial process that goes on behind the scenes in order for companies to deliver the promised goods to you on-time. From conception all the way through to product release, timelines have to be created, modified ad hoc, and adhered to as closely as possible to ensure timely delivery. While Critical Path software can’t necessarily stop these timelines from being delayed, it can serve to highlight the impact of those delays. This way, solutions can be sought and customer expectations managed.

Why is Critical Path essential to the product lifecycle management of a new product?

The purpose of Critical Path software is to guide the process of getting a product to market by its agreed launch date. It does so by providing users with a clear list of outstanding tasks in order of urgency, allowing the ability to track achieved and unachieved milestones. Countless companies use this method when launching a new product to ensure a seamless and successful introduction to market.

One product launch in particular has recently made the news, but for the wrong reasons – the Samsung Galaxy Fold. The first-of-its-kind foldable screen smartphone was set for a UK launch on 6th May 2019, with a staggering number of people pre-ordering their device online. While we don’t know the exact number, Samsung stated it was so high that they were forced to close pre-orders early. With all those customers eagerly waiting for a product that hadn’t yet been through sufficient testing, there was room for significant fallout if things were to go wrong. Unfortunately for Samsung, these fears were quickly realised. After just days of reviewer testing, the smartphone’s revolutionary screen started to malfunction, forcing Samsung to push back its release and even cancel orders. So, what does this have to do with Critical Path?

The huge power harnessed by using Critical Path software lies in the ability to make calculations based on possible scenarios. In the example above, Samsung will have been able to see that if the Galaxy Fold was to go back to development, it would mean scheduling in X, which would then push back Y, eventually giving them an idea of a new, realistic release date. This enables them to then manage their customers expectations, and do some damage control to reduce the ramifications of a late release.

Let EV Cargo Technology provide you with Critical Path solutions for your business…

With Critical Path software from EV Cargo Technology, users are able to:

  • Automatically calculate the dates of milestones based on key anchor points

  • Update dates of achievement against the milestones to accurately track against planned dates

  • Alert users to easily see when milestones are late (or unachieved) and use this to validate that launch dates are still achievable

Aside from these features, our software has the ability to span the entire process of getting your product to market, covering more than just Product Lifecycle Management. Our software also allows the application of critical path method to almost any process, making it an invaluable tool which can be adapted for multiple projects.

For more information on Critical Path software from EV Cargo Technology, visit our dedicated page. You’ll find all the key features and benefits, along with our related software. Alternatively, you can speak to our team of experts who will be happy to help you with any queries you may have.