Project managers at companies of all sizes have to choose from an ever-evolving collection of work management techniques. Out of the gate, they need to know if a given methodology - whether it's Lean, Waterfall, or Agile - fits with their company and cross-functional department objectives, culture, and speed of business.

So, how do you know which work management techniques are the most important? And which ones will actually help make your project a success? Many factors can hinder the success of a project, but the critical path method can help keep projects on track and budget.

While it was originally a time-consuming, hand-drawn set of diagrams, today you can use Smartsheet, a work execution platform, to instantly track the critical path or the most important tasks that, if missed, will delay your entire project - with just a click of a button.