From the words of wisdom department:

When I worked for the Boston based web development team of a major financial services firm, Jim was my manager. Jim would admonish his team to “get off the critical path.”

There’s an animated cartoon where a character is riding on a toy train and laying track as fast as possible in front of the moving engine. Software development can sometimes feel like laying railroad track from the front of a moving train — while also building the train.

Any large project with many contributors will have choke points where tasks that fail to be completed on schedule will slow or stall the work of others. No one wants to be the target of finger pointing when a project schedule slips but “get off the critical path” was not intended as a cynical CYA tactic.

Jim’s approach was not selfish, but holistic. “Get off the critical path” is about planning and communicating, anticipating needs and setting expectations, and being open about setbacks and flexible about alternatives. It’s about having all the members of a team providing good customer service to each other and to all the other teams on a project.

More from the words of wisdom department:
constructive nonconformist: Know What You Know And Know What You Don’t Know