Critical Path
The Critical Path tab on a shared style in the Supplier Portal shows the development milestones your customer's instance users have assigned to the style. A progress bar at the top of the tab indicates how many activities are complete, so you can see overall progress at a glance before drilling into individual due dates and notes.
Unlike Details, Colours, and Pricing, the Critical Path tab is interactive for supplier users when your customer has enabled portal activities. You can mark eligible activities as completed and record notes — including comments, file attachments, and @ mentions — so milestone updates stay on the style record instead of scattered across email.
Supplier Portal > Style > Critical Path 
Quick Check - Before You Start
- Confirm you are on the correct customer connection in Active Instance if you work with more than one brand.
- If the Critical Path tab is missing or empty, ask your instance user to verify the style is shared with your factory or agent, that a critical path template is applied on the style, and that your Supplier Portal role includes Style View access.
- Enable Critical Path Activity notifications in Profile › Notification Preferences so you are alerted when instance users post updates or when activities need your attention.
- Cross-check due dates with sample and specification work on Specification and Colours before you commit to production timelines.
Supplier Actions Depend on Your Customer's Configuration
Your customer controls which activities appear on the Supplier Portal and whether suppliers can complete them from the portal. If you can see an activity but cannot mark it complete or add notes, ask your instance user to confirm portal display and approval settings for that milestone.
Progress Overview
The progress bar at the top of the Critical Path tab summarises completion across all visible activities on the style. Use it to confirm how much of the development timeline is finished before you review individual rows.
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Progress bar | Visual indicator of how many activities are complete compared with the total number of activities displayed on the tab. |
| Activity sections | Activities are grouped into sections (for example, Design, Development, or Production) that mirror your customer's critical path template. Expand or collapse each section to focus on the milestones relevant to your role. |
Activity Fields
Each activity row shows the milestone name, schedule, completion details, and any notes your customer or supplier team have recorded.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Activity name | The name of the milestone or task — for example, Lab Dip Approval or Pre Production Sample Report. Completed activities may display with a strikethrough for quick visual identification. |
| Due date | The date by which the activity should be completed. Due dates may be calculated from reference dates your customer maintains on the Production Portal. |
| Completed | When the activity was marked complete, together with the name of the user who completed it — either a supplier portal user or an instance user, depending on who performed the action. |
| Notes | A summary of the latest note, approval, rejection, or comment recorded against the activity. Open the activity to view the full thread and any attachments. |
Activity status
Status indicators help you spot overdue work and late completions without opening each activity individually.
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Completed on or before the due date. |
| Red | Overdue — the due date has passed and the activity is not yet complete. |
| Orange | Completed after the due date. |
Confirm Against Your Development Brief
Compare Activity name and Due date values with the timeline your customer shared by email or in Comments on Specification. Critical path data is maintained on the Production Portal and may be updated after an earlier brief was sent.
Marking Activities Complete
When your customer has enabled portal completion for an activity, you can mark it complete directly from the Critical Path tab.
- Locate the activity in the relevant section.
- Click the completion control for that row (for example, the circle check icon) to mark the activity as complete.
- The Completed column updates with the completion date and your user name.
- To undo a completion, clear the completion control on the row — the strikethrough on the activity name is removed and the progress bar recalculates.
Not Every Activity Can Be Completed from the Portal
Only activities your customer has configured for portal display and portal approval appear on the Supplier Portal. If an expected milestone is missing, or you cannot mark an activity complete, ask your instance user to confirm the critical path template and portal settings for that activity.
Notes
Use Notes on an activity to record decisions, upload supporting files, and notify the right contacts when a milestone is approved, rejected, or needs clarification. Notes keep milestone communication attached to the activity instead of separate email threads.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Comments | Add or reply to notes on an activity to document context, questions, or instructions related to that milestone. |
| @ Mentions | Mention instance users or supplier colleagues by clicking the @ icon in the note toolbar or typing @ while composing your message. Mentioned users receive a notification. |
| File attachments | Attach supporting files — for example, signed approvals, test reports, or photos — to your note before you post. |
| Approval and rejection | When enabled by your customer, record an approval or rejection as part of the note workflow so instance users can see the outcome on the activity row. |
| Edit and delete | Update or remove your own notes when you need to correct a message. |
Keep milestone questions in Notes on the relevant activity so they stay linked to the critical path record. Use Chat for broader production topics that are not tied to a single milestone.
Mention the Right Contact
People on the style side widget lists your customer's internal instance users — not supplier staff. Use @ mentions in Notes to notify the instance user who owns the milestone, especially when a due date or approval needs urgent attention.
Where Critical Path Data Comes From
Instance users select a critical path template and maintain milestone schedules on the Production Portal. Which activities you see, and whether you can complete them from the Supplier Portal, depends on your customer's template configuration and portal display rules. You cannot add, remove, or resequence activities from your supplier account.
Next Steps
- Review style Details, Colours, and Pricing
- Confirm materials on Definition
- Review sketches and measurements on Specification
- Fulfil sample requirements and reports on Samples
- Search and open shared styles
- Track recent style changes in Activity
- Ask your customer's team about timeline changes
Related Settings
These Site Settings pages are maintained by your customer's administrators. Share them with your instance user contact if Critical Path activities or portal actions do not match expectations.
- Site Settings › Company › Suppliers
- Site Settings › Style › Critical Path
- Site Settings › Style › General Settings
Troubleshooting
Why is the Critical Path tab missing on a style I can otherwise open?
Tab visibility depends on your Supplier Portal role, portal display settings, and whether your customer has applied a critical path template to the style.
Steps to resolve:
- Confirm whether the tab is missing entirely or visible but empty.
- Ask your instance user to verify your Supplier Portal role in Site Settings › Company › Suppliers includes Style with View enabled.
- Ask them to confirm a critical path template is selected on the style and that at least one activity is configured to Display on portal.
- Click Refresh or reopen the style from Activity after your customer confirms updates.
Why is the Critical Path tab empty?
An empty tab usually means no critical path template has been applied to the style, or no activities are configured for portal display.
Steps to resolve:
- Ask your instance user to confirm a critical path template is assigned on the Production Portal style record.
- Ask them to verify activities in the template have Display on portal enabled where suppliers should see them.
- Check Activity for recent critical path changes after your customer updates the template.
- Use Chat to confirm expected milestones while the portal tab is being configured.
Why can I see an activity but not mark it complete or add notes?
Portal completion and note permissions are controlled per activity in your customer's critical path configuration. View access does not always include permission to complete or comment.
Steps to resolve:
- Confirm whether the activity row is read-only or missing completion and note controls entirely.
- Ask your instance user to verify Display on portal and Approve from portal are enabled for that activity in their critical path template.
- Ask them to confirm your supplier role includes the access needed to complete portal activities.
- Use Chat to send updates while portal permissions are being reviewed.
Why does a due date or activity not match what my customer sent by email?
Critical path schedules can be updated on the Production Portal after an earlier timeline was shared. Reference dates and offset rules may also recalculate due dates when style dates change.
Steps to resolve:
- Refresh the style record and review Activity for recent critical path changes.
- Compare Activity name and Due date with your customer's latest communication.
- Post a Note with an @ mention to the relevant instance user listed under People on the style card to confirm the current approved timeline.
Why is an activity showing as red or orange?
Status colours reflect completion relative to the Due date: overdue activities show as red; activities completed after the due date show as orange once marked complete.
Steps to resolve:
- Check whether the activity is still open and past its Due date — if so, complete it or add a Note explaining the delay.
- If the activity is already complete but shows orange, the work was finished after the original due date — confirm with your instance user whether the timeline needs updating on the Production Portal.
- Enable Critical Path Activity notifications in Profile so you receive alerts before milestones become overdue.