When defining paths, rarely are all the steps we listed critical to get to our destination. Knowing which steps necessary, and which steps are supporting or optional, helps us streamline our paths and locate the risks in that path.

For each of your paths, go through each step and ask the question: If I don’t do this step, or don’t execute it correctly, can I still reach my destination?

Mark those steps you answer yes to as critical steps.

Next, for each non-critical step, ask: if I do this step, how will it increase my chance of successfully reaching my destination?

Mark any steps which you reasonably think will increase your chance of success as supporting steps. The remaining steps are your optional steps.