Not everyone joins a minyan at the same time. Some are a little late and some are very late. Knowing that the silent Shemona Esrei is the most important part of a prayer service will govern what the late comer chooses to pray ahead of joining the congregation in reciting Shemona Esrei.
On what basis do I suggest that the silent Shemona Esrei is the most important element in Tefila B'Tzibbur? The Mishneh Breura provides the answer:
שולחן ערוך אורח חיים הלכות תפילה סימן צ סעיף ט-ישתדל אדם להתפלל בב"ה עם הציבור.
משנה ברורה סימן צ ס"ק כח-עם הצבור - מפני שאין הקדוש ברוך הוא מואס בתפלת הצבור ואפילו היה בהם חוטאים לא ימנע מלהתפלל עמהם. אם יש לו שתי בתי כנסיות ואחד יש בו ברוב עם מצוה להתפלל בו יותר . . . ועיקר תפלה בצבור הוא תפלת י"ח דהיינו שיתפללו עשרה אנשים שהם גדולים ביחד ולא כמו שחושבין ההמון שעיקר להתפלל בעשרה הוא רק לשמוע קדיש וקדושה וברכו ולכן אינם מקפידין רק שיהיו י' בבהכ"נ וזהו טעות.
Shulchan Aruch: A person should try to pray in synagogue with the congregation.
Mishneh Breura: With the congregation-Because G-d does not reject the prayers of a congregation. Even if there are sinners in the group, you should not hesitate to pray with them. If you have a choice of two synagogues, and one of them is a large congregation, it is a mitzvah to pray with the large congregation . . . The communal prayer that Halacha is concerned with is Shemona Esrei; that ten people who should read it together. Many people erroneously believe that the purpose of congregating together is to hear Kaddish, Kedusha or Barchu. As a result, all that they are concerned with is that there be ten people in synagogue. That is an error.
The silent Shemona Esrei is a prayer than can be said alone. What changes when it is recited in a group of ten or more men?
Chazal determined that Tefila B'Tzibbur requires the presence of ten or more men. What is the source for the rule? The Ten Spies who spoke poorly of the chances for the Jewish People to conquer Eretz Yisroel who were classified as an עדה, the entire Jewish People. That means that a group of ten represent more than just themselves or a group of ten. Ten men represent the entire Jewish People. So, when you pray with a group of ten or more men, it is as if the entire Jewish People are in the synagogue with you. To provide some perspective, I will suggest an absurd idea; that when you pray with a group of ten men, you must consider that your minyan may be the only group of ten praying at that time. Therefore, the responsibility of praying for the entire Jewish People has fallen on your group's shoulder.
As a result, when a person arrives late to a prayer service, particularly Tefillat Shacharit, he needs to know what he can omit to be able to join the congregation in reciting the silent Shemona Esrei. Here are the rules:
שולחן ערוך אורח חיים הלכות ברכות השחר ושאר ברכות סימן נב הקדמה - סעיף א
דין מי ששהה לבוא לבהכ"נ עד ישתבח, ובו סעיף אחד.
אם בא לבהכ"נ ומצא צבור בסוף פסוקי דזמרה אומר: ברוך שאמר עד מהולל בתשבחות, ואח"כ: תהלה לדוד עד מעתה ועד עולם הללוי-ה (תהילים קמה, א - כא; קטו, יח), ואח"כ: הללו את ה' מן השמים עד לבני ישראל עם קרובו הללוי-ה (תהילים קמח, א - יד) ואח"כ: הללו א-ל בקדשו עד כל הנשמה תהלל י-ה (תהילים קנ, א - ז). הגה: ואם יש לו שהות יותר יאמר: הודו לה' קראו (דברי הימים א, טז, א - טו; תהילים צט, ה; ט) עד והוא רחום וידלג עד והוא רחום (תהילים עח, לח) שקודם אשרי כי בנתיים אינו רק פסוקים מלוקטים (הגהות מיימוני פ"ז מה' תפלה). ואח"כ: ישתבח, ואח"כ: יוצר וק"ש וברכותיה, ויתפלל עם הצבור. ואם אין שהות כ"כ, ידלג גם מזמור הללו את ה' מן השמים (תהילים קמח, א - יד). הגה: אם עוד אין שהות, לא יאמר רק: ברוך שאמר, ותהלה לדוד וישתבח (הרא"ש והר"י פרק אין עומדין). ואם כבר התחילו הצבור יוצר, ואין שהות לומר פסוקי דזמרה אפי' בדילוג, יקרא ק"ש וברכותיה עם הציבור ויתפלל עמהם, ואחר כך יקרא כל פסוקי דזמרה בלא ברכה שלפניהם ולא של אחריהם. הגה: ומכל מקום יאמר כל הברכות שמחויב לברך בבקר (כל בו וב"י בשם מהרי"א כמו שנתבאר סימן מ"ו ומ"ז).
Shulchan Aruch: The Rule Concerning an Individual who Enters Synagogue
At A Time the Congregation is about to Recite Yishtabach: If an individual enters the synagogue and finds the congregation completing Pseukei D’Zimra, he recites the blessing Baruch Sh’Amar until its completion with the words: M’Hoolal BaTishbachot. Then he recites Tehila L’David until its completion with the words: Mai-Ata V’Ad Olam Halleluya.At A Time the Congregation is about to Recite Yishtabach: If an individual enters the synagogue and finds the congregat Then he recites: Hallelu Et Hashem Min Hashamayim until Livnai Yisroel Um Krovo Halleluya. And then: Hallelu Ail B’Kodsho until Kol Haneshama T’Hallel Kah. RAMAH: If he has more time, he should recite Hodu L’ashem Kiroo until V’Hoo Rachum and skips until the V’Hoo Rachum that comes just before Ashrei because in between, we find scattered verses. Then he recites Yishtabach and then Yotzair and Kriyat Shma and its blessings and then he should recite Shmona Esrei together with the congregation. And if he did not have as much time to catch up, he can skip the paragraph of Hallelu Et Hashem Min Hashamayim. (The Ramah comments: if he does not have that much time, he can say only Baruch Sh’Amar, Tehilah L’David and Yishtabach. But if the congregation has already begun the first Bracha of Kriyat Shema and he has no time to recite any part of Pseukei D’Zimra, he should join the congregation in reciting the Brachot of Kriyat Shema and after finishing Tefillat Shacharit, he should recite all of Pseukei D’Zimra but without the Bracha before or after. RAMAH: Under all circumstance he should recite Birchot Ha’Shachar.
Question: Why are there circumstance when a person can omit all of Pseukei D'Zimra? Is not the purpose of that section to prepare oneself to recite Shemona Esrei by singing the praises of G-d? The answer is that Chazal anticipated the issue and provided words of praise in the first two Brachot of Kriyat Shema. If that is true, then why do we need to recite Pseukei D'Zimra? The words of praise that are found in the Brachot of Kriyat Shema differ from the ones found in Pseukei D'Zimra. Pseukei D'Zimra consist primarily of שירי דוד, words that were divinely inspired and included in Tanach. The words of praise found in the Brachot of Kriyat Shema were composed by our Sages. Ideally, we want to incorporate both types of praise as preparation for reciting Shemona Esrei.
One last point, if you study closely the priority given to some sections of Pseukei D'Zimra, you will see that you are being given a roadmap as to prioritizing what you should study first if you want to study Pseukei D'Zimra. One example of that priority is the significance given to chapters 148 and 150 of Tehillim. Ask yourself why are those sections more important than the others? Stay tuned for the answer.