Critical Path Question

Submitted by Jgrind07 on Sun, 04/28/2013 - 21:42

Q1: Assuming that the critical path of your project has duration of ten days, which of the following cannot affect the project timelines?

   
  Choice 1  If the project has one critical path, you are able to decrease the duration of the critical path by one day by using a new tool. 
 
  Choice 2  If the project has one critical path, you have to increase the duration of the critical path by one day due to delays. 
 
  Choice 3  If the project has two critical paths, you are able to decrease the duration of one critical path by one day by using a new tool. 
 
  Choice 4  If the project has two critical paths, you have to increase the duration of one critical path by one day due to delays. 
 

Q2: The following provides information on a particular task in your project:

Early Start(ES): 25 days
Late Start(LS): 30 days
Early Finish(EF): 50 days
Late Finish(LF): 55 days

Based on this information, you can deduce that:

 
 
  Choice 1  The task is on the critical path. 
 
  Choice 2  The project may get delayed. 
 
  Choice 3  The project float is 5 days. 
 
  Choice 4  The task is not on the critical path.

Your choices for thoese questins and justificatin please?

Thanks

Jai

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sspawar

Sun, 04/28/2013 - 23:47

 1 

4

search old post 1st q has been asked

Jgrind07

Mon, 04/29/2013 - 03:33

Thanks, Pawar.

Hemant Tandon

Mon, 04/29/2013 - 00:40

Question#1

Critical Path: It is the duration of your project. 

  • Choice#1: Using a tool, you have been able to reduce the duration of critical path, so, the timelines of your project has changed from 10 days to 9 days.

 

  • Choice#2: Due to delays, duration of your critical path has increased by one day, so, the timelines of your project has changed from 10 days to 11 days.

 

  • Choice#3: Any Project can have more than 1 critical path. Duration of all the critical paths will be same. Assume that the duration of your critical paths A and B is 10 days. Even if you have been able to reduce the duration of critical path A from 10 to 9, however, the duration of B is still 10. So, A is no more a critical path and B still remains a critical path of 10 days, and the timelines of your project hasn't changed at all.

 

  • Choice#4: Assume the same example: There are 2 critical paths A and B with duration of 10 days each. Now, duration of A has increased from 10 to 11 days. The duration of task A is longest, so, A is still a critical path and B is not more a critical path. Also, your project timelines has changed from 10 days to 11 days.

So, answer is choice#3.

Regards,

Hemant, PMP

Hemant Tandon

Mon, 04/29/2013 - 00:46

Question#2

Points to remember:-

  • Critical path is a longest duration path in the Project.
  • There can be more than 1 critical path in your project.
  • Length of critical path is the duration of your project.
  • Float/Slack of any task on critical path is 0 of negative....It cannot be positive.
  • 3 types of floats:-


o  

Free Float: This is the amount of time an activity can be delayed, without impacting the early start date of its successor.


o  

Total Float or Slack: It is the amount of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the project’s end date.


o  

Project Float: Number of days a project can be delayed without delaying another project.

  • So, Project float is not same as free float.
  • 2 formulas to calculate free float:-


o  

Late Finish - Early Finish


o  

Late Start - Early Start

Apply above mentioned information on all the choices:-

  • Choice#1: Apply the above mentioned formula and calculate the float for this task. Float equals to (55 - 50) or (30 - 25) days which is 5 days. So, the float is non-zero which means the task is not on critical path.
  • Choice#2: There is no information to support this option.
  • Choice#3: As mentioned above, Project float is not same as free float. 5 days is free float and not project float.
  • Choice#4: As the float of the task is non-zero, so, task is not on critical path.

So, answer is choice#4.

Regards,

Hemant, PMP

pmpnewster

Mon, 04/29/2013 - 02:41

Q1:  3

Q2:  4

 

crushPMP's picture

crushPMP

Mon, 04/29/2013 - 02:45

 Q1. C

Q2. D

Jgrind07

Mon, 04/29/2013 - 03:28

The correct answers are:

Q1. Option 3 (C)

Q2. Optioin 4(D)

 

Thanks, Hemant for your detailed explaination.

BTW, these 2 questins are from PM Study mock exam that I took today.

Thanks

Jai