Section 4: Time Management

QUESTION 91
Your team is analyzing the project and comes up with the information in the chart. Which activities are on the critical path?

A. Not enough information
B. Activities B, C, and I
C. Activities B, C, E, F, H
D. Activities D, G, I
Answer: D
Explanation:
Activities on the critical path almost always have no float.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 197

QUESTION 92
In order to shorten the project duration, you look at fast tracking the project. Based on the chart, which activity(s) would you consider fast tracking?

A. Activity B or E
B. Activity C or F
C. Activity H
D. Activity D or I
Answer: D
Explanation:
You would want to fast track activities on the critical path in order to save time. Your choices would be activities D, G, or I.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 205

QUESTION 93
Based on the chart, what is the duration of the critical path?

A. 19
B. 13
C. 15
D. 14
Answer: A
Explanation:
The critical path is Start, B, F, G, End.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 196-204

QUESTION 94
Based on the chart, what is the duration of the critical path?

A. 30
B. 23
C. 49
D. 46
Answer: D
Explanation:
The longest path is Start, E, I, End.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 196-204

QUESTION 95
Based on the chart, which of the following statements BEST reflects the project situation?

A. The project is progressing on schedule.
B. The project manager should investigate decomposing activity E.
C. The duration of the critical path is 30.
D. There are two critical paths.
Answer: B
Explanation:
An activity of 40 when all others are far shorter would imply that the activity might be too large to properly manage, estimate, and control.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 188

QUESTION 96
Based on the chart, while working on the project, you are told that you have to remove some resources to support a more important project for your customer. From which activity would it be BEST to remove resources?

A. Activity A
B. Activity B
C. Activity C
D. Activity D
Answer: D
Explanation:
Choice D is the better choice, as it is not on the critical path.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 196

QUESTION 97
You need to shorten the project by exactly four months, but spend no more than US $22,000 to do it. Based on the information in the chart, you would include activity A as part of the solution. However, during planning, the resource completing activity A strongly argued for a particular method of completing the scope in order to agree to be on the team. His scope was accepted because his expertise was needed on the project. The BEST way to crash this project would be to crash which activity(s)?

A. Activities A and H
B. Activity D
C. Activities F and H
D. Activity C
Answer: B
Explanation:
If you got this question wrong, you might be having trouble reading the questions. Crashing activity A (included in choice A) would be the least expensive option. However, the wording of the question excluded it from being allowable due to the constraint of doing it in the agreed-upon way. By crashing either activity D (choice B) or activity C (choice D), you would spend $20,000. However, with activity C, you would save five months rather than the four requested. Choice B is the best answer.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 206

QUESTION 98
Using the chart, a new activity, (R) with the duration of 5 is added to this project. Activity R has a predecessor of activity A and a successor of activity B. How long will the project now take?

A. 49
B. 48
C. 38
D. 52
Answer: A
Explanation:
The new activity is added to the critical path making it easy to compute the new duration. The critical path is Start, A, B, C, G, H, J, K, End which equals 44. Adding activity R, with a duration of 5, the critical path changes to Start, A, R, B, C, G, H, J, K, End with a duration of 49.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 196-204

QUESTION 99
As per the chart, the resource completing activity E is not performing very well. After much argument, the functional manager agrees to assign a different resource to activity E, but this will increase activity E’s duration to seven months. What is the effect of this change?

A. None, because activity E was not on the critical path.
B. The project will be delayed because activity E is on the critical path.
C. The project will be delayed because activity E has float of five.
D. None, because activity E has float of four.
Answer: D
Explanation:
For activity E before the change, the ES is 7 and the LS is 11. After the change, the ES is 7 and the LS is 9.
The change will use two of the four months of float for activity E but will not affect the critical path. Choice D is the better of A and D. Choice A is just looking at the fact of E being on the critical path before the change.
Choice D looks at both before and after adjustments have been made and that E still has float and thus is still not on the critical path.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 196-204

QUESTION 100
Based on the chart, while completing the project, a team member tells you that the team forgot something during planning. Activity F needs the results of activity E before it can begin. Taking this new dependency into account, what would be the effect on the project?

A. It would increase the critical path.
B. Communication would be more complex.
C. There would be no effect.
D. It would delay activity F.
Answer: B
Explanation:
Did the distracters in this question trick you? Although another path was created (Start, E, F, End), with a duration of 45, it is not longer than the existing critical path. There would be no effect on the critical path with this change, but that is not what the question asked. It asked for the effect on the PROJECT. More interdependencies on a project increase the need for communication.
Source: PMP® Exam Prep Page: 184