PMI-SP Exam - Topic 7 Question 115 Discussion

The activity nodes of path ACFGJ equals 26 days and is the longest path to completion - it is the

critical path.

ACFGJ= A(4)+C(8)+F(4)+G(6)+J(4)=26

What is a critical path?

A critical path is the sequence of project activities, which add up to the longest overall duration. This

determines the

shortest time possible to complete the project. Any delay of an activity on the critical path directly

impacts the planned

project completion date (i.e. there is no float on the critical path). A project can have several,

parallel, near critical paths. An

additional parallel path through the network with the total durations shorter than the critical path is

called a sub-critical or

non-critical path.

These results allow managers to prioritize activities for the effective management of project

completion, and to shorten the

planned critical path of a project by pruning critical path activities, by 'fast tracking' (i.e., performing

more activities in

parallel), and/or by 'crashing the critical path' (i.e., shortening the durations of critical path activities

by adding resources).

Answer option A is incorrect. ABEHJ takes only 22 days to complete; it is not the critical path.

ABEHJ=A(4)+B(5)+E(2)+H(7)+J(4)=22

Answer option C is incorrect. ADGJ takes only 15 days to complete; it is not the critical path.

ADGJ=A(4)+D(1)+G(6)+J(4)=15

Answer option B is incorrect. ACFIJ takes only 23 days to complete; it is not the critical path.

ACFIJ=A(4)+C(8)+F(4)+I(3)+J(4)=23