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CAPM Practice: Demonstrate an understanding of a project management plan schedule

Question 61 of 85 in Demonstrate an understanding of a project management plan schedule

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A project schedule shows that Activity A (5 days) → Activity B (3 days) → Activity C (4 days) is one path, and Activity D (7 days) → Activity E (5 days) is another path, both paths starting simultaneously and merging at the project end. What is the critical path duration?

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Correct answer: 12 days — both paths are equal

Explanation

Path 1 (A→B→C) = 5 + 3 + 4 = 12 days. Path 2 (D→E) = 7 + 5 = 12 days. Both paths have equal duration of 12 days — both are critical paths simultaneously! This creates a dual-critical-path situation where delays on activities in either path will delay the project. Float for all activities on both paths = 0.

**Why not A:** 5 days represents only Activity E's duration, not an entire path through the network. The critical path must include a complete path from project start to project finish, and all activities on a path must be included in the duration calculation.

**Why not B:** While Path A-B-C does equal 12 days, this answer implies it is the only critical path. In this scenario, Path D-E also equals 12 days, meaning both paths are critical simultaneously. Identifying only one path as critical misses the dual-critical-path condition.

**Why not D:** 7 days represents only Activity D's duration, which is one activity on Path 2. The full Path D-E duration is 7 + 5 = 12 days. Individual activity durations do not represent complete path durations through the network.

Key Concept

This question covers Demonstrate an understanding of a project management plan schedule under Demonstrate an understanding of a project management plan schedule (Predictive, Plan-Based Methodologies).

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