ITPEC FE Morning October 2018 Question 53

Critical Path Activities — activities with zero float

The question asks for a description of the activities on the critical path, not the path itself.

• •Correct: a) Any activity on the critical path is called a critical path activity — this is the standard definition. These activities have zero slack/float, meaning any delay directly delays the project.

Why not others:
- b) Says "shortest path" — the critical path is the longest path, not shortest.
- c) The critical path does not need to contain the single longest-duration activity — it is determined by the greatest total duration of a sequence.
- d) "Longest possible project duration" is misleading — the critical path determines the minimum project duration (the shortest time to complete all work). The path itself is the longest, but the duration it sets is the minimum needed.

Key rule: Critical path = longest path → sets the minimum project completion time. Each activity on it is a "critical path activity" with zero float.

AI-generated — may contain errors