ITPEC FE Morning October 2020 Question 52
ITPEC FE Morning October 2020 — Question 52 of 80
Critical Path & Activity Reduction — find the impact of shortening an activity on total project duration.
Identify all paths from start to finish:
- •A → B → E =
6 + 5 + 4=15 - •C → D → E =
7 + 5 + 4=16← critical path - •C → dummy → F =
7 + 0 + 6=13
Original project duration = 16 days (longest path)
After reducing D by 3 days (D = 2):
- •A → B → E =
15 - •C → D → E =
7 + 2 + 4=13 - •C → dummy → F =
13
New project duration = 15 days (critical path switches to A → B → E)
Reduction = 16 − 15 = 1 day
Why not others:
- (a) not changed — D was on the critical path, so shortening it does affect duration
- (c) reduced by 2 — would require the new critical path to be 14, but A → B → E = 15
- (d) reduced by 3 — only possible if no other path exceeds 13 days
Key rule: When shortening a critical-path activity, always recheck all paths — a different path may become the new critical path, limiting the actual time saved.
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