Critical Path Analysis Quiz

In a network diagram for critical path analysis, a node with an earliest start time of 10 and a latest finish time of 10 indicates which of the following?

• The activity has a total float of 10 days

• The node lies on the critical path with zero float

• The activity must be delayed by 10 days

• The node has a free float of 10 days

Which of the following correctly defines "total float" in critical path analysis?

• The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project end date

• The amount of time an activity takes from its earliest start to its latest finish

• The total duration of all activities along the critical path combined

• The difference between the earliest start time and the latest start time of a project

A project has activities A, B, and C. Activity A takes 4 days, B takes 6 days, and C takes 3 days. If B and C both depend on A, what is the earliest finish time of the entire project?

• The project finishes earliest at day 10 after A and B are completed

• The project finishes earliest at day 13 after A, B, and C are all completed

• The project finishes earliest at day 7 after A and C are completed

• The project finishes earliest at day 9 after B and C run simultaneously

In a critical path network, the "earliest start time" (EST) of an activity is calculated by which of the following methods?

• Subtracting the activity duration from the latest finish time of the preceding activity

• Taking the maximum of the earliest finish times of all immediately preceding activities

• Taking the minimum of the earliest finish times of all immediately preceding activities

• Adding the total float to the latest start time of the preceding activity

Which of the following statements about the critical path in a project network is correct?

• The critical path is always the route with the fewest number of activities in the network

• The critical path is the longest path through the network and determines project duration

• The critical path is the shortest path through the network and determines project duration

• The critical path is the route with the highest total float across all its activities

In critical path analysis, "free float" is best described as which of the following?

• The time by which an activity can be delayed without affecting the latest start of any successor

• The time by which an activity can be delayed without affecting the earliest start of any successor

• The total time available between the start and end of the entire project network

• The difference between the latest finish time and the earliest finish time of the project

A project network has the following paths and durations: Path 1 = 20 days, Path 2 = 25 days, Path 3 = 22 days. Which path is the critical path and what is the project duration?

• Path 1 is the critical path and the project duration is 20 days in total

• Path 3 is the critical path and the project duration is 22 days in total

• Path 2 is the critical path and the project duration is 25 days in total

• All paths are critical and the project duration is 67 days in total

When performing a backward pass in critical path analysis, the latest finish time (LFT) of the final node is set to which of the following values?

• It is set to zero so that the backward pass can begin from the start of the network

• It is set equal to the earliest start time of the first activity in the network

• It is set equal to the earliest finish time of the final node calculated in the forward pass

• It is set to the total float of the last activity on the critical path

Activity X has an earliest start time of 8 days, a latest finish time of 15 days, and a duration of 5 days. What is the total float of Activity X?

In a project network, if an activity has a total float of zero, which of the following conclusions can be drawn?

• The activity is not connected to any other activity in the network diagram

• The activity lies on the critical path and any delay will extend the project duration

• The activity has the shortest duration of all activities in the entire network

• The activity can be removed from the project without affecting the overall schedule