Plan and Manage Schedule

Critical path method (CPM) questions are near-guaranteed: given a network diagram, identify the longest path through the project (the critical path), which has zero total float — any delay on it delays the whole project. Non-critical paths have positive float and can absorb some delay without impact.

Schedule compression has two named techniques with a direct trade-off: crashing (adding resources to shorten duration — increases cost, doesn't change scope or logic) and fast tracking (running activities in parallel that were originally sequential — increases risk, not necessarily cost). A scenario emphasizing budget constraints points toward fast tracking; one emphasizing risk tolerance and available budget points toward crashing.

Study focus: dependency types (finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, start-to-finish) and leads/lags are reliably tested through small network-diagram calculations.