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Critical Path & Float Analysis Flashcards

7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Critical Path & Float Analysis flashcards as text

  1. In a PDM (Precedence Diagramming Method) network, a Start-to-Start relationship with a lag of 2 means:

    Answer: The successor cannot start until 2 days after the predecessor starts

    An SS+2 relationship requires the successor to wait 2 days after the predecessor has started before the successor can begin.

  2. Which float type is used to identify activities that are candidates for resource leveling without impacting the project end date?

    Answer: Total Float

    Total Float represents the time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project end date, making it the key metric for resource leveling decisions.

  3. A project network has three paths: Path 1 = 22 days, Path 2 = 22 days, Path 3 = 18 days. How many critical paths does this project have?

    Answer: Two critical paths (Path 1 and Path 2)

    Any path with the longest duration (22 days) is a critical path, so both Path 1 and Path 2 are critical paths in this project.

  4. When an imposed finish date is earlier than the calculated Early Finish from the CPM analysis, what is the result?

    Answer: Negative Total Float on the critical path

    When a mandatory finish constraint is earlier than the CPM-calculated finish, the critical path activities will show negative Total Float.

  5. Which activity characteristic makes it a 'near-critical' activity?

    Answer: An activity with Total Float slightly above zero (e.g., 1–3 days)

    Near-critical activities have very small Total Float (typically just a few days), meaning they could easily become critical if minor delays occur.

  6. In CPM analysis, if Activity G has predecessors Activity E (EF=14) and Activity F (EF=18) using Finish-to-Start relationships, what is Activity G's Early Start?

    Answer: 18

    When an activity has multiple predecessors, its Early Start is the maximum Early Finish of all predecessors; here, max(14, 18) = 18.

  7. What is the significance of the 'critical chain' concept compared to the traditional critical path?

    Answer: Critical chain accounts for resource constraints and uses buffers instead of individual activity float

    Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) factors in resource dependencies and replaces individual activity buffers with shared project and feeding buffers.