CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005)Project Management ConceptsHard
A project manager is developing a new scheduling baseline. Task A has a duration of 3 days. Task B depends on Task A finishing and has a duration of 4 days. Task C depends on Task A finishing and has a duration of 5 days. Task D depends on both Task B and Task C finishing, and has a duration of 2 days. What is the earliest completion date for Task D if Task A starts on Monday, Day 1?
- ADay 10
- BDay 9
- CDay 12
- DDay 11
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Day 10
Calculations: Task A: Starts Day 1, finishes Day 3 (Duration 3 days) Task B: Starts Day 4 (after A finishes), finishes Day 7 (Duration 4 days) Task C: Starts Day 4 (after A finishes), finishes Day 8 (Duration 5 days) Task D: Depends on both B and C. Since C finishes on Day 8, D can only start on Day 9. D has a duration of 2 days, so it finishes on Day 10 (Day 9 + 2 days - 1 day for start).
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Incorrect calculation, likely assuming C finishes earlier or D has a shorter duration.
- C. Incorrect, likely an overestimation of duration or miscalculation of dependencies.
- D. Incorrect, potentially miscalculating start/finish days or adding an extra day.
Earliest Finish (EF)
The earliest possible time an activity can finish, based on its early start date and duration.
- EF = ES + Duration - 1 (for discrete days)
- For successor activities, ES is determined by the latest EF of all its predecessors.
- Used in forward pass calculation for critical path analysis.
Memory trick: Forward pass, trace the path, find the latest end before the next begins.