"A construction project team develops a detailed network diagram and identifies that the path Foundation ? Framing ? Roofing ? Inspection has zero float and is longer than all other paths. Two weeks into execution, roofing is delayed by 3 days. What is the most direct implication of this delay, assuming no corrective action is taken?"

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

A path with zero float is the critical path, so any delay on an activity on that path will directly increase the project duration by the same amount if nothing else is done.

1) Relevant knowledge points and concepts
- Critical Path Method (CPM): the longest path through the project network determines project duration.  
- Total float (slack): the amount an activity can be delayed without delaying project completion. Total float = Latest Finish − Earliest Finish. Zero total float means no slack.  
- Free float: delay allowed for an activity without delaying its immediate successor, not the whole project.  
- Corrective actions (crashing, fast-tracking, re-sequencing) are required to prevent a critical-path delay from extending the finish date.

2) Step-by-step reasoning
- The network shows Foundation → Framing → Roofing → Inspection is the longest path and has zero float. Therefore it is the critical path and controls project completion.  
- Roofing, on that critical path, is delayed by 3 days. With no corrective action, that delay cannot be absorbed by the activity’s float (zero) or by shifting others on that path (no slack).

3) Calculations and intermediate steps
- Let original project duration = D days (determined by critical path).  
- Roofing delay = +3 days.  
- New project duration = D + 3 days (since critical path length increases by the roofing delay).  
- Project completion shifts forward by 3 days.

4) Why the correct answer is correct
- Because the delayed activity is on the critical path with zero total float, any unmitigated delay directly increases the project finish by the same amount.

5) Why the other options are incorrect
- "Non-critical activities will automatically compress..." is false; activities do not auto-compress—compression requires proactive actions.  
- "Only roofing activities are affected; project completion date remains unchanged" is false because a critical-path delay affects the overall finish.  
- "The delay can be absorbed by free float on non-critical paths" is false; free float on non-critical paths cannot reduce the length of the critical path.

6) Conclusion
The most direct implication is that the project completion date is delayed by 3 days, which matches the provided answer.

类似问题

When using Miro to plan a complex project, which capability would you need to obtain from another tool because Miro does not provide it natively?

Question6.2 (0.5 marks) The critical path is [select: , ABCDE, BDE, ACE]. ResetMaximum marks: 0.5 Flag question undefined

There is an activity in the project that has an early start (ES) on day 3, late start (LS) on day 13, early finish (EF) on day 9, and late finish (LF) on day 19. What is the most accurate interpretation of this activity?

When calculating the Critical Path, what happens if two paths have equal duration?

The critical path is:

更多留学生实用工具

智能学习助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单