Question11 You have recently been assigned as the manager of a highly critical national project which should be finished in a very short period of time compared to the similar projects. After developing the first draft of the project network diagram you see that the project cannot be finished on time. If the network diagram cannot be changed anymore and you have extra human resources, what would be the best approach?Select one alternative: Fast tracking Risk analysis Leveling the resources Crashing ResetMaximum marks: 2

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

First, let's restate the scenario and the options to ensure clarity about what we are evaluating.
- Scenario: You’re managing a highly critical national project with a very tight deadline. The network diagram (project schedule) cannot be changed anymore, and you have extra human resources available. The question asks for the best approach given these constraints.
- Options: Fast tracking, Risk analysis, Leveling the resources, Crashing.

Option 1: Fast tracking. This technique increases project speed by performing activities in parallel that were originally planned in sequence. However, fast tracking often introduces more risk and rework since activities that depend on prior completions are overlapped, which can compromise quality or require additional coordination. In a scenario where the network diagram cannot be changed and time is extremely short, fast tracking may not be feasible or may worsen risk without guaranteeing on-time delivery when the critical path cannot be shortened through diagram changes.

Option 2: Risk analysis. Conducting risk analysis is an important planning activity to identify potential threats and mitigation strategies. Nevertheless, risk analysis itself does not shorten the schedule; it is a planning step rather than a direct schedule acceleration technique. If the project already faces a looming deadline and the diagram is fixed, risk analysis alone does not provide the required time compression.

Option 3: Leveling the resources. Resource leveling adjusts start and finish dates based on resource constraints to balance demand for resources. While leveling can help prevent overallocation and smooth work, it typically lengthens the schedule or preserves it with reduced resource peaks. In a situation where the primary constraint is time and the diagram is fixed, leveling is unlikely to deliver the needed acceleration and may even delay critical path activities further.

Option 4: Crashing. Crashing deliberately adds resources or increases work hours to shorten the duration of critical path activities. When the network diagram cannot be changed and extra human resources are available, crashing directly targets duration reduction on the critical path, which is the most sensible way to achieve a shorter overall project completion time under these constraints. It leverages the available manpower to push the schedule forward, often with increased cost or effort but with a focus on meeting the tight deadline.

Putting these points together, the option that directly addresses shortening the project duration given fixed network structure and available extra resources is crashing. The other options either alter sequencing with increased risk (fast tracking), do not affect duration meaningfully (risk analysis), or balance resource use at the potential cost of time (leveling).

In summary, when you cannot modify the network diagram and you have additional human resources, pursuing crashing is the most direct strategy to reduce project duration by accelerating the critical activities. The alternatives either fail to provide a reliable time reduction under these constraints or could introduce new complications or delays.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

An activity with positive slack can be delayed without impacting the overall project completion time.

Assume that an activity can begin only after two other activities are completed. If the earliest completion time of one predecessor is twenty days, and the earliest completion time of the other predecessor is seventeen days, then the earliest start time of this activity must be twenty days.

Why do network diagrams typically precede Gantt charts in complex projects?

As a project manager of a construction project, you need to use a tool to routinely monitor project timeline against the baseline, update WBS and track schedule. Which of the following is the most appropriate?

Part 1Which of the following was NOT a network planning method developed in the 1950s? A. the program evaluation and review technique (PERT) B. the network project analysis technique (NPAT) C. the critical path method (CPM)

What is the amount of time an activity may be delayed without delaying a succeeding activity or the project finish date?

What is a graphical network model that depicts a project’s tasks and the relationships between them?

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler