PK0-005 Project Management Concepts Practice Question
A project is falling behind schedule. The project manager considers crashing or fast-tracking. Which THREE statements about these techniques are correct? (Select three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is the misconception that fast-tracking reduces risk — it actually increases risk — and the related error of thinking crashing applies to non-critical path activities, when it must target the critical path to affect duration.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Both techniques are used to compress the schedule.
Option A is correct because both crashing and fast-tracking are schedule compression techniques used to shorten the project duration when a project is falling behind schedule. Option B is correct because crashing adds resources (people, equipment, overtime, or expediting) to critical path activities, which typically increases project cost. Option C is correct because fast-tracking overlaps activities that would normally be done sequentially, without necessarily adding resources. Option D is incorrect because crashing focuses on critical path activities, not non-critical path activities, since only critical path compression shortens the overall schedule. Option E is incorrect because fast-tracking usually increases risk due to overlapping activities and potential rework, rather than reducing risk.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Both techniques are used to compress the schedule.
Why this is correct
Crashing adds resources to critical-path activities, while fast-tracking overlaps sequential activities. Both techniques target the critical path to shorten total duration, so each is a schedule compression method applied when the project is behind schedule.
- ✓
Crashing typically increases project cost.
Why this is correct
Crashing adds resources to critical-path activities, shortening duration but raising expenditure through overtime, extra staff or expedited procurement. This directly satisfies the stem's cost implication: compressing the schedule this way typically increases project cost, unlike fast-tracking, which overlaps tasks and mainly adds rework risk rather than direct spend.
- ✓
Fast-tracking is performed without adding resources.
Why this is correct
Fast-tracking overlaps sequential activities to compress the schedule without adding resources, satisfying the stem's constraint that no extra people or budget are introduced. Crashing instead adds resources to shorten duration, so this statement correctly distinguishes the two techniques by their resource impact.
- ✗
Crashing focuses on non-critical path activities.
Why it's wrong here
Crashing adds resources to activities on the critical path, because only those shorten the overall duration; applying it elsewhere yields no schedule gain. The confusion arises because both techniques compress the schedule, but crashing is selected when budget is available and the critical path is the constraint.
- ✗
Fast-tracking reduces risk.
Why it's wrong here
Fast-tracking runs activities in parallel that were sequenced, which removes the buffer between them and so increases risk of rework and missed dependencies. It is tempting because it adds no cost, unlike crashing; it is chosen when tasks are genuinely independent and the schedule compression must avoid extra spending.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This PK0-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PK0-005 exam.