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PK0-005 Practice Question: A project manager notices that a task on the…
A project manager notices that a task on the critical path is delayed by 3 days. Which tool should the project manager use to determine the impact on the project completion date?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse a Gantt chart's visual timeline with the ability to analyze critical path impacts, but only a network diagram (or CPM chart) provides the dependency and float data needed to quantify the delay's effect on the project completion date.
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
✓
Network diagram
The network diagram (specifically the critical path method, CPM) is the correct tool because it visually maps task dependencies and identifies the critical path. A 3-day delay on a critical path task directly extends the project completion date by 3 days, as there is no float. The project manager can use the network diagram to trace the impact through dependent tasks and confirm the new end date.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Gantt chart
Why it's wrong here
A Gantt chart displays scheduled bars against a timeline but does not recalculate float or propagate a delay through dependent activities. It is tempting because it visually shows the critical path, yet it is used for communicating schedule status, whereas critical path method analysis determines the new completion date.
- ✓
Network diagram
Why this is correct
A network diagram maps task dependencies and the critical path, so inserting the three-day delay lets the project manager recalculate float and the revised completion date. It directly shows schedule impact, satisfying the need to determine the effect on the project finish date.
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Risk register
Why it's wrong here
A risk register logs identified risks, their probability, impact and responses; it holds no schedule logic to recompute dates. It tempts because a delay feels like a risk event, but it is the correct tool for tracking and mitigating uncertainties, not for calculating the effect of an actual delay on the finish date.
- ✗
Work breakdown structure
Why it's wrong here
A work breakdown structure decomposes deliverables into hierarchical work packages; it contains no durations, dependencies or float. It is tempting because it defines the tasks on the critical path, yet it is used for scope definition and estimation, not for determining how a three-day slip shifts the project completion date.
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