PK0-005 Project Life Cycle Practice Question
During the Planning phase of a construction project, the project manager learns that a required environmental permit will take twelve weeks to obtain, while the site preparation activity is scheduled to start in four weeks. The permit is mandatory before site preparation can begin. What should the project manager do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating a regulatory lead time as an activity that can be compressed rather than a hard constraint that re-sequences the network.
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
✓
Document the permit lead time as a schedule constraint and re-sequence the schedule so site preparation follows permit issuance.
A mandatory external dependency such as a permit lead time must be reflected in the schedule logic. The project manager first documents the constraint and re-sequences the affected activities, then evaluates the impact on the critical path and finish date. Compression techniques and escalation cannot remove a legal prerequisite, so they are inappropriate as the first response.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate to the sponsor to have the permit requirement waived so the original schedule can be maintained.
Why it's wrong here
Regulatory permits are legal requirements that a sponsor cannot waive. Escalating for a waiver is not a viable project action and would expose the organization to legal penalties. The project manager should manage the schedule around the constraint rather than request an impossible exception.
- ✓
Document the permit lead time as a schedule constraint and re-sequence the schedule so site preparation follows permit issuance.
Why this is correct
The twelve-week permit lead time is a mandatory external dependency and a schedule constraint. The project manager must record it, adjust the network logic so site preparation starts after permit issuance, and then assess the resulting impact on the critical path and project finish date before deciding whether further action is needed.
- ✗
Fast-track the schedule by overlapping the permit application with site preparation to recover the lost time.
Why it's wrong here
Fast-tracking overlaps activities that could otherwise be done sequentially, but site preparation legally cannot begin before the permit is issued. Overlapping a mandatory regulatory dependency creates rework and potential fines rather than compressing the schedule, so this response fails to address the hard constraint.
- ✗
Crash the schedule by adding resources to the site preparation activity to shorten its duration.
Why it's wrong here
Crashing adds resources to shorten an activity's duration, but the twelve-week permit wait is a regulatory queue, not a resource-limited task. Adding crew members to site preparation does nothing to accelerate permit issuance, so crashing cannot resolve the dependency and simply raises cost without addressing the constraint.
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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
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