PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of process — managing technical aspects. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A project manager is developing the project schedule. Which TWO techniques can be used to compress the schedule without changing project scope?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Fast tracking
Fast tracking is a schedule compression technique that involves performing activities in parallel that would normally be done sequentially. This can shorten the project schedule without altering the project scope, as it only changes the logical relationships between tasks.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Fast tracking
Why this is correct
Fast tracking performs activities in parallel that were originally sequential.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Critical chain method
Why it's wrong here
Critical chain adds buffers and does not compress the schedule.
✓
Crashing
Why this is correct
Crashing adds resources to critical path tasks to reduce duration.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Resource leveling
Why it's wrong here
Resource leveling often extends the schedule to resolve resource over-allocations.
✗
Monte Carlo simulation
Why it's wrong here
Monte Carlo is used for risk analysis, not schedule compression.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing schedule compression techniques (fast tracking and crashing) with schedule optimization or analysis techniques like critical chain, resource leveling, or Monte Carlo simulation, which do not directly compress the schedule without scope change.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Fast tracking works by overlapping phases or tasks that were originally planned in sequence, such as starting construction before all design is complete. This increases risk of rework because later tasks may be based on incomplete information, but it does not change the project scope. Crashing, the other correct answer, adds resources (e.g., overtime, extra staff) to critical path activities to reduce duration, also without scope change.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PMP exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
Process — Managing Technical Aspects — This question tests Process — Managing Technical Aspects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Fast tracking — Fast tracking is a schedule compression technique that involves performing activities in parallel that would normally be done sequentially. This can shorten the project schedule without altering the project scope, as it only changes the logical relationships between tasks.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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