- A
Immediately fast track remaining critical path activities to make up the two weeks
Why wrong: Fast tracking without assessing rework risk may lead to more delays.
- B
Request the sponsor to approve additional budget for overtime on all activities
Why wrong: Applying overtime broadly may not be efficient; focusing on critical path is more effective.
- C
Update the risk register and accept the two-week delay as a residual risk
Why wrong: Accepting the delay without attempting recovery is not proactive when compression techniques are available.
- D
Implement crashing by adding resources to critical path activities, after evaluating cost and benefit
Crashing can reduce schedule duration but requires trade-off analysis. It's a valid technique when contingency is exhausted.
Quick Answer
The answer is to implement crashing by adding resources to critical path activities, after evaluating cost and benefit. This is correct because when schedule contingency is exhausted, the project manager must turn to schedule compression techniques, and crashing directly targets the critical path to reduce duration, albeit at a potential cost increase. Fast tracking would be inappropriate here since the delayed component is on the critical path and activities are highly dependent, making parallel execution too risky. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between crashing and fast tracking under constraint—a common trap is choosing fast tracking because it seems cheaper, but the key is that crashing is the safer option when dependencies are tight. Remember the mnemonic: “Crash for cash, fast track for slack”—when contingency is gone and float is low, crashing is your go-to.
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.
You are managing a construction project that is behind schedule. The project has non-critical activities with significant float. A key supplier has informed you that a critical component will be delayed by two weeks, impacting the critical path. You have already used up all schedule contingency. What should you do NEXT?
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
Implement crashing by adding resources to critical path activities, after evaluating cost and benefit
The schedule contingency is exhausted, so the PM needs to consider schedule compression techniques. Crashing involves adding resources to critical path activities, which may increase costs but can recover time. Fast tracking could be risky if activities are highly dependent.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Immediately fast track remaining critical path activities to make up the two weeks
Why it's wrong here
Fast tracking without assessing rework risk may lead to more delays.
- ✗
Request the sponsor to approve additional budget for overtime on all activities
Why it's wrong here
Applying overtime broadly may not be efficient; focusing on critical path is more effective.
- ✗
Update the risk register and accept the two-week delay as a residual risk
Why it's wrong here
Accepting the delay without attempting recovery is not proactive when compression techniques are available.
- ✓
Implement crashing by adding resources to critical path activities, after evaluating cost and benefit
Why this is correct
Crashing can reduce schedule duration but requires trade-off analysis. It's a valid technique when contingency is exhausted.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PMP NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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Process — Managing Technical Aspects — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PMP question test?
Process — Managing Technical Aspects — This question tests Process — Managing Technical Aspects — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implement crashing by adding resources to critical path activities, after evaluating cost and benefit — The schedule contingency is exhausted, so the PM needs to consider schedule compression techniques. Crashing involves adding resources to critical path activities, which may increase costs but can recover time. Fast tracking could be risky if activities are highly dependent.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PMP NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on PMP
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your project is behind schedule due to underestimated task durations. The critical path has been identified. Which TWO schedule compression techniques are MOST appropriate to get the project back on track?
medium- A.Critical chain method
- B.Resource leveling
- ✓ C.Fast tracking
- ✓ D.Crashing
- E.Monte Carlo simulation
Why C: Crashing adds resources to critical path tasks; fast-tracking performs tasks in parallel. Both are schedule compression techniques.
Variation 2. Your project is behind schedule due to an unexpected delay from a key supplier. The critical path analysis shows that the total float is now negative. What is the BEST course of action?
hard- A.Reduce project scope by eliminating non-essential deliverables
- B.Update the risk register and inform stakeholders of the delay without taking action
- C.Immediately apply fast tracking to overlap activities on the critical path
- ✓ D.Crash the schedule by adding resources to critical path activities
Why D: Crashing the schedule involves adding resources to critical path activities to compress the schedule, which is appropriate when float is negative.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
This PMP practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI 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 PMP exam.
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