What to Do When a Material Shortage Delays the Critical Path?
Your construction project is 60% complete. Due to a material shortage, the critical path extended by 10 days. You have float on some non-critical tasks. The sponsor is concerned about the project finishing on time. What should you do FIRST?
Quick Answer
The correct first step is to analyze the schedule for opportunities to crash or fast-track the remaining activities. This aligns with the PMI mindset of proactive schedule management: before escalating a critical path delay due to a material shortage, you must assess whether compression techniques can recover the lost time using existing resources and float. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the Control Schedule process and the order of operations—specifically, that you evaluate internal options (crashing or fast-tracking) before requesting additional budget or scope changes. A common trap is jumping to escalate to the sponsor or immediately adding resources, but the correct sequence is always “analyze first, then act.” Remember the mnemonic “A-C-T” for delay recovery: Assess the schedule, Compress if possible, then Tell stakeholders.
⚠ Common exam trap
PMP often tests the distinction between taking immediate action versus first analyzing the situation; candidates may jump to a specific compression technique or communication without first assessing the schedule for recovery options.
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
✓
Analyze the schedule for opportunities to crash or fast-track the remaining activities
The project is 60% complete and the critical path has extended by 10 days, threatening the schedule. The first step in schedule control is to analyze the schedule to identify options for compression, such as crashing or fast-tracking, before taking action or communicating a delay. This aligns with PMP's emphasis on proactive analysis and informed decision-making. Option C is correct because it involves evaluating the schedule for recovery opportunities, which is the logical first step before committing to a specific 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.
- ✗
Increase the budget to procure materials faster
Why it's wrong here
Increasing budget does not address the material shortage's schedule impact, and spending precedes analysing whether float absorbs the ten-day extension. It is tempting because funding can accelerate procurement, but that action would be correct after schedule compression analysis confirms crashing is needed to recover the critical path.
- ✗
Immediately notify the sponsor that the project will be delayed
Why it's wrong here
Notifying the sponsor is premature because the float on non-critical tasks may absorb the ten-day critical path extension without affecting the finish date; schedule analysis must come first. It is tempting because sponsors expect transparency, but that action would be correct once confirmed schedule impact exceeds available float.
- ✓
Analyze the schedule for opportunities to crash or fast-track the remaining activities
Why this is correct
With the critical path extended 10 days, schedule compression is needed. Analysing remaining activities for crashing or fast-tracking opportunities identifies whether float and added resources can recover the delay before committing to any corrective action.
- ✗
Fast-track the remaining critical path activities
Why it's wrong here
Fast-tracking parallelises critical-path activities, but the stem gives no evidence tasks can be overlapped; the shortage already extended the critical path, so crashing or re-sequencing with float analysis is required first. Fast-tracking suits schedule compression when activities can safely run concurrently.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Key term
Training and Development
Training and Development is the process of enhancing team members' skills, knowledge, and competencies to improve project performance and achieve career growth.
Key term
Project Management Plan
A formal, approved document that defines how a project is executed, monitored, controlled, and closed, serving as the single source of truth for the project team.
About these practice questions
This PMP question is part of Courseiva's 820-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more way 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 construction project is 40% complete, and you have just learned that a key supplier will be unable to deliver critical steel beams for another six weeks due to a factory fire. The beams are on the critical path, and the project has zero float. The risk register had identified a potential supplier delay, with a planned response to use an alternative supplier. What should you do NEXT?
hard- A.Initiate a change request to adjust the schedule baseline
- B.Update the risk register and close the risk
- ✓ C.Implement the contingency plan to use the alternative supplier
- D.Escalate the issue to the project sponsor and request additional budget
Why C: The risk register already identified the supplier delay and planned a contingency response (use an alternative supplier). Since the risk has occurred, you must implement the contingency plan per the risk management plan. This is the immediate next step to mitigate the impact on the critical path with zero float.
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PMI exam blueprint
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.