In a simple network with A (3 days) followed by B (5 days) followed by C (2 days), what is the project duration and the correct critical path?

In a simple network with A (3 days) followed by B (5 days) followed by C (2 days), what is the project duration and the correct critical path?

• A. 8 days; A -> C
• B. 12 days; A -> B -> C
• C. 9 days; A -> B
• D. 10 days; A -> B -> C

Answer: (D)

In a simple sequential network, the project duration equals the sum of the task durations, and the critical path is the sequence of tasks that determines that total. Here, A takes 3 days, B takes 5 days, and C takes 2 days, all in sequence. The total duration is 3 + 5 + 2 = 10 days. Since there are no parallel tasks and each step must follow the previous one, the path A -> B -> C is the path that drives the finish date—the critical path. That makes 10 days the duration and A -> B -> C the critical path. Skipping B (A -> C) isn’t valid because C can’t start until B finishes, and other options give incorrect sums (e.g., 8 days for A -> B, which isn’t the full project duration; or 12 days, which doesn’t match the actual total).

In a simple sequential network, the project duration equals the sum of the task durations, and the critical path is the sequence of tasks that determines that total.

Here, A takes 3 days, B takes 5 days, and C takes 2 days, all in sequence. The total duration is 3 + 5 + 2 = 10 days. Since there are no parallel tasks and each step must follow the previous one, the path A -> B -> C is the path that drives the finish date—the critical path.

That makes 10 days the duration and A -> B -> C the critical path. Skipping B (A -> C) isn’t valid because C can’t start until B finishes, and other options give incorrect sums (e.g., 8 days for A -> B, which isn’t the full project duration; or 12 days, which doesn’t match the actual total).