PMP · Question #582
A multiyear resource constraint project is midway through the execution phase. During a progress update meeting, it has been determined that there might be a schedule delay to deliver the project…
The correct answer is C. Ask the project planner to identify the critical path and respective delayed activities, and then. When a schedule delay is detected despite hard work, the project manager should immediately direct the project planner to identify the critical path and specific delayed activities to understand the true impact and develop targeted solutions.
Question
A multiyear resource constraint project is midway through the execution phase. During a progress update meeting, it has been determined that there might be a schedule delay to deliver the project. The project manager has observed that all of the team members are working hard and lots of deliverables have already been completed. What should the project manager do immediately about this situation?
Options
- ARegister the schedule risk and present the new resources requirement to the change
- BPrepare a monthly report by highlighting the completed deliverables and communicate the delay
- CAsk the project planner to identify the critical path and respective delayed activities, and then
- DAsk the scheduler to update the schedule with the percent of work in progress (WIP) and
How the community answered
(56 responses)- A5% (3)
- B9% (5)
- C84% (47)
- D2% (1)
Why each option
When a schedule delay is detected despite hard work, the project manager should immediately direct the project planner to identify the critical path and specific delayed activities to understand the true impact and develop targeted solutions.
Registering a risk and requesting resources is premature without first understanding why the delay is occurring and the specific activities causing it, which requires critical path analysis.
Simply reporting the delay and highlighting completed deliverables doesn't solve the problem; proactive investigation is needed to address the root cause and plan recovery.
Identifying the critical path and the specific delayed activities is crucial to understanding the actual impact on the overall project schedule and pinpointing where intervention is most effective. This analytical step is necessary before deciding on corrective actions or escalating.
Updating the schedule with WIP is part of monitoring, but it doesn't provide the strategic insight into the critical path needed to understand and mitigate a delay effectively.
Concept tested: Schedule delay analysis and critical path
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Dervla O.Apr 9, 2026C is correct because before you raise a change request or report anything, you need to know exactly which activities on the critical path are slipping. The trap here is that completed deliverables and busy team members can mask the real issue, so you always trace the delay to the critical path first before deciding on next steps.
Orla P.Mar 23, 2026C is right. You need the critical path identified before deciding how to handle the delay.
Bao N.Apr 4, 2026C is the right call because you need to know which delayed activities are actually on the critical path before you do anything else. A is tempting since resource constraints scream add people, but jumping straight to a change request before analyzing the schedule is premature.
Carlos M.Mar 20, 2026Agreed, C. You need the critical path first before deciding on any action.
Mateus R.Mar 22, 2026Right, C is correct, but the quick way to spot it is that critical path analysis is the only option that gives you both the duration baseline and the float data you need to make a smart call on whether to crash or fast-track.
Mateus R.Mar 6, 2026C. Saw this on my exam last month, panicked, then remembered critical path.
Bao N.Mar 8, 2026Critical path is the right instinct but double check whether they asked for total float on the critical path (zero) versus near critical path, because that variation is showing up more and catches people off guard.