The suggested answer is B.
Answer option B is correct.
The critical chain method examines the availability of project resources to determine when they're available in order to create the project network diagram.
Answer option A is incorrect. The critical path method determines the longest path to completion as the critical path.
Critical path method (CPM)
The critical path method, abbreviated CPM, or critical path analysis, is a mathematically based algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities. It is an important tool for effective project management.
It was developed in 1950s by the US Navy when trying to better organize the building of submarines. Today, it is commonly used with all forms of projects, including construction, software development, research projects, product development, engineering, and plant maintenance, among others. Any project with interdependent activities can apply this method of scheduling.
The essential technique for using CPM is to construct a model of the project that includes the following:
1. A list of all activities required to complete the project (also known as Work breakdown structure),
2. The time (duration) that each activity will take to complete, and
3. The dependencies between the activities.
Using these values, CPM calculates the longest path of planned activities to the end of the project, and the earliest and latest that each activity can start and finish without making the project longer. This process determines which activities are "critical" (i.e., on the longest path) and which have "total float" (i.e., can be delayed without making the project longer). In project management, a critical path is the sequence of project network activities, which add up to the longest overall duration. This determines the shortest time possible to complete the project. Any delay of an activity on the critical path directly impacts the planned project completion date (i.e. there is no float on the critical path). A project can have several, parallel, near critical paths. An additional parallel path through the network with the total durations shorter than the critical path is called a sub-critical or non-critical path.
These results allow managers to prioritize activities for the effective management of project completion, and to shorten the planned critical path of a project by pruning critical path activities, by "fast tracking" (i.e., performing more activities in parallel), and/or by "crashing the critical path" (i.e., shortening the durations of critical path activities by adding resources).
Answer option D is incorrect. Fast tracking allows phases of the project to overlap in order to decrease the overall project duration. It is not a networking technique.
Fast tracking a project -
Fast tracking is a frequently used technique to compress a project's schedule. It is often the most effective way to shorten the duration of a project. You fast track a project by scheduling tasks that were originally scheduled to run in sequence, instead in parallel. It is the process of shortening the project schedule without reducing the project scope or compromising on quality.
The problem with fast-tracking is that there is no free lunch. Additional resources pulled in to do the parallel tasks might make mistakes, or even seasoned resources could make mistakes, skip crucial steps, make assumptions because results from the necessary parallel step were as yet unavailable. If something goes wrong, your schedule could slip or the quality, scope, or budget could suffer.
In general, the risks are small. However, to make the most of fast-tracking, look at the longest tasks on the critical path first. These provide the largest potential decrease in duration with the fewest number of risks to manage.
Answer option C is incorrect. Activity on the arrow is a project network diagramming technique that illustrates the activities on the arrows rather than the more common method with the activities on the nodes in the network diagram.
Reference: "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 4th Edition, ISBN: 978-1-933890-51-7.", "IT Project Management: On Track From Start to
Finish by Joseph Phillips, ISBN: 978-0072232028."
Chapter: Time and Cost Management
Objective: Critical Path Scheduling