CRC Construction Management & Project Planning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A residential contractor is developing a project schedule using the Critical Path Method (CPM). Which task characteristic defines a critical path activity?
- It has the highest cost among all tasks
- It has zero total float (Correct answer)
- It requires specialized subcontractors
- It is the first task to be completed
Correct answer: It has zero total float
Critical path activities have zero total float, meaning any delay in them directly delays the project completion date.
Question 2: A contractor receives a change order request mid-project that will increase costs by 12%. What document should be updated first to reflect this change?
- The project schedule
- The subcontractor agreements
- The project budget and cost baseline (Correct answer)
- The material procurement log
Correct answer: The project budget and cost baseline
The project budget and cost baseline must be updated first to formally reflect approved cost changes before other documents are revised.
Question 3: Which scheduling technique uses three time estimates — optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely — to calculate activity durations?
- Critical Path Method (CPM)
- Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) (Correct answer)
- Gantt chart scheduling
- Resource leveling
Correct answer: Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
PERT uses three-point estimates (optimistic, pessimistic, most likely) to account for uncertainty in activity duration estimates.
Question 4: A residential contractor is managing three concurrent projects. Which resource management strategy helps prevent over-allocation of labor?
- Fast-tracking
- Resource leveling (Correct answer)
- Crashing the schedule
- Scope reduction
Correct answer: Resource leveling
Resource leveling adjusts the project schedule to balance resource demand with availability, preventing over-allocation.
Question 5: During preconstruction planning, a contractor uses a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). What is the PRIMARY purpose of a WBS?
- To assign labor costs to each trade
- To decompose project scope into manageable deliverables (Correct answer)
- To sequence construction activities for scheduling
- To document subcontractor responsibilities
Correct answer: To decompose project scope into manageable deliverables
A WBS hierarchically decomposes the total project scope into smaller, manageable deliverables and work packages.
Question 6: A contractor notices that actual costs are exceeding earned value on a residential project. What does this condition indicate?
- The project is ahead of schedule
- The project is over budget (cost overrun) (Correct answer)
- The project scope has increased
- The contractor is billing ahead of work completed
Correct answer: The project is over budget (cost overrun)
When actual cost (AC) exceeds earned value (EV), the Cost Performance Index (CPI) is below 1.0, indicating a cost overrun.
Question 7: Which type of project delivery method gives the owner the most control over design decisions but typically results in longer project durations?
- Design-Build
- Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR)
- Design-Bid-Build (Correct answer)
- Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
Correct answer: Design-Bid-Build
Design-Bid-Build separates design and construction phases sequentially, giving owners maximum design control but extending overall project duration.
CRC Construction Management & Project Planning 2
A residential contractor is developing a project schedule using the Critical Path Method (CPM).
Which task characteristic defines a critical path activity?