Name two schedule compression techniques and explain when to use them.

Name two schedule compression techniques and explain when to use them.

• A. Crashing (adding resources to the critical path) and Fast-tracking (parallelizing activities); use when the schedule is late
• B. Resource leveling and risk register
• C. Baseline change control and stakeholder agreement
• D. Earned value management and critical path method

Answer: (A)

Schedule compression techniques are ways to shorten the project duration without changing the project scope. The two common methods are crashing and fast-tracking. Crashing means adding resources to activities on the critical path to finish them sooner, which speeds up the overall schedule but usually increases costs and can raise risk if resources become stretched. Fast-tracking involves performing activities in parallel that were originally planned in sequence, overlapping work to save time; this can shorten the schedule but raises the potential for rework and coordination challenges due to new dependencies. These approaches are used when the schedule is late or a faster finish is needed without altering what the project must deliver. The other options aren’t schedule compression techniques: resource leveling smooths resource usage rather than shorten duration, and risk register, baseline change control, and stakeholder agreement relate to governance and risk/change management; earned value management and the critical path method are measurement and planning tools, not compression techniques.

Schedule compression techniques are ways to shorten the project duration without changing the project scope. The two common methods are crashing and fast-tracking. Crashing means adding resources to activities on the critical path to finish them sooner, which speeds up the overall schedule but usually increases costs and can raise risk if resources become stretched. Fast-tracking involves performing activities in parallel that were originally planned in sequence, overlapping work to save time; this can shorten the schedule but raises the potential for rework and coordination challenges due to new dependencies. These approaches are used when the schedule is late or a faster finish is needed without altering what the project must deliver. The other options aren’t schedule compression techniques: resource leveling smooths resource usage rather than shorten duration, and risk register, baseline change control, and stakeholder agreement relate to governance and risk/change management; earned value management and the critical path method are measurement and planning tools, not compression techniques.