Task EC is delayed and takes an additional 7 days - HSC - SSCE Business Studies - Question 18 - 2023 - Paper 1

To determine how the delay in task EC impacts the critical path, we must assess whether EC is on the critical path and how its duration affects the overall project timeline.

1. Identify the Critical Path: The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that determines the minimum project duration. If EC is part of this sequence, its delay will affect the project duration.

2. Calculate the Delay Impact: Since task EC is delayed by 7 days, we need to check if this added time extends the overall timeline. If the critical path had no slack, this delay would imply a direct increase in project length.

3. Review Task Dependencies: If other tasks dependent on EC have no slack time, the project's critical path would extend by the duration of the EC delay. If there's excess slack throughout the project, the impact could be less than 7 days.

4. Determine Actual Change: If the addition of 7 days to task EC shifts the critical path, the increase in project length would be calculated based on the remaining tasks.

In this case, the delay would not exceed the adjustment required for critical path tasks, making the overall adjustment 2 days based on dependencies. Thus, the answer is B. 2 days.