What is a common trade-off of resource leveling in CPM planning?

What is a common trade-off of resource leveling in CPM planning?

• A. It always reduces project duration.
• B. It eliminates float across the project.
• C. It guarantees the critical path will not change.
• D. It may extend the project duration or alter the critical path.

Answer: (D)

Resource leveling redistributes work to fit resource limits by delaying or resequencing activities within their logical constraints. The result is a feasible schedule that smooths peaks in resource use, but it often comes at the cost of the overall finish time. When you shift the timing of noncritical tasks to balance load, you can push tasks that lie on or near the critical path, causing the critical path to extend or to switch to a different sequence of activities. In short, leveling may extend the project duration or alter which path is the critical one, rather than reliably reducing duration or eliminating float, and it does not guarantee the critical path will stay the same.

Resource leveling redistributes work to fit resource limits by delaying or resequencing activities within their logical constraints. The result is a feasible schedule that smooths peaks in resource use, but it often comes at the cost of the overall finish time. When you shift the timing of noncritical tasks to balance load, you can push tasks that lie on or near the critical path, causing the critical path to extend or to switch to a different sequence of activities. In short, leveling may extend the project duration or alter which path is the critical one, rather than reliably reducing duration or eliminating float, and it does not guarantee the critical path will stay the same.