A high definition television manufacturer in Asia wants to develop a new smart television as fast as possible using Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and must complete the design and testing work first. The objective is to be the first to market the most innovative smart television on the planet and capture the first adopter market share. The manufacturer has determined the following activities, precedence relationships, and time estimates in days for the project:
$\begin{array}{rcccr}& \text { Immediate } & \text { Optimistic } & \text { Most Likely } & \text { Pessimistic } \
\text { Activity } & \text { Predecessors } & t_{o} & t_{m} & t_{p}\\hline
a & \text { none } & 4 & 6 & 7 \
\mathrm{~b} & \mathrm{a} & 1 & 2 & 3 \
\mathrm{c} & \mathrm{a} & 5 & 5 & 5 \
\mathrm{~d} & \mathrm{~b} & 7 & 9 & 12 \
\mathrm{e} & \mathrm{b} & 2 & 4 & 8 \
\mathrm{f} & \mathrm{c} d & 6 & 9 & 10
\end{array}$ Solutions are at the end of questions
-What is the critical path

Question

A high definition television manufacturer in Asia wants to develop a new smart television as fast as possible using Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and must complete the design and testing work first. The objective is to be the first to market the most innovative smart television on the planet and capture the first adopter market share. The manufacturer has determined the following activities, precedence relationships, and time estimates in days for the project:
 $\begin{array}{rcccr}& \text { Immediate } & \text { Optimistic } & \text { Most Likely } & \text { Pessimistic } \
\text { Activity } & \text { Predecessors } & t_{o} & t_{m} & t_{p}\\hline
a & \text { none } & 4 & 6 & 7 \
\mathrm{~b} & \mathrm{a} & 1 & 2 & 3 \
\mathrm{c} & \mathrm{a} & 5 & 5 & 5 \
\mathrm{~d} & \mathrm{~b} & 7 & 9 & 12 \
\mathrm{e} & \mathrm{b} & 2 & 4 & 8 \
\mathrm{f} & \mathrm{c} d & 6 & 9 & 10
\end{array}$ Solutions are at the end of questions 
-What is the critical path

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The critical path is the sequence of activities which add up to the longest overall duration. This is the path that determines the shortest time possible to complete the project. To find the critical path, calculate the expected time for each activity using the formula $t_e = (t_o + 4t_m + t_p) / 6$, then add the times for the paths from start to finish. The path with the longest duration is the critical path. For this project, path D (A-B-D-F) has the longest duration when the expected times are calculated and summed up.

A High Definition Television Manufacturer in Asia Wants to Develop