Western Governors University (WGU) MGMT3400 C722 Project Management Practice Exam

The term "Reduce critical path" refers primarily to the practice of shortening project tasks or reviewing estimates for feasibility. The critical path in project management represents the longest sequence of dependent tasks that determine the shortest time to complete a project. By focusing on this path, project managers can identify which tasks can be shortened—either by optimizing the duration of specific activities or by challenging existing estimates—to ultimately reduce the overall project timeline.

Shortening tasks may involve reallocating resources, improving efficiency, or applying different techniques to expedite work while still maintaining quality. This approach is essential in project management because minimizing the critical path duration can lead to earlier project completion, which is often a key goal.

In contrast, the other choices do not directly address the reduction of the critical path. Increasing the budget to add more resources might help with task completion but does not specifically target the reduction of the critical path. Extending the project timeline is counterproductive to reducing the critical path and typically goes against the goal of completing projects as efficiently as possible. Lastly, removing tasks from the project schedule can change the overall project scope and may even alter the critical path, but it does not necessarily constitute a reduction of the critical path itself.