Which timing value indicates the latest moment an activity can finish without causing a project delay?

Which timing value indicates the latest moment an activity can finish without causing a project delay?

• A. Earliest Finish (EF)
• B. Latest Start (LS)
• C. Latest Finish (LF)
• D. Earliest Start (ES)

Answer: (C)

In scheduling terms, the latest finish of an activity is the latest time it must complete so the project can still finish on time. It takes into account the needs of all downstream activities; finishing any later would push those successors—and the entire project—past the deadline. This concept is found during the backward pass of CPM, where you determine how late each activity can finish (LF) and then work backward to find the latest start (LS) and the slack. The question asks for the moment an activity can finish without causing a delay to the project, which is exactly the Latest Finish. The other timing values describe when you could start or finish the activity earliest or latest in different contexts, but only the Latest Finish captures the latest allowable completion time without delaying the project.

In scheduling terms, the latest finish of an activity is the latest time it must complete so the project can still finish on time. It takes into account the needs of all downstream activities; finishing any later would push those successors—and the entire project—past the deadline. This concept is found during the backward pass of CPM, where you determine how late each activity can finish (LF) and then work backward to find the latest start (LS) and the slack. The question asks for the moment an activity can finish without causing a delay to the project, which is exactly the Latest Finish. The other timing values describe when you could start or finish the activity earliest or latest in different contexts, but only the Latest Finish captures the latest allowable completion time without delaying the project.