All five members of a project team add 20% to their individual serial activities as a safety margin and submit their time estimates to the project manager.The manager adds the activity length estimates together and adds 20% for his personal safety margin.Then,anticipating a cut by top management,he adds another 20% to his final project estimate.Much to his surprise,top management leaves his project alone.How much of a cushion is now built into the project?
A)73%
B)60%
C)140%
D)44%

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Each team member adds 20%, resulting in 1.2 times the original estimate. The manager then adds 20% to the total, making it 1.2 * 1.2 = 1.44 times the original. Finally, he adds another 20%, resulting in 1.44 * 1.2 = 1.728 times the original estimate. This means there is a 72.8% cushion, which rounds to 73%.

All Five Members of a Project Team Add 20% to Their