The home office billing department of a chain of department stores prepares monthly inventory reports for use by the stores’ purchasing agents. Given the following information, use the critical path method to determine:

a. How long the total process will take.

b. Which jobs can be delayed without delaying the early start of any subsequent activity.

Job and Description Immediate Predecessors Time

(hours)

A Start — 0 B Get computer printouts of customer purchases C Get stock records for the month A 20 D Reconcile purchase printouts and stock records B, C 30 E Total stock records by department B, C 20 F Determine reorder quantities for coming period E 40 G Prepare stock reports for purchasing agents D, F 20 H Finish G 0LO5-1