The information in the table below is available for a large fund-raising project.

a. Determine the critical path and the expected completion time of the project.

b. Plot the total project cost, starting from day 1 to the expected completion date of the project, assuming the earliest start times for each activity.  Compare that result to a similar plot for the latest start times.  What implication does the time differential have for cash flows and project scheduling?

Activity                Activity Time (days)                            Activity Costs ($)              Immediate Predecessor(s)

A                             3                                              100                                         -

B                             4                                              150                                         -

C                             2                                              125                                         A

D                             5                                              175                                         B

E                              3                                              150                                         B

F                              4                                              200                                         C,D

G                             6                                              75                                           C

H                             2                                              50                                           C,D,E

I                               1                                              100                                         E

J                              4                                              75                                           D, E

K                             3                                              150                                         F,G

L                              3                                              150                                         G, H, I

M                            2                                              100                                         I, J

N                             4                                              175                                         K, M

O                             1                                              200                                         H, M

P                             5                                              150                                         N, L, O