http://www.pmzilla.com/pmi-says-exam-start-0
As per below community post
PMI says in exam - start with 0
Till edition 4 only, because Now PMBOK5 fig 6-18 illustrate method start with 1, also
See below errata: first time PMI published errata on PMBOK (it is errata of PMBOK -5)
http://www.pmi.org/en/PMBOK-Guide-and-Standards/Standards-PMBOK-Guide-Errata-Sheets.aspx
177 Figure 6-18--Added the following clarifying the note to the figure. This example uses the accepted convention of the project starting on day 1 for calculating calendar start and finish dates. There are other accepted conventions that may be used
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Quick Quiz
 By Barbee Davis, MA, PHR, PMP
When figuring the forward pass on a critical path, I start
with zero. My colleagues say I should start with one, for the first day of the
project. Each approach can give substantially different results, so which way is
correct?
Answer: B. Start with zero to figure the critical
path, as it is part of the set critical path formula.
Once the project activities have been defined, sequenced,
and task durations estimated, a schedule is developed. However, it is important
to the project manager to know how quickly this sequence of tasks could be
completed under ideal circumstances: the critical path.
The Critical Path Method of Analysis (CPM) is a
mathematical model you can use to calculate the longest path
through the project, showing the shortest amount of time in which the project
can be completed, with zero slack or float (wiggle room). The formula is
0 + Duration of A + Duration of B + Duration of C and so on, to
complete the first of five calculations to figure critical path, a forward pass
through the project. Assume the three activities are A (2 days duration), B (5
days duration), C (3 days duration).
Since projects never have simply a series of tasks to be
done in sequence, you have to take into account activities done in parallel, or
those which must be completed before other activities can start. To visually
represent this, it is common to place the numbers on a network diagram. But
remember, this is not showing which day of the project a task will be
completed…this is just a visual image of the mathematical formula:
0 + A(2d) + B(5d) + C(3d) =
10days
If more than one task must be completed before you move
forward, choose the largest number in the upper right corner of each activity,
the early finish date, to move forward.
To complete the critical path
calculations:
Now, you can show management how you could shorten
the project schedule if you had:
But more importantly for the project manager, now you can
place the project activities on a schedule with a firm start date and plot the
days on which each task will actually occur. At this time you can include leads
and lags, assign resources, and show resource constraints, employee vacations,
overallocations and company holidays to make your project schedule a more
realistic timeline than the artificial one shown by the CPM calculations.
If you are sitting for the Project Management Professional
(PMP)® certification exam, remember Task A always starts at zero. It has no
predecessor and, thus, can begin right away. You will get incorrect answers as
you do the backwards path and float calculations otherwise.
Figuring the correct critical path is important for a
project manager in order to find the critical tasks. Since a critical task has
no slack or float, a delay or overrun for a task on the critical path will
always delay the end of the project unless the project manager intervenes.
 Barbee Davis, MA, PHR, PMP, is a reviewer for the global PMI
Registered Education Provider Review Team. She owns Davis Consulting and is a
published author, speaker, writer of training materials and an innovator in
presentation skill workshops for corporate trainers. She holds a Black Belt in
MS Project and teaches at the university level.
Her new book, 97 Things Every Project Manager
Should Know, includes practical tips from experienced project managers
around the world. Ms. Davis is available for speaking engagements and encourages
your questions or comments.
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