Place planned and actual times side by side
Synthetic task A was planned 09:00–11:00 but actually finished at 11:40. B requires A’s completed output and one hour. Its operator remains available until 14:00. B has not started, so the planner can revise its window without rewriting completed A.
| Task | Original plan | Observed / revised |
|---|---|---|
| A | 09:00–11:00 | Actual finish 11:40 |
| B | 11:00–12:00 | Revised 11:40–12:40 |
| Available margin | Until 14:00 | 80 minutes after B |
Shift the remaining dependency, keep actual evidence
- Record actual A finish
- Confirm B still unstarted
- Start B no earlier than 11:40
- Check finish against 14:00 capacity
If B already started using unfinished A output, investigate that input use rather than pretending it began at the revised time.
B finishes at 12:40, forty minutes after its original finish. The project retains A’s planned and actual times, allowing the delay cause to be reviewed without changing what happened.
What spare time remains between B’s revised finish and 14:00?
Show the worked answer
Eighty minutes: 12:40 to 14:00. That margin belongs to availability, not completed work.