Key Idea: Topic 5.6 is HL-only and focuses on project planning and supply chain coordination. Students are expected to use critical path analysis accurately, explain what it reveals, and evaluate how supply chain and production planning decisions affect time, cost and risk.
📍 Local supply chains: **Local supply chains —** shorter lead times, easier control, lower transport complexity. **Often more reliable and easier to monitor**.
🌍 Global supply chains: **Global supply chains —** often cheaper and wider sourcing options. **But more complex and vulnerable to disruption**.
📋 Production planning: **Production planning —** capacity planning, scheduling, stock control, quality planning. **Goal —** right quantity, right time, minimum cost.
🧭 Critical path analysis: **CPA —** identifies critical activities. **Shows the minimum completion time**. **Helps allocate time and resources more precisely**.
HL exam tip: When using CPA, do not just identify the path. Explain why it matters for scheduling, prioritising resources and controlling project time.
Past-paper pattern: Markschemes reward answers that identify the critical activities, calculate the overall project time correctly, and explain that only jobs on the critical path can shorten the full project.
Example: A strong answer: Critical path analysis helps the business identify the activities that cannot be delayed without delaying the whole project. This improves scheduling and helps managers focus resources where timing matters most.
Important: Common triggers: explain supply chain management, compare local and global sourcing, explain production planning, identify a critical path, calculate project duration, or analyse the usefulness of CPA.
- Identify whether the question is about SCM, planning or CPA
- Use the correct technical term
- Explain what it shows or helps with
- Apply it to the project or business in the case
- Link it to time, cost, risk or resource allocation
- For HL, explain usefulness and any limitation rather than only calculating