Document 1 is a project plan for 'Project Nova,' a software development initiative, detailing three phases: 'Requirements Gathering' (3 weeks), 'Development' (12 weeks), and 'Testing & Deployment' (8 weeks). Document 2 is an email from the lead developer stating that a critical component required for the 'Development' phase, an external API integration, will not be available for the first 5 weeks of that phase. Based on these documents, which phase of Project Nova is most likely to experience the longest delay from its proposed schedule?
✓ Correct Answer: Option B
The 'Development' phase, which is 12 weeks long, cannot begin its critical API integration work for the first 5 weeks, directly impacting its duration and causing a significant delay to this specific phase.