“How to Identify and Manage Constraints in Project Management” on SmartSheet, July 11, 2022.
What Are Project Constraints?
Project constraints are the limits within which a project must operate. The six main project constraints are time, cost, scope, quality, resources, and risks. Managers must balance these constraints in order to ensure successful project completion.
“Project management is the practice of delivering a solution subject to constraints. Constraints are things that limit or put boundaries around your projects. Scope, schedule, and cost are the big three, but risk, quality, resources, regulations, and other factors are also relevant,” explains Alan Zucker, Founder of Project Management Essentials, LLC.
The Theory of Constraints assumes that there is always at least one constraint present that prevents a company from moving forward. In most cases, that is time, cost, or scope, which together make up the triple constraint triangle. Sometimes called the iron triangle, these three are often considered to be the most pervasive constraints and are therefore the most important to account for.
Project managers initially outline constraints in their project charter and expand upon them in their project plan.
How to Identify Project Constraints
In order to identify project constraints, you have to identify boundaries in your project. These can be elements like your budget, timeline, or quality standards. Review these to find your project constraints.
“Foundational project documents, such as your project charter, will provide insight into some of the initial constraints. They describe what your customers want, roughly how much they are willing to spend, and how long they are willing to wait. While these documents may define the initial expectations, project managers should expand those boundaries once they learn more about the project,” says Zucker.
“Agreements, including contracts, internal service agreements, policies, regulations, and standards, are another source for identifying and understanding project constraints,” he continues. “Local regulations might stipulate construction or development standards. Contracts might define resource, cost, or quality constraints. Stakeholders, which include customers, the project team, senior leadership, or the general public, might also provide us with essential constraints. For example, a homeowners association might limit the color choices on your exterior trim.”
To aid in the creation and organization of these documents, you may consider using our template starter kit to identify and describe the constraints found in your project.
How to Manage Project Constraints
In order to manage constraints, learn how to identify and understand them. Communicate with your team, maintain flexibility, and manage your resources well. We’ve asked experts for advice on how to manage project constraints.
These are some of the best practices for managing project constraints, according to experts:
- Be Flexible: When possible, be flexible. Adaptability can save you some headaches in the long run. “You can often make some trade-offs by considering alternatives. Usually, there are multiple options for achieving a project goal. If you consider your options, you may avoid forcing these hard choices,” says Zucker.
How to Manage Project Constraints
In order to manage constraints, learn how to identify and understand them. Communicate with your team, maintain flexibility, and manage your resources well. We’ve asked experts for advice on how to manage project constraints.
These are some of the best practices for managing project constraints, according to experts:
- Be Flexible: When possible, be flexible. Adaptability can save you some headaches in the long run. “You can often make some trade-offs by considering alternatives. Usually, there are multiple options for achieving a project goal. If you consider your options, you may avoid forcing these hard choices,” says Zucker.