Project Constraints

The primary impact of project constraints is the likelihood of delaying the completion of the project. There are three types of project constraints: technological, resource and physical. The technological constraints relate to the sequence in which individual project activities must be completed. For example, in constructing a house, pouring the foundation must occur before building the frame. Resource constraints relate to the lack of adequate resources which may force parallel activities to be performed in sequence. The consequence of such a change in network relationships is delay in the completion date of the project. We will examine the nature of resource constraints in much greater detail in the next section. Physical constraints are caused by contractual or environmental conditions. For example, due to space limitations an activity such as painting a wall may have to be performed by only one person (Gray and Larson, 2003). In general, from a scheduling perspective, projects can be classified as either time constrained or resource constrained. A project is classified as time constrained in situations where the critical path is delayed and the addition of resources can bring the project back on schedule and the project completed by the required date. However, the additional resource usage should be no more than what is absolutely necessary. The primary focus, for purposes of scheduling, in time constrained projects is resource utilization. On the other hand, a project is resource constrained if the level of resource availability cannot be exceeded. In those situations where resources are inadequate, project delay is acceptable, but the delay should be minimal. The focus of scheduling in these situations is to prioritize and allocate resources in such a manner that there is minimal project delay. However, it is also important to ensure that the resource limit is not exceeded and the technical relationships in the project network are not altered.

The Three Constraints of Project Management

When the procedure of project management is being used to complete a project, there are certain constraints that the team must deal with. This is something that is to be expected. The three constraints of project management are cost, time, and scope. Many people call this the Project Management Triangle, and each side of the triangle symbolizes one of the constraints. It is impossible to change one part of this triangle without having an effect on the other sides. In this article, I will go over each of these constraints in detail. Understanding these constraints are critical for those who wish to be successful with the project management process.

As the name suggests, the time constraint deals with the time necessary to finish a project. To successfully complete a project, the time constraint should be comprised of a schedule. You should have a specific schedule related to the time that it will take you to finish the project. However, before you can create a schedule, you must first sit down and figure out a projected time frame for the project. Once you have figured out the total time it will take for a project to be completed, you must next break this down into a schedule. There should be a time frame for completing specific parts of the project, and there should be a time frame that deals with the completion of components that make up these parts.

The three constraints of project management will almost always be competing with each other. If a team decides to enlarge the scope of a project, the time will become larger as well, along with the cost. If the time constraint is tighter, the scope may be reduced, but the costs will remain high. If the team should decide to tighten the budget, the scope will become smaller but the time will increase. To become skilled in project

management, the project manager and their team must be capable of dealing with these constraints in a way that will allow them to successfully complete any project that they plan.

Cost is another of the three constraints that you will want to become familiar with. The cost involved with successfully completing a project is dependent on a number of different elements, and some of these are material costs, the costs of labor, risk, and machines. The profit must also be analyzed when one is considering the cost constraint. If you are hiring a consultant who is independent, the cost of your project will be dependent on how much they charge "per diem." This cost will generally be multiplied by a calculated quantity. The cost constraint is very important, and it should never be overlooked.

The third constraint of project management is scope. Scope can be defined as the tools and resources that are needed to achieve the end objective of the team. The scope can also be defined as the goal of the overall project, what it is supposed to achieve. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the scope is the quality of the end product or service that is produced. How much time the team puts into the project is directly connected to its quality. Some projects will require a longer period of time in order to be completed properly. Looking at the scope of the project is similar to looking at the big picture of what you are trying to accomplish.

Understanding the scope, time, and cost constraints of project management is very important for those who wish to be successful with this process. If even one of these constraints are not properly used, the project will be a complete failure. For example, if you fail to complete the project within a specific time frame, you will not be successful, even if the project is high in quality, because you didn't finish it in the time frame specified by your client. Failing to project the proper cost of the project could cause you

to either spend too much or too little on its completion, and you could end up with an inferior product or service. Failing to pay attention to the scope of your project can cause you to miss the objectives and goals entirely.

Constraints of Projects: Quality, Cost and Schedule

The Triple Constraint

The challenge of every project is to make it work and be successful within the Triple Constraint; the Triple Constraint being quality (scope),

cost (resources) and schedule (time). These three elements of a

project are known to work in tandem with one another. Where one of these elements is restricted or extended, the other two elements will then also need to be either extended/increased in some way or restricted/reduced in some way. There is a balancing of the three elements that only when fully understood by the Project Manager, allows for the successful planning, resourcing and execution of a project. At the end of the day, these are the key elements of a successful project and these are the things that will determine whether or not you have successfully managed a project. More on the Triple Constraint

Now, you may ask yourself, what is so important about the Triple Constraint and what does it affect in the scheme of things? Lets look a little more closely at the three components that make up the Triple Constraint: Scope/Quality The scope of a project (often called the Scope of Work) is a clear, specific statement as to what has been agreed to be preformed/achieved in a particular project. In other words, the scope expressly lays out the

functions, features, data, content, etc. that will be included in the project at hand. You could also say that the scope clearly expresses the desired final result of a project. Resources/Cost This second element of the Triple Constraint is known as either Resources or Cost. Resources always cost money so the two are interchangeable in many ways. When we talk about the cost of a project, we are talking about what needs to be applied or assigned to the project in terms of money and effort in order to make things happen. This can be resources like manpower/labor, it can be materials needed for the job, resources for risk management and assessment or any third party resources that might need to be secured. Time/Schedule Time, in project management, is analyzed down to its smallest detail. The amount of time required to complete each and every component of a project is analyzed. Once analysis has taken place, those components are broken down even further into the time required to do each task. Obviously from all of this we are able to estimate the duration of the project as well as what and how many/much resources need to be dedicated to that particular project. Prioritizing the Triple Constraint

One of the first tasks a project manager of a brand new project is faced with is the prioritization of the Triple Constraint. This can only be done by communicating with the client. Whether the client understands project management or has ever heard of the Triple Constraint, in their mind, they already know what is most important to them. Your job, as project manager, is to find this out. This is usually done by asking them a series of very, well-worded questions. As you master the skill of balancing the Triple Constraint you will naturally begin to keep track of all aspects of project

management and you will begin to understand what to look out for and at what stages of a project you should Client Concerns and Priorities

Generally, when a client approaches you about a project, they are very clear about what is important to them. In some instances the priority is the bottom line. I do not want to pay over x amount of dollars, make it happen! Other times, a client has a launch date that they feel they can not miss under any circumstances. In these circumstances it is very clear that the primary way that they will judge whether a project is a success or failure will be based on whether or not you are able to meet the deadline. Educating the Client

If your client does not have a good understanding of project management and its related issues, which is often the case, you will have the task of educating them, at least on a basic level. Clients often need to be made to realize that, if a project is to be completed at a certain level of quality, then a certain amount of time and money need also to be invested in the project. A project that has time restrictions will need to increase the resources assigned to it or have the quality or scope reduced. The well known Triple Constraint formula is Cost * Schedule = Quality. The Right Balance

By understanding the Triple Constraint and the ramifications associated with adjusting any one of its components, you will be able to plan your projects better, analyze project risks and protect your company from the problems of unrealistic client expectations. You will also be properly equipped to balance out the triple constraint when any adjustment has been made to one or more of its elements. By mastering the Triple Constraint, in many ways you master the project itself.

Defining Project Constraints

To prioritize and define the scope of the application deployment project, gather information about the constraints of your project. Constraints often include:

Resources. Identify the equipment, software, staff, and space that are available for the project.

Time. Identify the date by which the application deployment project must be completed, and how the application testing process fits into the larger deployment project.

Organizational issues. If the project will not involve the entire organization, identify which groups in your organization will be affected by it. Additionally, determine if a particular group in the organization needs the new operating system sooner than others. If so, you might decide to perform a staged rollout.

Access to developers. Identify applications that were developed in-house or especially for your organization. Access to the developers of these applications is critical during the testing and issue resolution phases of the project. Such access also can be an invaluable aid with retail applications.