Triple Constraint

Quick reference

• 00:05 Hello I'm Ray Sheen,
• 00:06 Your fundamental concept of project management is that of the triple constraint.
• 00:11 An understanding of these project constraints will make it easier to plan,
• 00:15 and manage the project.
• 00:17 The project management body of knowledge, the PMBOK Guide, defines a project
• 00:23 as a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.
• 00:28 Let's look at each of these terms in the definition.
• 00:32 First is the term temporary.
• 00:33 Projects do not last forever, although sometimes it feels that way.
• 00:37 There is a defined start and end point.
• 00:39 Second is Endeavor.
• 00:41 Projects are work, not just a state of being.
• 00:43 There's activity that must be done in the project.
• 00:46 Third is Unique.
• 00:47 Every project is different.
• 00:49 Different requirements, different team members, different timing,
• 00:52 different business conditions.
• 00:54 The uniqueness causes many of the challenges of project management.
• 00:58 And finally, there is a product, service, or result created by the project.
• 01:02 There is something new available for the organization when the project is finished.
• 01:07 So what does all that mean?
• 01:09 Well a successful project is often said to be done fast, done right, and done cheap.
• 01:14 The definition of fast, right, and
• 01:16 cheap are the overarching constraints of the project.
• 01:22 So let's explore those three categories of project constraints.
• 01:25 We often show that with a triangle.
• 01:28 The triangle constraints sets the project boundaries and
• 01:31 helps us to understand project success.
• 01:34 The first constraint is the project scope, the work that must be done.
• 01:38 The project schedule constraint is the time period allotted for the project.
• 01:41 And the project resource constraint are the people, money, and
• 01:45 equipment used in the project.
• 01:47 These three categories comprise the project constraints.
• 01:50 All of the rest of our project management tools and
• 01:53 techniques will be focused on managing and
• 01:55 controlling these three categories to achieve the project objective.
• 02:00 It might be helpful if we take a minute and look at each of these in more detail.
• 02:04 What do we mean by the term Scope?
• 02:07 Our definition of Project Scope said that it delivered a product, service,
• 02:11 or result.
• 02:11 In order to deliver this product, service or result, work must be done.
• 02:16 Project Scope is the description of all the work
• 02:19 that has to be done to create the project result.
• 02:22 The constraint of the scope typically takes on one of two forms.
• 02:26 Either it is features, meaning what must be developed or what must be created.
• 02:31 Or it is quality of that work.
• 02:33 How good is good enough?
• 02:35 These two attributes define the scope constraints.
• 02:39 Now let's take a look at the schedule constraint.
• 02:42 Our project definition said that a project is a temporary endeavor.
• 02:45 Unlike a process, which keeps going on and
• 02:48 on continually, a project has a precise start an end point.
• 02:53 Another schedule constraint is the relation of activities within the project.
• 02:57 Which ones must be done sequentially, and which ones can be done in parallel?
• 03:01 Which ones have special time windows when they must be done because of weather or
• 03:05 calendar constraints?
• 03:07 Our final category of constraint is the resource category.
• 03:11 To complete the work of the project, resources like money, people, or
• 03:15 equipment are required.
• 03:17 Of course, there are limitations associated with these, also.
• 03:20 One of the limitations is the type of resources that are available to
• 03:24 the project.
• 03:25 For instance, are there internal people available,
• 03:28 or does the project need to hire new people?
• 03:31 In addition to the types of resources,
• 03:33 there's often limitation around how many resources will be assigned to the project.
• 03:38 There may be 1,000 people in the organization, but
• 03:41 only three are assigned to your project.
• 03:43 The third aspect of resource constraint is actual availability of the resource.
• 03:48 We may have $1,000,000 allocated for the project, but
• 03:51 only 100,000 is available this year.
• 03:54 The other 900,000 is in next year.
• 03:57 So to wrap it up, there are three categories of constraint.
• 04:00 Scope, schedule and resources.
• 04:02 These three will be unique for each project.
• 04:05 While we've talked about them separately, it should be obvious that they're related.
• 04:09 A problem with scope may cause a delay, or require more resources to fix it.
• 04:14 Likewise, a change in the schedule may change what activities or
• 04:17 scope can be accomplished.
• 04:20 When managing a project, if you know your triple constraints, and account for
• 04:24 them in your project plan, and
• 04:26 with your project control, you're likely to have a project success.

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