The Interconnected Nature of Project Constraints
Competing constraints in project management is a concept that refers to the project planning process. This means that the project will have multiple constraints that can compete. Typically, when planning a project, there are three key constraints: time, budget, and performance. Time and budget are usually related to each other, as most projects have a limited budget, and the more funds are spent on the project, the faster it will be completed (Ko, Lee, Keil & Xia, 2019). But at the same time, it is necessary to provide enough budget to meet the expectations for the quality of the project. Performance is usually measured by some metric, such as customer satisfaction, project lead time, or project cost.
Limited Control Over Constraints: A Project Manager’s Challenge
Example Scenario: A Changed Constraint
Sometimes, the project manager may lose control over one of the constraints, such as time constraints. For example, achieving specific goals in the shortest possible time may be necessary when planning a project. In such a case, the project manager may be forced to increase the budget or reduce the quality of the project to achieve the specified goals within a limited time frame (Kerzner, 2022). Thus, changing one constraint may change another.
Impact on Other Constraints
Another example is a project manager planning a project with a budget of $10,000, but the project has additional costs exceeding the specified budget. In such a situation, the project manager should be able to change the funding to complete the project. This will change other constraints, such as changing the timing or using different resources to achieve the project’s goals.
Balancing Competing Constraints in Practice
The project manager must balance the regulations to achieve the best results by balancing competing constraints. For example, if the project manager cannot change the project timeline, he must find ways to reduce the budget or raise the level of productivity to achieve the desired results. Thus, balancing the constraints can positively impact the project in the short and long term.
References
Kerzner, H. (2022). Project management metrics, KPIs, and dashboards: a guide to measuring and monitoring project performance. John Wiley & Sons.
Ko, D. G., Lee, G., Keil, M., & Xia, W. (2019). Project control, coordination, and performance in complex information systems outsourcing. Journal of Computer Information Systems.