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completed. Deliverables should be specific and verifiable. Deliverables are constraints

because the specific requirements or measurable results drive (or restrict) the actions
of the project team.

Quality

Quality concerns measuring or quantifying performance, deliverables, functionality,
specifications, and so on. Quality assurance is defined during the Planning process and
measured and controlled throughout the project. For example, if a quality standard
requires deliverables to weigh 9 ounces or more, a deliverable weighing 7.5 ounces will

not meet quality standards.

Environment

The environment can be a constraint in any number of circumstances. Weather is an
environmental factor that can be a constraint, as are the rugged conditions of the
Australian Outback or Antarctica. Environmental constraints could also include air-
quality or water-quality standards, for example, or emissions regulations. It’s
important to understand any environmental factors that may restrict or dictate the
actions of the team.

Resources

Resources can range from human resources to materials to equipment to funding and
more. Resources can be a constraint when they are scarce, have limited availability, or
cannot be delivered on time. Your organization may not have the funding, technology,
equipment, or human resources with the skill sets needed to fulfill the deliverables in
the time frame required; therefore, resources become a constraint.

Requirements

Requirements describe the characteristics of the goals or deliverables that must be met

in order to satisfy the needs of the project. Requirements might also describe results or
outcomes that must be produced in order to satisfy the deliverables as documented in
the scope statement.

Scheduling

Schedule is another constraint that exists on virtually all projects. As with budgets, I’ve
never had the privilege of working on a project that didn’t have a time constraint. The
constraint can take a couple of forms. It could be a due date set by your executive
management. It could also be driven by forces external to the project. For example, the

summer Olympic Games must be held during the summer months. Perhaps a resource
you need for your project is unavailable during the months of April, September, and
October. Scheduling then becomes a constraint because you must work within their
availability window to complete the deliverable for your project. Again, work with your
project sponsor and key stakeholders to determine as early as possible in the project

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