Use the triple constraint to have the conversation before the improvisation starts.
Ouch. The goal has changed again. Yesterday we knew less. Today the customer wants something different. The project brief seems to change more often than your shopping list.
A changing goal can be frustrating, particularly when you’ve become so attached to the original plan that a revision feels like a verdict on your work. A different brief doesn’t automatically mean the earlier work was poor.
This is where the triple constraint helps: scope, time and cost. When the expected result changes, discuss the deadline and available resources too. Not every change affects everything. Every change deserves an assessment of its consequences.
The tool won’t stop requirements changing. It gives you a structure for the conversation: what exactly is changing, what stays fixed and which option are we choosing together? These are the situations we practise in project training.
The triple constraint
The triple constraint at a glance
Consider a change to the brief alongside the deadline and available resources. Name the consequences before promising a new plan.
- Scope
- What exactly needs to be delivered? Which activities are essential, and what falls outside the agreed brief?
- Time
- How much time do we have? What needs to change if the deadline stays fixed?
- Cost and resources
- What budget and capacity are available? Which resources will the changed brief require?
These three areas are connected. Changing one may require adjustments elsewhere. Aim for an explicit agreement, not just a revised schedule.