The Additional Constraint

  Governance   Requirements Management   Stakeholder Management   ProjectsAtWork  

Whether you are a novice just embarking upon your career in project management or a seasoned veteran, you are most likely familiar with the project management concept of the “triple constraint.” The triple constraint of quality, time and cost is perhaps as well recognized within project management as practitioners of psychology recognize Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Nowadays, three extra constraining factors of managing risk, resources and quality are often added to the “original triple,” making a total of six factors (or constraints). The Project Management Institute’s PMBOK 4^th Edition is an example of a recognized standard that incorporates this thinking.

We put forward that there exists an important additional constraint to managing projects which is always considered in project needs but not necessarily thought of as a key constraint: user or customer satisfaction.

Achieving user/customer satisfaction is fundamental to a project’s success. Your project may be very successful in developing an end result that is of high quality, within costs and delivered on time, but if end users are not satisfied, the project’s outcome is at significant risk. It may lead to a lower than anticipated return on Investment, and perhaps costly new projects or “upgrades” to replace or alter the original outcome.

History is …

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