Please respond to both discussion POST1: and POST2: with at least 200 words and APA cited reference

Required

• Chapters 7 & 16 in Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling
• Part 1: Chapters 2 & 4, and Part 1. Section 9.5 in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)

Recommended

• Chapters 13 & 14 in Fundamentals of Project Management
• Zhang, L., & Huo. X. (2015). The impact of interpersonal conflict on construction project performance: A moderated mediation study from China. International Journal of Conflict Management, 26(4), 479-498.

Project managers are often faced with having to manage trade-offs between competing project objectives. For this discussion, address the following:

• Describe the triple constraint. What are the three components and what is the relationship between them?
• Provide a scenario for a project manager not having control over one or more of the constraints.

Integrate the course readings and support the post with appropriate citations and references.

POST1:

Triple constraints refer to the 3 contributing factors that direct the ability to deliver a project. The 3 established constraints are budget (cost), time (schedule), and scope (requirements). Budget refers to the funds allocated to complete the project. Time represents the deadline or duration to complete the work. Scope outlines all the work, products or services to be delivered after the project completion (deliverables). Their relationship is often demonstrated by the triangle shape. The triple constraint states the tradeoff decisions made on projects (Kerzner, 2017) and by adjusting the factor of one, it directly impacts the other two. Project managers are responsible for the balance of these constraints, maintaining the relationships between scope, cost, and schedule anticipated by stakeholders. As one constraint decreases, one or 2 of the other components must increase for the project to succeed as planned.

Within these constraints, some certain events or challenges may happen to a project that is beyond the project manager’s control. Resources are reliant on people, systems, and equipment and if there is a change to say, a key “system” or a piece of “equipment” used in the project, then resourced “people” will be impacted by either also changing or redirecting the work. Regarding the project budget, if there is a change to “revenue,” due to a recession then both “budget” and/or “allocation” of funds will be changed – possibly delaying or canceling the project altogether. Then there are stakeholders involved including owners and decision-makers, and clients receiving the services and benefits of the project product. Changes within one of these individuals or groups may not only potentially affect components in other stakeholders, but might also impact other members in other groups. A change to a decision-maker may influence the customer of the project product. (PMI, 2017)

Reference

Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling (12th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge: (PMBOK® guide). Newtown Square, PA, USA.

POST2:

Discussion Board – Module 5

November 4, 2019

Triple Constraint

According to Halsey & Hopkins (2017), the triple constraint consists of time, cost, and scope. These components form a triangle. The triangle is known as the Project Management Triangle, Iron Triangle, or Project Triangle. Each component affects the other components. The relationship between the components is as follows:

• Increased scope results in increased cost and/or schedule
• Decreased schedule results in a cost increased and/or decreased scope
• Decreased cost usually results in decreased scope (Halsey & Hopkins, 2017)

Scenario

The project manager is constantly “juggling” the three project constraints. The PM has to balance the constraints while attempting to keep everyone happy. However, the PM may not always have control over one or more of the constraints. In some cases, the customer or the Project Sponsor may control one of the constraints.

For example, the Project Sponsor may tell the project manager that the scope of the project is to be increased due to change requests from the customer. The PM will then need to analyze how the increased scope will impact the other two constraints. The PM knows that the cost and/or the schedule will need to increase in relation to the increased scope. Once the PM decides which constraint to increase, he or she will need to receive authorization to increase either the cost or the schedule.

References

Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling (12th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.