Most of us have heard that you can’t have it all — a project can’t be completed on time, within budget, and at high quality. Something must give. If you want to meet a strict deadline or come in under budget, you’ll have to compromise on quality. If you want high quality quickly, it will be costly. Theoretically, you can only pick two.

A similar idea is known as the “triple constraint” of project management.

Ensuring a project is completed within the project scope, on time, and on budget is akin to building a three-legged stool. One leg can’t be shorter than the others, or the stool will tip over. Being a project manager is all about finding the perfect balance.

In this guide:

• What is triple constraint?
• Why triple constraint matters in project management.
• How to meet deadlines and budgets without losing quality.

What is triple constraint?

Triple constraint entails completing a project within the described scope, staying within the budget allocated, and delivering the work on time — all with an eye toward delivering a quality result. These aspects guide decision-making to plan and execute project requirements. Organizations make decisions knowing that triple constraint works as a guideline and that trade-offs may emerge.

Here are the basic elements of triple constraint:

Scope.

Scope refers to what the team needs to do to achieve the desired project outcome. Organizations must plan and record all elements that create the project scope, such as design, finances, labor, and timelines. Accurately planning the scope influences how well organizations manage the other constraints.

Cost.

Project managers must work within the defined budget to pay for all resources needed to achieve specified project goals. Deviations from the budget or other constraints impact the project cost.

Time.

Time refers to schedules, deadlines, sprints, or other terms used to manage project phases within specific time periods. Other aspects of triple constraint impact timelines, each dependent on the other to get the job done as mandated by the client.

Quality.

Although the traditional triple constraint comprises scope, cost, and time elements, alternative formulations include a fourth element of quality at the center of the triangle to accommodate specific industry or project needs, or to emphasize how quality is dependent on scope, cost, and time. Organizations need to constantly monitor each component to achieve desired outcomes.

Why triple constraint matters in project management.

Triple constraint matters in project management because its components are integral to the quality of the outcome and the project’s success. Ignore any of the crucial elements of triple constraint, and your project gets into trouble quickly. Considering all triple constraint elements throughout the project duration will help you achieve the desired result. The primary factor hindering teams from successfully completing projects within deadlines and budgets — and with quality standards — is a lack of planning. If you don’t plan ahead to meet these criteria, your chances of balancing that three-legged stool are slim to none.

How to meet deadlines and budgets without losing quality.

So, how do you meet deadlines, stick to a budget, and maintain quality? It all starts with solid planning, and these steps will help:

1. Plan projects in advance and build in buffers.

Planning shouldn’t start days before your team is set to hit the ground running with a new project. It should start weeks — or even months — in advance. This will give you plenty of time to assign tasks and anticipate challenges or roadblocks.

While creating a project timeline, build in slack time, or extra time at key points, just in case things don’t go exactly as planned. For example, you may find it helpful to give yourself a week between a piece of collateral’s approval deadline and the day it should be sent to the printer.

A realistic and well-thought-out timeline will enable you to meet deadlines, stay on budget, and still produce high-quality work.

2. Use a solid request management system.

When requests come at you from all directions — in meetings, via email, and in the hall — it’s impossible to plan well, let alone produce high-quality work.

Implement a solid request management system and require everyone to use it, with no exceptions. The key to making this work is to choose one system, like a work management platform or even a single email address and make it clear that unless a request comes through this channel, your team won’t be able to fulfill it.

3. Manage project scope.

Whenever additional components are added to a project, deadlines and budgets become less accurate. This means they will either need to be revisited, or the quality of the project will suffer, resulting in less being accomplished within the ideal amount of time and money.

To avoid being in a situation where sacrificing quality is even an option, define your project’s scope early on, and if it changes midway through a project, you’ll have to balance the other two legs of the stool — deadline, and budget — to maintain quality. Remember that while project scope is often neglected, it’s one of the most important parts of project planning.

4. Make budgeting part of project planning.

Strategic budgeting will make it possible to achieve high quality, but it needs to be done as part of project planning, not as an afterthought. During the planning phase, ask yourself these questions:

• What can we realistically accomplish with the amount allotted?
• What kind of budget will we need to do this project the right way?
• What elements can be eliminated to make more room in the budget if needed?
• What roadblocks could keep us from staying on budget? How will we address them?

This kind of planning will ensure that your budget will help — rather than hinder — your efforts to accomplish high-quality results.

5. Don’t stop communicating with your team.

One of the most important things you can do to balance the three-legged stool, and avoid sacrificing quality, is continually communicate. Always communicate with your team, manager, and stakeholders throughout the project.

Constant communication through an operational system of record will keep everyone on the same page, ensuring that maintaining deadlines, budgets, and quality is a manageable balancing act that allows projects to reach their full potential.

Finding the perfect balance with Adobe Workfront.

Achieving the right balance between scope, time, budget, and quality is essential for successful project management. With the right strategies — proactive planning, effective scope management, and robust request systems — teams can deliver exceptional results without compromise. Adobe Workfront simplifies this process by providing a centralized platform to manage projects, streamline collaboration, and ensure alignment across teams.

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