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Thursday, July 31, 2008

The Triple Constraint


The Triple Constraint or Project Management Triangle


A few weeks back when I was in Amsterdam for some training, I was reminded that I wanted to write about the Triple Constraint. What is the Triple Constraint you ask? Put basically, it is a term that is often used in Project Management to describe the tradeoffs that have to be made between scope, time, and cost within projects. While this is very important to running projects it is also one of life’s key principles as well.

The Triple Constraint is often times called the Project Management Triangle. In the picture above you’ll see a triangle formed between scope, cost, and schedule with quality being in the middle of the triangle. Scope is what you plan to do or deliver. Cost is often viewed as the effort needed to do whatever it is that you’re doing, this can be monetary (dollars, euros, and so on) and can also be the resources used to deliver what you’re doing. Schedule and time are often used interchangeably; this is how long it will take you to do what you’re planning to do. The reason that they form a triangle is that it isn’t possible to change one of these items without adjusting the other two. This is often where projects fail. You can certainly do a task faster (time or schedule) but you might have to hire someone else to help you do it (more money and effort) or you can deliver less (you might adjust what it is that you’re going to deliver), and in the middle of the triangle is the quality of what you’re delivering, so maybe what you’re doing doesn’t need to have the highest quality but it is certainly effected by scope, time, and cost.

When you think about it, most everything that you do in life is affected by the Triple Constraint. You have to make a trade off between all of these things. A while back I saw a picture about service that you could receive at a motorcycle shop, that said that you could receive three types of service good, cheap, fast, and that you could pick any two, this is another way of stating the Triple Constraint that is easily understood…

If you have good service fast it won’t be cheap

If you have good service cheap it won’t be fast

If cheap service fast it won’t be good

Projects are often failing because they don’t properly adjust when there are changes to any of these things. Projects’ scope often grows (they take on more work or what is being delivered expands) but then the cost (effort) and/or schedule (time) are not properly adjusted. Using effort and cost interchangeably can confuse some people but just realize that there is a cost that goes along with additional effort (maybe hiring additional people to do more work). If you’re costs have gone up from taking on more work and not adjusting the time needed to deliver that work, and not adjusting other work being delivered; this means that if you don’t increase your prices (to correspond with your additional resource costs), your revenue and profits might not be sufficient to stay in business. Another thing that often happens is that, if you don’t bring on more resources, your resources are now pulled from other work, so that other work now takes longer to deliver (time or schedule), which delays that work.

I have not mentioned skill and efficiency to this point. If something is being done by more experienced resources, they probably cost more (hourly rates, salary, and etc.) than less experienced resources, this is part of your cost (effort). While your more experienced resources tend to cost more because they’re more likely to know what needs to be done and how to do it, they can complete the work quicker than the less experienced resources, which means that it takes less time to do the work and they might be able to do other tasks. Having more experienced resources does not guarantee that they’re efficient or that they have good work habits. Skill and efficiency should not be overlooked.

If you look around in your everyday life, you’d be amazed at how often you can apply the Triple Constraint. If you have any comments, I’d love to hear them. If you liked this article, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS or email, share it on del.icio.us or on Digg and pass it on to anyone that you think might appreciate it. Thank you. :)

On Deck…

I’ll be publishing posts about…

  • The next in my series of weight loss strategies
  • My next Spotlight on the web.
  • The next of my dating and relationship tips
  • More on productivity, web 2.0, social networking, family, parenting, health, and other things that you can use.

Other Post That You Might Also Like to Read…

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Using Launchy As An Application Launcher

Lauchy looking for Microsoft Word


Have you ever gone to start an application and then you couldn’t find it? Has your desktop become so cluttered with application shortcuts that you can’t find what you’re looking for? Has your “Start Menu” become just too unruly? Maybe you could use an application launcher. I started using Launchy a few months ago and it is a great time saver.

Launchy is a freeware application available for download from sourceforge.net. After initial installation you can activate it by hitting the “Alt” + “spacebar”. In the white box that appears you type the application that you’re looking for. Launchy will show several alternatives to what you have typed in, as you type it in. So in the picture above I started typing “Word” into Launchy and you can see that I only needed to go as far as typing in “W”. The more you use Launchy the easier it will be to find your applications, often with only using a few keyboard strokes.

Launchy can find web pages that you have been to but might have forgotten to bookmark. I just did this for this blog and I was able to find the url after typing in “Systems”. I’ve found that there is a Firefox add-in for Launchy, that even allows you to search through your Firefox bookmarks.

Lancuhy can be configured to search directories on your computer for frequently used files. This can help you find those files that you don’t remember what you called them or where you placed them. You can read about this in the documentation pdf. Launchy has other skins and plug-ins available, so there is a degree of customization available.

If you would like to try out some other application launchers, Lifehacker ran a Hive Five Best Application Launchers, where they suggested five application launchers (for Windows, Mac, and Linux), Launchy was in the list and there are some other suggestions from their readers as well.

Why not give Launchy (or another application launcher) a try? You just might find that you save a lot of time that you previously spent looking for your applications (and documents). Maybe this would even allow you to clean up your desktop. Are you using Launchy or some other application launcher? If you have any other comments, I would love to hear them. If you liked this article, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS or email, share it on del.icio.us or on Digg and pass it on to anyone that you think might appreciate it. Thank you. :)

Editor’s Note:

In addition to being off at training, I have had some family visiting me from out of town and have been very busy with the current phase of my current project at work, I hope to post more frequently again when things let up a little bit. On the DC Heron Family blog I did a couple of recent posts about a puppy reunion that we attended, progress that we have made since the fire, and a thank you to the German national soccer team for their play in the recent Euro2008 and what they gave their fans and Germany. Leo Babauta of Zenhabits recently got married and returned from a trip to Thailand. Leo, sorry to hear about the loss of your aunt.

On Deck…

I’ll be publishing posts about…

  • The next in my series of weight loss strategies
  • My next Spotlight on the web.
  • The next of my dating and relationship tips
  • More on productivity, web 2.0, social networking, family, parenting, health, and other things that you can use.

Other Posts That You Might Also Like to Read…

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Monday, July 7, 2008

Away At Training...

"Message Pad" courtesy of teambo


I'm getting ready to go to Amsterdam for a week of training, and I don't think that I will have much time nor the opportunity to post over the next week.  I hope to start posting again upon my return around the 12th of July or so.  I hope that you're enjoying your Summer.  Till then.
Posted by Systems Overload at Monday, July 07, 2008 View Comments
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Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy Birthday America


As the U.S. celebrates its birthday I thought that it might be a good time to have a quick look at some of the great documents that forged its history. Many of you might vaguely remember these from government classes in the past. As a bit of a history buff, I could read about these things all day but I thought that it might be a good time to pause and take a look at some of the freedoms that Americans enjoy. I’ve included some links throughout if you wish to check out the documents in full or read some other information on the subjects. I do hope that our presidential candidates and ultimately the person elected president as well as those elected and serving in Congress will remember these documents and the philosophies of our founding fathers as they wage their war on Terrorism or whatever pursuits they may take up.

The Declaration of Independence

“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Declaration of Independence

The U.S. Constitution

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

The Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments to the Constitution, I have combined titles of the Amendments from Emory Law School with the wording to the amendments from Archives.gov, they are…

Amendment I: Freedom of speech, religion, press, petition and assembly.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II: Right to bear arms and militia.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III: Quartering of soldiers.

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV: Warrants and searches.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V: Individual debt and double jeopardy.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI: Speedy trial, witnesses and accusations.

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII: Right for a jury trial.

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII: Bail and fines.

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX: Existence of other rights for the people

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X: Power reserved to the states and people.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Some other good documents

The Articles of Confederation were established before the Constitution. Because it was drafted around the time of the Revolutionary War, when the framers were weary of a strong central government that they had experienced with England it was more of a league of friendship than the plan for an effective government.

The Federalist Papers were a series of articles originally published in newspapers written to convince readers to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Their authors include Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

I hope that you have enjoyed my tribute to early American historical documents. If you have read a good and/or interesting book on any of these documents feel free to post it in the comments. If you have any other comments, I would love to hear them. If you liked this article, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS or email, share it on del.icio.us or on Digg and pass it on to anyone that you think might appreciate it. Thank you. :)

On Deck…

I’ll be publishing posts about…

  • The next in my series of weight loss strategies
  • My next Spotlight on the web.
  • More on productivity, web 2.0, social networking, family, parenting, health, and other things that you can use.

Other Posts That You Might Also Like to Read…



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