Abstract
M. Ing.
Projects are generally undertaken because they are part of the plans to advance
organisations to new levels of performance and to operationalise business
strategies. Projects are however constrained by conflicting demands and
competing priorities within the project environment. Project success is a topic of
much debate, but it is generally agreed that successful projects meet the strategic
objectives and higher purpose of the endeavour. The processes and methods of
project management provide the structure, focus, flexibility and control to help
guide significant project investments to beneficial change.
The project management body of knowledge (PMBOK) endorses that every
project is governed by the triple constraint, which reflects a framework for
evaluating competing demands. The triple constraint is a critical project
management concept that originates from the project basis and provides direction
for framing the project. The triple constraint comprises the three key elements of
scope, time and cost. Quality is an inherent objective of the project specification
that takes root in all three properties of the triple constraint.
The current literature in the project management domain suggests that there exists
a lack of appropriate (and consistent) scholarship on the triple constraint and its
dynamics. Project managers often create an illusion of tangible progress by relying
heavily upon traditional on-time, on-budget and on-target measures – yet this
tactic fails to address the strategy ambiguity or establish appropriate project goals.
The triple constraint trade-offs are also often perceived as organisational problems
that have a definitive solution – yet this tactic fails to effectively negotiate the triple
constraint and leads to destructive conflict.