Project Pulse - Constraint Tracker

I was just wrapping up a project co-writing a 90 page requirements document for a client and I am so proud of my work! Unfortunately our statement of work with the client says that we would only document at most 45 pages estimated at 3 pages per requirement. With this data in hand we were able to approach the client about this potential budget buster. We were both able to come away from the situation happy due to extended budgets and robust requirements. What if this happens to you? What if you aren’t working on a project that has the luxury of flexible resources? Are you prepared to protect it from hitting that brick wall?

You probably need some sort of daily gauge letting you know where your project is in relation to your constraints. Some common project constraints are pages of documentation, number of requirements, hours, or budget. Try to keep track of these stats daily to maintain a dashboard both for yourself and for the stakeholders on your project.

It could look something like this:

These graphs will provide you with a quick easy to understand overview of where you are with your project constraints. With this understanding, you can better direct your work or your teams and when needed, go to your stakeholders and tell them that they may not get what they wanted with evidence why. It could motivate them to provide you with the additional resources you need to get the project completed right!