Why we Need to Differentiate Assumptions and Constraints

In this podcast, Ricardo explains why we should separate Assumptions from Constraints in the project management and do not consider them as similar. You'll learn why the approach strategies should be distinct.

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Episode transcript

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Hello everybody welcome to the five minutes BM podcast today, like to share with you one discussion that I had last week about why I need to make a distinction between assumptions and constraints. Why does or not do one thing? Call the restrictions, our conference and why they are different. And the answer to this question is basically just one. They are different because they require different actions from the project manager and the project team.

Look, what is construct is something that limits your options that are restricted. Do you mean your options? For example, that must be done inside this room. This is not the risk. This is not an option. I'm telling you, you, if you want to do this work, this must be done inside this room. So this will limit the options because maybe you have another room that is much bigger, much nicer, but I'm restricting you.

This is a core strength. And although what I do with Constraints that the sport short, the market place, the company, the government, whatever. If they bring this to the project, what do I do with this? This will impact directly the triple constraint scope cost and time. In this case of the room, that was, will you backed on this scope? So on the WPS item, on the work package, I will need to handle this restriction.

I will need to respect this restriction. This is not the, not, this is not something that I'm creating. No, this is a restriction on that. I need to respect a constant that I need to respect. And the other side, let's talk about the Assumptions. This is assumptions. Our things that I imagine that they can be true, but I cannot prove, as I mentioned on the podcast about Assumptions and Constraints, and also my video cast about this subject.

Let me give you the example of the rain. Let's suppose that there is our own, the weather forecast. I make an assumption tomorrow. It will not rain. I'm assuming this, but I do not have 100% of control on that. Based on my experience on the wet of forecast, I'm assuming this, but there's an assumption. We'll go straight to risk management because I need to handle this and I will need to create one risk tomorrow can rain and this can damage whatever.

And then I need to find ways of mitigate, avoid, or handle this risk. So look, and the way that I work with Constraints and Assumptions is that your friend, one thing I'm working in the scope environment type of environment and cost environment. The one I'm on, of course they are impacting all of the street, but the auto one is going straight to the risk because one of the things that is great go when I have a lot of Assumptions is to do an assumption passed.

This is part of the qualitative risk analysis. I need to make sure that I'm not crazy in creating Assumptions that are extremely week. The probability of them not to be respected is extremely high, and this will bring us a real damage to the project. So look down to our some statements, but the way I handle Assumptions and Constraints is different. So because of that, we need to separate this, the things they cannot be mixed at that being just one thing, because the way you handle it is that different.

Unfortunately, when we see that the PMBOK guide, for example, usually they are closed always. When we see the outputs, we see Assumptions Constraints Constraints Assumptions and a lot of people think that they are related to the same thing, and this is not true. This one that is not true, they are handling in a completely different way. So with that, I hope you can understand not only the concept of them assumptions and constraints, but why we need to handle them in a different way.

I hope you enjoy this podcast. See you next week with another five minutes BM Podcast.

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