Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)® Cert Guide

Chapter 8

Constraints and Assumptions

This chapter covers the following subjects:

• Constraints as Risk Drivers

• Assumptions as Identified Risks

• The Open Assumptions and Constraints Discussion

The distinction between constraints and assumptions is significant in risk management. Constraints are limiting factors that define the boundaries of a project (and in some ways, the boundaries of a project’s risks). Assumptions are factors that are believed to be true for planning purposes. A schedule deadline is a constraint. Believing a client will not accept any component of a deliverable after the deadline is an assumption. It becomes a constraint only when the client tells you that it’s a fact, rather than a belief.

Both constraints and assumptions ...