Constraints Log Template – Free Word Download
Introduction to the Constraints Log
Every project, regardless of its size or industry, operates within a specific set of boundaries. These boundaries are known as project constraints. A constraint is a limiting factor that affects the execution of a project, program, portfolio, or process. They are the rules of the game that you cannot easily change. While many project managers focus heavily on risks (what might happen) and issues (what is happening), constraints (what you are forced to work within) often go undocumented, leading to significant misalignments later in the project lifecycle. Enjoy this Constraints Log Template – Free Word Download
The Constraints Log is a vital artifact that captures, documents, and monitors these limitations. It serves as the single source of truth regarding the boundaries of the project. By explicitly writing down constraints, you remove ambiguity. You transform a vague feeling that “the budget is tight” into a concrete, documented fact that “the budget is capped at $50,000 for Phase 1.” This clarity allows the project team to design solutions that fit within reality rather than designing for an ideal world that does not exist.
This template is designed to guide you through the creation of a robust Constraints Log. It is not merely a form to fill out; it is a strategic tool for negotiation and planning. We will explore how to document the description, categorize the constraint, assess its rigidity, and determine its impact on the “Iron Triangle” of project management (Scope, Time, and Cost).
Completing this document requires input from senior stakeholders, the project sponsor, and technical leads. It should be initialized during the project initiation phase and reviewed regularly throughout execution. A constraint in Phase 1 might be lifted in Phase 2, or a new regulatory constraint might emerge mid-project. Therefore, this log is a living document.
The following sections provide detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to complete each part of the Constraints Log, ensuring that your project boundaries are clear, communicated, and agreed upon by all parties.
Part 1: General Project Information
Before diving into the specific constraints, it is essential to establish the context of the document. This section ensures that if the log is printed or shared separately from other project artifacts, it remains identifiable and traceable.
Project Name and ID
Instructions:
Enter the official name of the project as stated in the Project Charter. If your organization uses a specific numbering system or billing codes, include the Project ID here. This is critical for portfolio managers who may be reviewing constraint logs across multiple initiatives.
Tip:
Avoid using acronyms in the project name unless they are universally understood within the organization. If the project is “Implementation of New HR Software,” do not just write “HR Project” as this is too vague.
Project Manager and Sponsor
Instructions:
List the name of the Project Manager responsible for maintaining this log and the Project Sponsor who has the authority to approve or negotiate these constraints.
Why this matters:
Constraints are often high-level business or technical directives. Knowing who the Sponsor is helps the team understand who holds the “keys” to unlocking or modifying a hard constraint. If a constraint needs to be challenged, the Sponsor is usually the escalation point.
Last Updated Date and Version
Instructions:
Maintain a clear version control history. Every time a constraint is added, removed, or modified, update the date and increment the version number (e.g., from v1.0 to v1.1).
Example:
- Project Name: Global Logistics System Upgrade
- Project Manager: Sarah Jenkins
- Sponsor: Michael Thorne (VP of Operations)
- Date: October 12, 2025
- Version: 2.3
Part 2: Constraint Identification and Description
This is the core section of the document. Here, you will list every specific constraint. Do not group them vaguely. Each constraint needs its own entry to be tracked and managed effectively.
Column 1: Constraint ID
Instructions:
Assign a unique identifier to each constraint. A simple alphanumeric sequence works best, such as CNS-001, CNS-002, etc.
Guidance:
Do not recycle numbers. If CNS-002 is removed or no longer applies, mark it as “Closed” or “Obsolete” rather than deleting it and reusing the number for a new constraint. This preserves the audit trail.
Column 2: Constraint Description
Instructions:
This is the most critical field. You must describe the constraint in clear, unambiguous language. A good description explains what the limitation is and quantifies it whenever possible.
How to write a good description:
Avoid vague adjectives like “limited,” “fast,” or “cheap.” Use specific metrics, dates, and hard facts. The description should leave no room for interpretation.
Examples of Poor vs. Good Descriptions:
- Poor: “We need to finish the project quickly.”
- Critique: “Quickly” is subjective. To a developer, this might mean six months; to a sponsor, it might mean six weeks.
- Good: “The final product must be launched to the public no later than November 15th to align with the holiday marketing campaign.”
- Why it works: It provides a specific date and the business reason behind it.
- Poor: “The budget is small.”
- Critique: Small is relative.
- Good: “The total project budget is capped at $150,000 for the fiscal year 2025. No additional funding requests will be entertained until Q1 2026.”
Step-by-Step Guide for this section:
- Interview Stakeholders: Ask “What are the non-negotiables?” during your initiation meetings.
- Review Contracts: Look for legal constraints in your Statement of Work (SOW).
- Draft the Statement: Write the constraint as a complete sentence.
- Verify: Ask yourself, “Could two different people interpret this differently?” If yes, rewrite it.
Column 3: Source of Constraint
Instructions:
Identify where this constraint originated. Is it an internal management decision? A government regulation? A technical limitation of legacy hardware? A client requirement?
Why this matters:
Understanding the source helps you evaluate the flexibility of the constraint. A constraint originating from “Federal Law” is likely immovable. A constraint originating from “Department Head Preference” might be negotiable if it endangers the project success.
Common Sources:
- Client: Dictated by the customer contract.
- Regulatory: Laws, compliance standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).
- Financial: Budget caps set by the CFO.
- Technical: Limitations of existing infrastructure or selected platforms.
- Resource: Availability of specific personnel or vendors.
Part 3: Categorization and Rigidity
To manage constraints effectively, you must be able to filter and sort them. This section details how to categorize constraints and assess how “hard” they actually are.
Column 4: Category
Instructions:
Map each constraint to a specific category. This helps in reporting. For example, if the project is delayed, you can quickly filter the log to see all “Schedule” related constraints to understand the root cause.
Mapping Table for Categories:
| Category | Definition | Example |
| Schedule | Limitations regarding time, deadlines, or milestones. | “Project must go live before the end of Q3.” |
| Cost/Budget | Limitations regarding funding, cash flow, or exchange rates. | “Maximum spend per month cannot exceed $20k.” |
| Scope | Limitations on what must be included or excluded. | “Must integrate with the legacy CRM system.” |
| Quality | Standards that must be met, often non-negotiable compliance. | “Must achieve 99.99% uptime availability.” |
| Resource | Limitations on people, equipment, or facilities. | “Lead Architect is only available 50% of the time.” |
| Technical | Constraints imposed by technology choices or environment. | “Must be written in Python 3.9.” |
| Legal/Reg | Laws, bylaws, and contractual obligations. | “Data must be stored on servers within the EU.” |
Tip:
If a constraint seems to fit into two categories (e.g., a regulation that impacts the schedule), choose the primary driver. If the regulation forces a deadline, categorize it as Regulatory, as that is the root cause.
Column 5: Rigidity (Hard vs. Soft)
Instructions:
Classify the constraint as “Hard” or “Soft.” This is sometimes referred to as “Fixed” vs. “Flexible.”
- Hard Constraint: This is a showstopper. It is a binary condition; pass or fail. There is zero room for negotiation. If this constraint is violated, the project is considered a failure or illegal.
- Example: A legal compliance deadline or a physical limitation (e.g., the size of a warehouse door).
- Soft Constraint: This is a strong preference or a target. It is highly desired but, if absolutely necessary, could be renegotiated with trade-offs.
- Example: A target launch date that is driven by internal goals rather than external contracts.
Guidance for the Project Manager:
Be careful not to mark everything as a “Hard” constraint. If everything is high priority and fixed, nothing is. You need to push back on stakeholders to identify what is truly a hard constraint versus what is simply a strong desire. This classification is your primary tool for negotiation later in the project.
Part 4: Impact Assessment
This section connects the constraint to the project outcomes. It answers the “So What?” question. If we have to abide by this constraint, what does that mean for the rest of the project planning?
Column 6: Impact Description
Instructions:
Analyze how this constraint restricts the project team’s options. Does it reduce the pool of available vendors? Does it force the team to work overtime? Does it require purchasing expensive licenses?
Detailed Guide on Writing Impacts:
- Analyze the Iron Triangle: Look at Schedule, Cost, and Scope. If the Schedule is constrained (fixed deadline), the impact is usually on Cost (need to pay for more resources to go fast) or Scope (need to cut features to finish on time).
- Be specific: Do not just write “High impact.” Write “Because we cannot hire external contractors (Resource Constraint), the internal team will need to deprioritize maintenance work to meet the deadline.”
- Highlight Risks: Constraints often generate risks. If a constraint is “Must use Beta Technology,” the impact includes “Increased likelihood of bugs and stability issues.”
Example Scenarios:
- Constraint: Budget capped at $100k.
- Impact: We cannot afford the Tier 1 enterprise software solution. We must select a Tier 2 vendor or an Open Source solution, which may require more manual configuration effort (increasing time).
- Constraint: Must use existing internal servers.
- Impact: The application performance may be limited by the older hardware. We cannot guarantee sub-second latency unless hardware upgrades are approved (which would violate the budget constraint).
Column 7: Cross-Reference to Risk Log
Instructions:
If a constraint creates a significant risk, log that risk in your Risk Register and provide the Risk ID here. This creates a link between your documents.
Example:
“Due to the strict deadline (Constraint CNS-01), there is a risk that testing will be compressed (Risk RSK-04).”
Part 5: Stakeholder and Approval Status
Constraints are not valid until they are agreed upon. A project manager cannot simply invent constraints; they must be ratified by the business.
Column 8: Owner
Instructions:
Assign a specific person who “owns” the constraint. This is usually the person who introduced it or the person with the authority to remove it.
Why assign an owner?
If the project team hits a wall and needs relief from a constraint, they need to know who to call. If the constraint is “Data Security,” the owner is likely the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer). If the constraint is “Budget,” the owner is the Sponsor or CFO.
Column 9: Status
Instructions:
Track the current state of the constraint. Constraints can change over time. Use a standardized list of status codes.
Status Codes:
- Active: The constraint is currently in effect and must be obeyed.
- Under Review: The constraint is being challenged or renegotiated.
- Relaxed: The constraint was modified to be less strict (e.g., deadline moved from June to July).
- Obsolete/Closed: The constraint no longer applies (e.g., a regulation was repealed, or the project phase associated with the constraint is complete).
Step-by-Step Maintenance:
Review this status column during your monthly Steering Committee meetings. Ask the question: “Are these constraints still valid?” Sometimes, a business driver changes, and a constraint that was choking the project can be removed. You will not know unless you ask.
Part 6: Strategy for Managing Constraint Conflicts
It is very common for a project to have conflicting constraints. For example, a project might have a Hard Budget Constraint and a Hard Schedule Constraint while also having a Hard Scope Constraint. This is often referred to as “Better, Faster, Cheaper: Pick Two.” When a project is asked to do all three, it is set up for failure.
Use this section of the template (as a narrative field below the log table) to document how conflicts will be resolved.
Prioritization Matrix
Instructions:
Create a brief narrative or hierarchy explaining which category takes precedence.
Example Text:
“In the event of a conflict between constraints, the following hierarchy of priority will serve as the default guidance for the project management team:
- Safety & Regulatory: (Highest Priority) No compromises on safety protocols or legal compliance.
- Schedule: The launch date is immovable due to the expiring license of the old system.
- Scope: Functional requirements are prioritized using the MoSCoW method; ‘Could Have’ items will be dropped first.
- Cost: (Lowest Priority) If necessary to meet the schedule and safety goals, additional funding may be requested from the contingency reserve.”
Why this is essential:
This pre-agrees the trade-offs. When a crisis hits (and it will), you do not have to argue about what matters most. You can point to the Constraints Log and say, “We agreed that Schedule is more important than Cost; therefore, we are authorizing overtime pay.”
Part 7: Example Filled Constraints Log Section
To ensure you understand how to synthesize all the instructions above, here is an example of what three rows in your Constraints Log might look like.
| ID | Description | Category | Rigidity | Impact | Owner | Status |
| CNS-01 | Project must use the corporate standard “PaymentGateway X” for all transactions. | Technical | Hard | Limits our ability to accept cryptocurrency. Requires custom API development as “PaymentGateway X” does not have a native plugin for our store. | CTO | Active |
| CNS-02 | Total internal labor hours cannot exceed 500 hours for Q1. | Resource | Soft | If we exceed 500 hours, we must pull resources from the ‘Maintenance’ project, which requires VP approval. May delay the ‘Maintenance’ backlog. | VP of Ops | Active |
| CNS-03 | Warehouse must be operational by Sept 1 to receive holiday inventory. | Schedule | Hard | If missed, the company loses 40% of projected annual revenue. Critical path activities must have zero float. Cost is secondary to hitting this date. | CEO | Active |
Conclusion
The Constraints Log is more than a list of “cannot dos.” It is a strategic framework that defines the sandbox in which the project team gets to play. By clearly defining the walls of that sandbox, you prevent the team from wasting time trying to run outside the boundaries.
A well-maintained Constraints Log protects the project manager. It provides the justification for saying “no” to scope creep (“We cannot add that feature because it violates Constraint CNS-02 regarding resource availability”). It also facilitates honest conversations with stakeholders about what is realistically achievable.
Final Checklist for this Template:
- Have you distinguished clearly between constraints (limitations) and dependencies (sequence of events)?
- Is every constraint assigned an owner?
- Are the descriptions specific and measurable where possible?
- Have you defined the hierarchy of constraints to resolve conflicts?
- Is the document version-controlled?
By following the guidance in this template, you will ensure that your project is grounded in reality, aligned with business drivers, and defended against unrealistic expectations.
Meta Description:
A comprehensive guide to creating a Project Constraints Log. Learn to document, categorize, and manage project limitations like budget, schedule, and scope effectively.
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