Transcript
Narrator: So it's lunchtime and you hit your local deli for a sandwich. You order steak and onions on rye, with a slice of cheese and a sliver of mustard. "Heck," you say. "Throw a pickle on it for luck!"
Customer: Yes, I would like a steak and onion sandwich on rye, with a slice of cheese and some mustard."
Narrator: They ask if you want it toasted.
Shopkeeper: Would you like it toasted?
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Narrator: You nod and they say it'll be a five-minute wait.
Shopkeeper: It'll be a five-minute wait.
Narrator: But here's the snag. You're in a hurry. You ask the deli if they can do it any faster. "Sure," they say.
Shopkeeper: Sure.
Narrator: But you can't have it toasted.
Shopkeeper: But you can't have it toasted!
Narrator: "Okay," you say, but now it feels a little expensive.
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Customer: That's a little expensive.
Narrator: "Well," they say. "We can go cheaper, but then you can't have the steak."
What you are facing is the project triangle. It's the choice between cost, time and quality. You can have two of the three, but you can't have them all. When you talk to your project stakeholders, this is a great way to describe their choices and help them focus on their priorities. It doesn't matter if you're building a house, developing software or ordering a sandwich, no matter how you cut it, there's no escaping the project triangle.
Reflective Questions
Once you've watched the video, reflect on what you've learned by answering the following questions:
- How do you communicate the project triangle of cost, time and quality to your stakeholders?
- Can you recall a project where you've had to compromise on one of these three aspects? What happened?
- How do you prioritize between cost, time and quality when multiple stakeholders have different priorities?
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