Constraints

Constraints are what's off-limits and the bounds the answer has to stay inside: what must not change, budgets, deadlines, rules to follow.

What it looks like

• Saying what must stay as it is: “don't change the numbers.”
• Giving bounds as numbers: budget, deadline, versions.
• Naming what to avoid: claims, topics, tools.

When it doesn't count

In many kinds of task, Constraints counts only when something is off-limits or bounded. In some, like emails, marketing copy and new code, it always counts.