The Triple Constraint, a Triple Illusion
Meeting and Exceeding the Public’s Expectations
Hidden in a NASA report on heavy-lift rocket capabilities, released in January and hotly debated since, was a belief at the root of many of our failing government projects, from human space flight to high-speed trains to fifth grade education. It’s called the “triple constraint,” and it’s really a triple illusion.
The triple constraint is the idea that every project is defined by its requirements for time, budget and quality, and if you decrease one or two, you must increase the third to bring the system back into balance.
The triple illusion is that customer value can be fixed at the start of the project as well, simply by delivering on time, on budget and with required quality. Two big government projects affecting Brevard County demonstrate how important it is to measure and manage “value” as well, and measure it through the life of the project.
Case In Point
Last fall, Congress gave NASA a mission to build and launch a heavy-lift rocket, capable of tossing 100 tons into low Earth orbit, by 2016. Congress, in a deal brokered by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, budgeted a third of what NASA requested for the project, has not actually authorized any funds, and has said it is not flexible on schedule or launch capacity.
The Florida Class Size Amendment Act of 2002 required class size in 4th through 8th grades to be reduced to 22 by the start of the 2010-2011 school years. Again, with the measure of quality and schedule defined, the Legislature promised $16 billion over eight years to reach that and many other class size targets, which has proved to be insufficient for the task.
The value statement – the answer to “Why” and “Who Cares?” – was not embedded in either of these project goals, but it was well known to U.S. and Florida citizens, the customers of our government.
Where We Stand
We chose to go back to the moon, President Bush said, “Because doing so improves our lives and lifts our national spirit.” It did not, or at least, not enough to outweigh the economic meltdown of 2009. We chose to reduce class size in Florida because, back in 2002, we thought it would improve student test scores, a requirement of the 2001 Federal No Child Left Behind Act, or NCLB. Unfortunately, it has not.
In both cases, the customer value statement changed radically over eight years, yet the business owners of the projects – local politicians, NASA and our Brevard School Board – failed to manage customer perception of their projects.
In a January letter to Congress, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden claimed that it was not physically possible to build the heavy-lift rocket Nelson demanded, for the budget provided, by 2016.
In a video marking the 25th anniversary of the Challenger accident, Nelson volleyed back, “NASA must stop making excuses and follow this law.” Bolden’s “Clintonesque” reply was, “I have not said I cannot do that, but I don’t want to mislead anyone and say that we can do that.” He later clarified that NASA fully intends to “follow the law,” though it appears he was referring to the law of gravity.
Similarly, members of the Brevard County School Board, faced with big funding cuts, say privately they are considering ignoring the state mandates for class size next year. If they do, they will be wagering that their non-compliance will wander through the courts for years. They, like Bolden, are obeying the law to the extent needed, gambling that they are more in tune with the current values of the people than the eight-year-old law is.
The EDC’s Response
Leaving less to chance is the EDC of Florida’s Space Coast. The EDC also was faced with schedule, budget and performance pressure from its members and the county last fall. In response, the EDC launched its Space Transition Public Relations Strategy. It says the EDC will partner with the Florida Public Relations Association’s Space Coast chapter. The aim is to target local and national media outlets, as well as “Space Coast business, political, and community leadership who will be in a position to speak publicly about the space program transition.”
Though just a little Orwellian, it’s a good example of how non-elected government officials can and should measure how we, their customers, value them. The EDC has no illusions about the challenges it faces. While it chips away at its goal of 2,250 jobs created over three years, on time, on budget and with quality, it now has a sensible plan to make sure we still value that goal when it is reached.
