The Ultimate Constraint
As a project manager, you understand the importance of the triple constraint: completing your project scope within budget and on schedule. Managing the triple constraint is a key success factor for all projects, but project warriors understand that ultimately, the most important responsibility of the project manager is to make sure the customer is satisfied.
Customer satisfaction is the ultimate constraint and goes beyond the triple constraint. It requires ongoing communication with the customer to keep the customer informed and determine if expectations have changed. Customer satisfaction means involving the customer as a partner in the successful outcome of the project through active participation in the project.
The project manager must be constantly aware of the degree of customer satisfaction throughout the project. Regularly scheduled meetings, status reports, frequent phone converstations and e-mail are examples of ways to involve the customer. By maintaining regular communication with the customer, the project manager demonstrates to the customer that he or she is genuinely concerned about the expectations of the customer- the ultimate constraint- and will avoid unpleasant surprises later.
