Constraints

Constraints show up everywhere. Time, resources, processes, systems, even our ability to think and act - are all constrained. In our go-go-go world, where we don’t want anything to “hold us back,” constraints are seen as a bad thing. But the reality is, a system without constraints is far more dangerous than any single barrier standing between you and whatever outcome you think you’re chasing.

Some constraints stay invisible until you run into them - you feel them before you see them. Others are more visible and can feel like barriers, but they can just as easily serve as guardrails or enablers. Hitting constraints forces you to take stock of what you have, decide what you really need, and get creative about how to protect and stretch the limited resources you have available to you.

There is a danger in treating all constraints the same way. Some are real and non-negotiable, like regulatory restrictions, hard deadlines, and even physical limitations. Others are artificial and self-imposed, emerging from inertia and habit. Knowing which to respect, which to push back on, and which to remove from the equation altogether is the only way to understand where your constraints are and how to deal with them.

What Do Constraints Look Like?

Constraints can be blindingly obvious or hide in plain sight. They shape the speed and quality of decisions and require creative problem solving to overcome.

Fixed or arbitrary deadlines that leave no room for iteration or innovation.
Budgets so tight they only cover keeping the lights on.
There’s never seems to be enough people, money or time in the day to get things delivered.
Rigid, top-down policies or compliance rules that kill momentum and stifle potential.
Process bottlenecks that create friction, slow delivery, and erode trust inside and outside of the organization.

Why Do Constraints Matter?

Constraints naturally require trade-offs. They determine where you spend your time, money, and focused attention - and by extension, what does and doesn’t get done.

They have the ability to expose weak points in systems, processes, and even leadership.
When constraints are not actively managed, they can create unintended downstream problems.
People get frustrated and eventually burn out when progress stalls and they have to compete for scarce resources.
They can either create alignment between teams or drive wedges between them.
Unaddressed constraints can seep into a system and become structural bottlenecks that organizations accept without questioning.

Where Do Constraints Come From?

Constraints can be intentional, designed into a system on purpose, or they can creep in over time without anyone noticing. They may be imposed by outside forces or created from within - sometimes by accident, sometimes by design.

Market shifts, supply chain disruptions, and competitive pressure that force sudden changes in priorities and resource allocations.
Organizational silos and decision bottlenecks that limit the flow of information and resources.
Accumulated technical debt that eventually piles high enough to stall progress and make systems fragile.
Outdated, poorly integrated systems and applications that create operational choke points.
The limits of human focus and attention in an always-on world flooded with Big Tech hype and digital distractions.

What Happens If Constraints Are Not Addressed?

Un-constrained systems eventually slide into chaos, under-constrained systems drift without focus, and over-constrained systems grow brittle and lose their ability to adapt. When constraints aren’t actively managed, the imbalance ripples outward through every part of the system.

Decision making slows down and becomes a bottleneck, causing requests to pile up, stalling initiatives and eroding momentum.
Resource competition and hoarding starts to spread across the organization, choking off what’s most needed where it can be effectively applied.
Employees, customers, and stakeholders lose faith in core processes when resources are not available at critical moments.
Systems harden around constraints, making them harder and more expensive to address over time.
Opportunities are missed and emerging risks escalate into disruptive problems, shifting focus from disciplined growth to reactive firefighting.

What Does It Look Like on the Other Side of Constraints?

When constraints are visible, understood, and actively managed, they stop being roadblocks and start acting as levers you can pull to influence the performance of a system. Taking a disciplined approach to constraints turns them into a natural part of how the system operates and adapts over time.

You learn to spot constraints before they have a chance to cause real damage or trigger unintended consequences.
You know to maximize existing capacity before adding new resources to a bottlenecked process.
You align other processes to support and reduce the impact of the constraint instead of working against them.
You find ways to increase the capacity of constraints in a controlled and disciplined way, implementing structure to enable flow where it’s needed most.
You have the capability and discipline to maintain systems so that the fixes implemented today don’t become new bottlenecks tomorrow.