Wisen's notes

# Types of constraints

One of the best way to understand the types of Constraint is to elaborate them by examples, these are my examples of physical and mental/knowledge. The official definition is best defined in the references.

  • Governing/enabling Why is this considered a single type? I think the answer lies in the idea of applying rules to change movement and direction (look at the picture in the reference).

    • In a product team
      • Governing: an architectural principle or strategy is a governing constraint. We can say "Prefer throwing a domain specific errors than generic errors". This will let engineers choose domain specific errors first, but it doesn't necessarily mean generic errors are not allowed.
      • Enabling: Simple rules like "If a tool is below £50, just pay for it". Behaviour: It enables the team to make decisions faster.
    • In a playground
      • Governing: Age restriction.
      • Enabling: Having variety of equipment (slides, swings, etc), it suggests children can play with them but not how they must be used (shaping their behaviour).

  • Internal/external

    • In a product team, individual's belief is an internal constraint. The notion of the team itself is an external constraint, providing a boundary to who and how frequent you should talk to.
    • In a playground, an internal constraint could be the layout of the playground itself and what you can play be placed. An external constraint is the boundary of where the playground ends, so children know where they should (not) play.

  • Connecting/containing

    • In a product team, a chat software as a connecting constraint, it shapes the team's behaviour. An architectural principle like "Leverage AWS services first", could be seen as something containing.
    • In a playground, a sandbox as a containing constraint. It contains where the sands should stay. I've seen a playground with a high rope connecting from one section to another, a connecting constraint.

  • Rigid/flexible/permeable

    • In a product team, rules such as:
      • Rigid: "We must work in the office every day"
      • Flexible: "We must work in the office unless you're sick"
      • Permeable: "We must work in the office at least 2 days a week"
    • In a playground:
      • Rigid: "Strictly no dogs".
      • Flexible: "No aggressive dogs" - how do you define aggressiveness? It's flexible.
      • Permeable: "No dogs - unless no one else is inside"

  • Dark constraints

    • In a product team, the presence of someone, may affect the team's behaviour. Once I turned up as a coach in a team, they said, "Now that Wisen is here, let's write tests" (See: Observer effect may impact a complex system)
    • In a playground:
      • You'll notice that most grownups won't be playing. There's a hidden notion that they're not going to, or allowed to play.
      • The idea to "queue up" is never written anywhere, but grownups will put that constraints.

# References

Snowden, Managing Complexity (and Chaos) in Times of Crisis

Constraints | Cynefin Wiki (opens new window)

There are many ways to categorize and describe constraints...

Cynefin Basecamp Nov 2023

Steve Jobs is a dark constraint

Cynefin Basecamp Nov 2023

Constraint examples:

● Individual: attitudes, beliefs, values, habits, routine, personal traits (risk aversion), roles, (clashing) identities, ideas ● Group: norms, culture, traditions, (unexpressed) expectations, hierarchy ● Context: resources (money, time, people), circumstances, laws ● Physical: landscape, climate, laws of nature