Constraints
Template Library
Constraints Template
Record limits, obligations, prohibitions, and non-negotiable conditions that shape requirements and later engineering decisions.
ES-102
Constraints
Engineering Boundaries
Template purpose
Use this template to record constraints that shape the project.
A constraint is a limit or obligation the team must respect. Constraints may come from policy, law, technology, data, operations, security, governance, ethics, institutional context, course requirements, or organizational commitments.
Project
<Project name>
Document control
| Field |
Value |
| Artifact owner |
<owner> |
| Primary reviewers |
<reviewers> |
| Status |
<draft / in review / accepted / revised> |
| Last updated |
<YYYY-MM-DD> |
| Related Engineering Stage |
ES-102 — Requirements and Constraints |
| Project workspace target |
docs/project-workspace/requirements/constraints.md |
Constraint register
| ID |
Constraint |
Type |
Source |
Impact |
Verification / Evidence |
Status |
| C-001 |
<constraint> |
<technical / policy / data / operational / legal / educational / governance / AI / security / privacy> |
<source> |
<impact> |
<evidence> |
<draft / reviewed / accepted> |
Technical constraints
| ID |
Constraint |
Impact |
Related Requirements |
| TC-001 |
<constraint> |
<impact> |
<FR/NFR IDs> |
Data constraints
| ID |
Constraint |
Data Affected |
Impact |
| DC-001 |
<constraint> |
<data category> |
<impact> |
Policy, legal, or compliance constraints
| ID |
Constraint |
Source |
Evidence Required |
| PLC-001 |
<constraint> |
<policy, statute, regulation, standard, institutional rule> |
<review, approval, audit, documentation> |
Operational constraints
| ID |
Constraint |
Impact |
Evidence Required |
| OC-001 |
<constraint> |
<support, monitoring, deployment, availability, staffing, environment> |
<runbook, readiness review, support model, monitoring plan> |
AI and governance constraints
| ID |
Constraint |
Human Accountability Requirement |
Evidence Required |
| AIC-001 |
<constraint> |
<review, approval, override, escalation, prohibition> |
<AI use log, governance review, evaluation, monitoring> |
Explicit prohibitions
| ID |
Prohibition |
Rationale |
Enforcement Evidence |
| P-001 |
<prohibition> |
<why prohibited> |
<test, guardrail, review, monitoring, policy> |
Constraint conflicts
| Conflict ID |
Conflicting Constraints or Requirements |
Impact |
Resolution Needed |
| CC-001 |
<C-ID / FR-ID / NFR-ID> |
<impact> |
<owner, decision, date> |
Open constraint questions
| ID |
Question |
Owner |
Needed By |
| CQ-001 |
<question> |
<owner> |
<date or stage> |
Review checklist
- [ ] Constraints are distinguished from requirements.
- [ ] Constraint sources are identified.
- [ ] Explicit prohibitions are recorded.
- [ ] AI and governance constraints are included where relevant.
- [ ] Data, policy, legal, and operational constraints are considered.
- [ ] Conflicts are identified.
- [ ] Constraints include downstream evidence expectations.
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Describe stakeholder goals, flows, alternate paths, failures, and evidence produced.
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