I can’t say how many times I have heard software practitioners talk about the Triple Constraints of Scope, Time/Schedule, and Cost as a triangle and suggest mental games of adjusting one and fixing the other two. Often you see Quality as a fourth constraint that is dependent on the other three, which is very true.

In my traditional project experience, stakeholders try to fix all three constraints—dictatorially fix them. This inevitably leaves quality as the only variable and, as teams flex on quality, the trade-off is hidden from the business until after the software is deployed.