Which statement correctly distinguishes a client objective from a constraint?

• A. Objective is what the client wants to achieve; constraint is a limitation that shapes the plan
• B. Objective is a limitation; constraint is what the client wants to achieve
• C. Constraint is what the client wants to achieve; objective is a restriction
• D. Objective is the plan's risk; constraint is the plan's cost

Answer: (A)

Understanding the distinction between what the client wants to achieve and what limits how you can achieve it is key. The objective is the outcome the client wants to reach—the target direction for the project. A constraint is a limitation that shapes the plan by restricting options or imposing requirements, such as budget, schedule, available resources, or regulatory rules. This separation matters because the objective provides the goal, while constraints define the boundaries and influence the choices you make to reach that goal. So the statement that best captures this is: the objective is what the client wants to achieve, and the constraint is a limitation that shapes the plan. Other phrasings mix up the roles or reduce a constraint to only cost, which doesn’t fully describe how limits guide feasible solutions.