Constraints are the non-negotiable decisions that you must follow while delivering the project. Those can be design decisions, technological ones, or even political (regarding people or organizational matters). Two other common constraints are time and budget. Examples of constraints could be as follows:
- The team will never grow beyond four developers, one QA engineer, and one sysadmin.
- Since our company leverages Oracle DB in all its current products, the new product must use it too so we can make the most of our expertise.
nonfunctional requirements are always going to influence your architecture. It's essential not to over-specify them, as having false positives will be a constant burden during product development. It's equally important to not under-specify them as this can later come out in missed sales opportunities or failing to comply with regulatory bodies' requirements.
In the next section, you will learn how to strike a balance between those...