Resources and Constraints 

When faced with complex problems there are three key considerations when looking for a solution:

1. What are the aims and objectives?

2. What are the resources available?

3. What are the constraints that need to be worked within?

(You can find a discussion about aims and objectives here.)

Resources are not just physical items. They include a whole range of thing: policies and procedures, mental carrying capacity at any given moment, other people in your group, external parties and much more.

And obviously constraints aren’t simply a lack of physical resources. They can also include policies and procedures, mental carrying capacity, other people (in your group or external to it), the weather, land manager requirements, applicable laws (like road rules), and lots of others.

In a dynamic outdoor environment resources and constraints are constantly changing and a resource can easily become a constraint.

A simple example:

How many quickdraws do I have for this pitch? They are a resource to do my job, but if I have less than are required, they are a constraint that needs to be worked with.

Importantly, the answer to “Where am I going to use this limited resource?” is nearly always “what are my aims and objectives?”.