What we’d like to do vs what’s possible

We might know what we’d like to do, but unfortunately the real world gets in the way. We always have to work within constraints.

Constraints are things that we simply must do or not do. We have no control over them and have to work within them. The very fact that a document has to be fit for its purpose means some material must be there, and some must be omitted

Always factor constraints in right from the start. For example, if you are limited to 3,000 words and 3 images, it’s a waste of effort, money and time to prepare more material.

Constraints might include:

• length (minimum and maximum)
• medium of presentation (paper versus screen, desktop versus mobile, full report versus PowerPoint presentation, and so on)
• vocabulary and reading level required
• file format – for example, the publisher may specify Microsoft Word documents, or it may be a webpage, which allows greater interactivity
• time – when is your deadline? Do you have time to do everything you’d like to?
• mandated styles and formats (there are rules about what a report, thesis, guideline or case study should look like, for example, and they vary from place to place)
• the type of audience and the required tone – will they find your hilarious joke about the rubber pineapple quite as amusing as you do? And even if they do, is it the kind of document where amusement is appropriate?
• legal issues – do you have to consider libel, defamation, privacy or intellectual property issues (to name just 4)?
• the need for accessibility – some forms of media or interactivity may not be accessible.

Is it, though?

Dealing with constraints takes work, creativity, planning and support. How well we cope with constraints often determines just how good the final product is.

If the author has a limited understanding of the language of the text, that is a constraint, but one that can be overcome if they have enough time or money. If they have time, they can work on their grasp of the language, perhaps by getting some training or finding someone to mentor them (eg their supervisor if they are a postgraduate student). If they have money, they can hire an editor. So, is the grasp of the language a constraint? It is if you lack time and money. So, again, we see the importance of planning! (Note that universities have rules around how much input an editor can have into a thesis, so the student must work on their grasp of the language and cannot rely on an editor.)