Iron Triangle Project

                               The Iron Triangle

Once you have your milestones and risks assessed, the next step is to begin to chart the project timeline. The first step in planning your timeline is to review the Iron Triangle of time, cost, and scope:

The principle of the Iron Triangle in project management states that for any change on one side, one side (or both) must change as well. For example, if we have a limited amount of time to accomplish a task (fixed date), then we either add more cost or reduce scope. If we need to reduce the cost, we must add time or reduce scope. If we need to keep the scope of work intact, we may need to increase time, cost, or both. Seems simple on paper, but it is hard to manage when reality settles in.

So, what is it that your project requires most: time, money, or a specific feature set/scope? That is the driving factor for your project, and a compromise of the other two factors will be required (more time, more money, or reducing features). When planning your project, be sure to understand what the tradeoffs are, and what the priorities are at each milestone. This helps manage expectations with your stakeholders and volunteers as you begin to set your timeline, and also helps manage risk when things happen that you least expect.

Iron Triangle Project



An "Iron Triangle" consists of:

Congressional Committees (and their staffs) which create the laws

Executive Agencies and Cabinet departments responsible for regulating and enforcing government policies

Special Interest Groups which are trying to influence the politicians and agencies responsible for regulating them

It is the interraction of these three components of the Iron Triangle which leads to the creation of federal laws and policies.



Your task is to choose a specific issue from the accompanying list and answer the following questions.

I. Topic Discussion

    1. What is the topic or issue?

    2. Why is this issue important to the nation? to the government?

    3. Explain the historical and current significance of the issue.

II. The Executive Branch - Keep in mind that the Executive Branch consists not only of the President but all of the Executive (Cabinet) Departments and Agencies. see: Executive (Cabinet) agencies, complete list and links Also see the text for a list of Executive Agencies and their responsibilities.

    1. Which Department or Agency has responsibility for your issue? (if there is more than one agency concerned with your issue explain how do they divide responsibility)

    2. What is the agency's annual budget?

    3. How does the agency enforce the laws or regulations regarding your issue ?

    4. (optional) What, if any new legislation is being proposed with regarding your issue ?

    

III. Congress - The legislative branch is responsible for making laws, conducting oversight of government agencies, approving spending (budget appropriations), helping their constituents and conducting investigations. Be sure to search both the House of Representatives web site and the Senate web site for information.

    1.What specific actions (laws) have been passed by Congress (since the Reagan administration) regarding your topic ?

    2. Which committees in Congress have jurisdiction over, or interest in, this topic ?

    3. Who chairs the committee(s) ?

IV. Interest Groups - Interest groups fund political campaigns, lobby for legislation, help committees write legislation, help agencies write rules and regulations and have a significant influence on what is done within the three "official" branches of the government.

    1. What specific interest groups are involved with your issue (on either side) ?

    2. What are their goals ?

    3. How are they financed?

    4. What types of lobbying techniques do they employ ?

V. Media Coverage -

    1. Find a specific article relating to your topic

    2. Identify any bias in the coverage ?

VI. The Courts -

    1. What specific court rulings (cases) pertain to your issue ?

    2. Are there any current cases (or lawsuits) pending before the courts ?

    

    

    Issues and Topics

    

    the war on "terror" (international or domestic) - ex. protection of American lives versus individual freedom, racial "terrorist" profiling

    dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

    how the Catholic Church deals with priests who commit sexual offenses

    compensation to African-Americans for slavery

    affirmative action (ex. college admission)

    racial profiling by the police

    immigration issues (ethnic profiling, who can get in, who can't, favoritism to Cubans, border control, amnesty for illegal immigrants, etc.)

    abortion (pro-choice, pro-life, anti-abortionists publishing the names and addresses of doctors who perform abortions on the internet to encourage or incite others to kill them , etc.)

    gun control

    protecting internet privacy (selling personal information, etc.)

    dealing with internet crimes (hacking, creating viruses, etc.)

    software piracy

    tax cuts

    education standards testing and funding (ex. vouchers, scholarships)

    health care issues (people who have no health insurance, the elderly, the high cost of drugs, etc.)

    Gulf War Syndrome

    the trade embargo of Cuba

    relations with China and Taiwan

    diplomatic relations with North Korea

    economic sanctions against Iraq

    racism and hate crimes

    sexual harrassment

    discrimination against people with disabilities

    child labor/sweat shops

    genetic engineering (food, humans, animals)

    cloning (animals, humans)

    stem cell research

    military/defence spending

    euthanasia

    peacekeeping operations by US forces (ex. Afghanistan)

    violence in video/movies/records/entertainment as a causative factor

    youth violence and juvenile crime

    the war on drugs, drug related crime, needle exchange programs, etc.

    legalization of marijuana (or permitting the medical use of)

    welfare, welfare reform, welfare fraud

    campaign finance reform

    lowering the drinking age to 18

    organized crime

    preserving the environment

    funding Social Security

    energy policy (developing new sources, dealing with California's energy crisis)

    nuclear arms reduction

    foreign aid (military and economic, who receives it and why? Is it effective?)

    federal funding for the arts

    federal funding for faith-based (religious) charitable organizations

    animal rights and welfare (furs, products made from endangered species, etc.)

    capital punishment (pro and con)

    homelessness and poverty (how best to deal with)

    dealing with sexually transmitted diseases (AIDS research, sex education in schools, etc.)