Final answer:
Success criteria are the standards used to judge a project after it's delivered, and are distinct from constraints which are limitations that a project must satisfy. During the design process, a structured decision process is used to select the design that best meets the success criteria while satisfying all constraints.
Step-by-step explanation:
Success Criteria in Project Management
Success criteria are essentially the standards by which a project is judged once it has been delivered to the customers. They serve as measurable values, such as weight or size, which are used to compare different designs and determine which one better solves the design problem. On the other hand, a constraint refers to a limitation or condition that the project design and process must satisfy. All constraints must be met for a design to proceed.
In project management, the success criteria might include factors such as project completion within budget, on schedule, and at the required level of quality. These criteria are distinct from constraints like available personnel, time, and money, which are limitations imposed on the project. Various project management methodologies, like the triple constraint, emphasize the importance of balancing scope, time, and cost to manage these restrictions effectively.
During the design process, once several concepts have been developed, the design team uses a structured decision process. They evaluate each design against the constraints and compare them using the success criteria. The design that best meets the criteria and satisfies all constraints is usually selected to move forward into detailed design and prototyping.