Constraint Handling
Master constraint handling to build safe, compliant agents that operate within defined limits
Your Progress
0 / 5 completedManaging Trade-offs
Real-world constraints often conflict with each other. You can't maximize quality, minimize cost, AND maximize speed simultaneously. This is the constraint satisfaction problem—finding the best balance given competing priorities.
Effective agents need strategies to navigate these trade-offs, prioritize constraints, and make intelligent compromises that align with user goals.
The Iron Triangle
The classic project management constraint: Cost, Speed, Quality—pick two. You can't optimize all three.
Cost
Budget constraints, resource limits, operational expenses
Speed
Time to completion, response latency, throughput
Quality
Accuracy, reliability, completeness, polish
Interactive: Trade-off Simulator
Allocate resources across three dimensions. Total budget: 15 points maximum.
Optimal: Using full budget allocation
Premium service: Maximum performance within limits
Trade-off Resolution Strategies
Priority Weighting
Assign numeric weights to constraints. Optimize for highest-priority constraints first.
priority: {safety: 10, cost: 7, speed: 3}Pareto Optimization
Find solutions where improving one constraint doesn't worsen another. Pareto frontier.
Human-in-the-Loop
When trade-offs are unclear, ask humans to choose. Present options and let users decide priorities.
Iterative Relaxation
Start with all constraints. If no solution, relax soft constraints one at a time until feasible.
Real-World Example
Task: Generate marketing copy for product launch