A Constraint is an external factor that prevents an organization from pursuing particular approaches to meet its goals.
An example of a Constraint might be that a Data Entity contains Customer Private Information and must be secured. Or that customer data cannot be shared across different divisions of an organization, constraining the ability to offer holistic customer service.
You can categorize a Constraint into one of several types:
•Organizational.
•Financial.
•External.
•Business.
•Technical.
•View imposed.
You can specify Constraints in the following definition types:
•Technical Architecture.
•Request for Architecture Work.
•Most TOGAF definitions, within the Governance tab.