A method and apparatus are provided for representing abstract network management policies and processing such policies to resolve conflicts. In one aspect, the invention provides a method of managing a network according to a plurality of network management policies, comprising the steps of storing each of the policies as a constraint that comprises one or more variables, a set of possible values, and a set of restrictions on the values that the variables can simultaneously take; storing one or more collective constraints, in which at least one of the constraints is that none of the variables may interfere with one another; applying a constraint satisfaction algorithm to the stored variables, values, restrictions, to create zero or more solutions and checking the solution set against the collective constraints; identifying a conflict in the policies when zero solutions are created and when one or more of the instance or collective constraints is violated; and resolving the conflict by modifying one or more of the variables, values or restrictions. Using a collective constraint representation, policy conflicts are rapidly identified and resolved. Resolution may be accomplished simply by adding a constraint that defines a change in a variable, value, or restriction or redefining the collective constraints.