In a method of determining the existence of one or more conflicts in the placement or configuration of circuit objects defining a circuit, a number of constraints is defined, each of which imposes at least one limitation on at least one circuit object. A number of constraint families is then defined, each of which includes a subset of interrelated constraints. For each of a subset of the constraint families, a determination is made if a conflict exists between the constraints thereof. If not, pairs of constraint families are defined from the plurality constraint families. For each of a subset of the pairs of constraint families, a determination is made if a conflict exists between the constraints thereof. If not, the circuit objects defining the circuit are laid out subject to the constraints.