The size and complexity of multi scale problems such as those arising in chemical kinetics mechanisms has stimulated the search for methods that reduce the number of species and chemical reactions but retain a desired degree of accuracy. The time scale characterization of the multi scale problem can be carried out on the basis of local information such as the Jacobian matrix of the model problem and its related eigen-system evaluated at one point P of the system trajectory.While the original problem is usually described by ordinary differential equations (ODEs), the reduced order model is described by a reduced number of ODEs and a number of algebraic equations (AEs), that might express one or more physical conservation laws (mass, momentum, energy), or the fact that the long term dynamics evolves within a so-called Slow Invariant Manifold (SIM).To fully exploit the benefits offered by a reduced order model, it is required that the time scale characterization of the n-dimensional reduced order model returns an answer consistent and coherent with the time scale characterization of the N -dimensional original model.This manuscript discusses a procedure for obtaining the time scale characterization of the reduced order model in a manner that is consistent with that of the original problem. While a standard time scale characterization of the (original) N -dimensional original model can be carried out by evaluating the eigen-system of the (N × N ) Jacobian matrix of the vector field that defines the system dynamics, the time scale characterization of the n-dimensional reduced order model (with n < N ) can be carried out by evaluating the eigen-system of a (n × n) constrained Jacobian matrix, JC , of the reduced vector field that accounts for the role of the constraints.