What is a work package and what does it include?
A work package is one of the most practical tools in project management. By breaking large, complex projects into smaller, structured components, it becomes far easier to plan, track and deliver work. The following section covers the definition, contents, and benefits of work packages for project delivery.
What is a work package?
At its core, a work package is a planning tool that focuses on a single element within a larger project. This element comprises a single task or a set of related actions. The work package is the smallest part of a work breakdown structure (WBS), a project-management method that tackles large-scale projects by dividing them into smaller, manageable components.
A work package effectively functions as a mini-project or sub-project within the wider programme. By doing this, it makes the overall project more organised and less overwhelming for the employees involved.
Example of a work package
Consider a restaurant redoing its entire menu. Each work package would focus on a specific deliverable aligned to a clearly defined objective. Deliverables could include:
- Developing new recipes
- Testing dishes with employees, teams and experts
- Determining food costs and setting prices
- Designing the menu layout
- Printing physical menus
- Updating the restaurant’s website
Example: The design deliverable
A work package for the design deliverable might include tasks such as:
- Collating design inspiration and creating a mood board
- Researching and commissioning a graphic designer
- Meeting with the designer to discuss the vision and requirements
Each work package should be assigned to a team leader or work package owner, who is responsible for ensuring completion.
The four key elements of a project
Consider these four key elements when defining the tasks within a work package. Clear oversight ensures each work package task meets quality standards and stays on schedule.
Project management software helps assign tasks and track progress, streamlining communication and oversight throughout the project.
1. Budget
Not all work packages will contain actions that cost money, but many will. In the example we gave, the action of commissioning a graphic designer will require knowledge of the overall budget and the portion that’s been set aside for the design deliverable.
If your preferred designer charges more than the deliverable’s budget, you’ll need to explore alternatives. You can try negotiating the price, increasing the overall project budget or working with other teams to identify potential savings.
2. Deadlines
Projects generally have an overall deadline as well as earlier deadlines for various deliverables. It is important to set a deadline for each work package to ensure the timely completion of project objectives and keep the project on schedule. Actions within the work package have the same deadline as the deliverable the package sits under.
Deadlines are often set in terms of weeks, making planning and tracking more manageable. Having these sub-deadlines helps managers measure the project’s progress and keep track of performance and productivity.
3. Risks
Identifying risks and creating mitigation plans is an essential part of project management. This process includes every work package in your WBS. Risk mitigation requires close monitoring of your progress so that any issues can be swiftly addressed.
4. Task priority
You must determine the priority level of each work package within the overall project hierarchy. Understanding hierarchy allows you to pause low-priority packages and redirect resources to critical issues when needed. Also make sure that the teams involved do not work in silos.
What are the advantages of using this management tool?
Using work packages to break down your deliverables offers numerous benefits and helps reduce the effort required to organise and track work. Here’s how they can support your project:
Concurrent work increases efficiency
Work packages allow different team members to work on separate tasks simultaneously, helping you complete deliverables more quickly.
Easier to sequence tasks and actions
Because work packages list every small step in a project, it’s easier for employees to determine the correct order of tasks. This is especially useful when certain actions depend on external factors such as timing, weather or specific people being available.
Helps manage budget and costs
Work packages make every task visible. It also gives transparency on the cost of the task. This reduces the risk of overlooking expenses and helps you allocate the correct portion of the budget to each deliverable. They also help clarify project scope and ensure all costs are captured.
Helps with setting deadlines
Breaking work into smaller tasks allows for more accurate time estimates. Breaking deliverables into work packages helps project managers create more accurate schedules and deadlines.
Easier to measure progress
When you can clearly identify each individual task in a project, tracking progress becomes more straightforward. It also keeps teams motivated by giving them a steady stream of completed actions and milestones to celebrate.
Responsibilities are clearly defined
Work packages help team members understand their roles and how their tasks contribute to the overall project. This clarity improves accountability and ensures responsibilities are well managed.
Keeps everyone in the loop
Work packages give clients, senior managers and other decision-makers a clear picture of progress. They help ensure that all deliverables and responsibilities are identified, communicated and easy to track.
Steps to creating a work package
There are five main steps that lead to drawing up the work packages within your project. Let’s break them down.
1. Identify the project’s objectives
Before you can create work packages, it’s vital to have clearly identified project objectives and define the goals and scope of the project. This will provide you with direction and make it easy to structure deliverables, sub-tasks and eventually, the work packages.
2. Outline the deliverables/major tasks
A WBS uses a top-down approach, breaking high-level goals into smaller, more detailed tasks. Once objectives are set, outline the major project deliverables so they can be broken down into smaller, actionable tasks.
3. Define the sub-tasks of each deliverable
This is the final stage before you can draw up your work packages. Each sub-task will have its own work package created for it. Smaller projects may not require sub-tasks. In this case, you will create work packages directly for each deliverable.
4. Create the work packages for each sub-task
Now you can define the tasks and actions for your sub-tasks. Remember to keep the four components of budget, deadlines, risk and task priority in mind while you do this. You can use your own methods to draw up your packages or you can use a work package template.
Once you’ve set the tasks of the work package, it is important to assign work to the right person to ensure accountability and successful delivery. Each work package is assigned to a specific team leader, who is responsible for overseeing the completion of the work package.
5. Establish the different activities within the work package
Even the tasks within a work package can be broken down into smaller activities. In our restaurant menu example, consider the task of researching and commissioning a graphic designer. This could involve several steps with for example searching online and reading reviews, checking which designers the restaurant has used before.
Tips and best practices for work packages
The following section includes some tips to help you use work packages to your best advantage.
- Remember to add up the time and cost estimates within all your work packages when determining your overall budget and deadlines.
- Make sure work packages can be completed within a short time frame. This set of tasks or actions might take around a week and a half. If a package exceeds this timeframe, the sub-tasks are likely too broad and require further breakdown.
- Try not to assign more than one person to each work package. Each work package should have a designated work package owner who is responsible for overseeing and managing that specific package. If a package requires expertise outside the owner’s remit, consider breaking the deliverable into smaller sub-tasks.
- Ensure each work package has a defined outcome and achieves at least one objective. When breaking down deliverables, remember that work packages can often be treated as sub-projects within the larger project, contributing to the overall project objective.
- When defining your WBS and work packages, don’t hesitate to bring other team members on board. Cross-functional teams make employees feel valued and included. It also has a positive impact on employee engagement and motivation in the project and can help ensure you aren’t overlooking any important aspects.
Using a work breakdown structure (WBS) for your project planning is a good way to form a detailed outline of your project and stay on track. Work packages are the foundation of what makes up the WBS.
The overall view of your project rests on this foundation, so having a strong understanding of work packages and how to use them helps give your project a good chance of success. Work breakdown structures have become a fundamental project management tool for organising tasks, defining work packages and ensuring clear project phases.
