WORK PACKAGE DETAILED PLANNING

Work package:                                                            Revision: XX

Work package ID: X.X                                         Date: DD/MM/YY

Work package owner: Joe Smith

Description

Deliverables

Key risks

Quality goals

Delegated boundaries

Sign-off

The form shows the areas that you must consider when designing each work package: cost, quality, resource and scope. Although the form is self-explanatory, there are two sections that are worth special attention: delegated boundaries and sign-off.

Boundaries

Work package managers can be delegated significant authority. Ensuring that the delegated authority and its associated boundaries are clearly agreed between you and the work package manager is very important. Sadly, this clear agreement is not always achieved. Instead understanding is confined to being a by-product of the discussions covering the scope and content of the work package. Agreement is never achieved in this manner and relationships become strained when this method is adopted. It is essential that you discuss this section properly with the work package manager. Authority to act when properly delegated can be one of the most powerful ways of motivating staff, and motivated staff make the project more likely to succeed.

Completing this section is not simply achieved by setting the boundaries and then adding suitable text to the boundaries section of the form. Instead it is essential that you use the box as a mechanism for discussion with the work package manager about suitable boundaries. The discussion should be initiated and driven by you. You should continue to drive the discussion until an acceptable agreement has been reached. You should ensure that the discussion covers:

• resource and its deployment;

• interfaces and their associated responsibilities;

• capital and funds expenditure;

• use of contingency and reserve;

• change control and its management;

• reporting and levels of control.

To achieve a successful result it is helpful if prior to the meeting you assess each of these areas. This should result in you producing a list of points for each area of discussion. At the meeting you should allow the work package manager to lead the discussion. You should only take the lead if a point you have on your list is missed out. This way of working ensures that the work package manager feels in control of the discussion and feels that you are listening. It helps the work package manager to feel that his or her ideas are at the heart of the work package.