Project Toolkit

Work Package

Work Package

Formal delegation of work from a Project Manager to a Team Manager, defining what needs to be delivered, how, and within what constraints.

Work Package

A Work Package is the formal mechanism for delegating work from a Project Manager to a Team Manager or team member, defining what products need to be delivered, within what constraints, and to what quality standards.

Purpose

The Work Package:

  • Formally delegates authority to deliver
  • Defines scope of work clearly
  • Sets constraints and tolerances
  • Specifies quality expectations
  • Establishes reporting requirements
  • Enables parallel workstreams

Work Package Contents

Essential Elements

Element Description
Work Package ID Unique identifier
Description What work is being delegated
Products Products to be delivered
Constraints Time, cost, scope boundaries
Tolerances Permitted variance
Interfaces Dependencies and handoffs
Reporting When and what to report
Approval How products will be accepted

Work Package Structure

flowchart TD A[Work Package] --> B[Products] A --> C[Constraints] A --> D[Interfaces] A --> E[Controls] B --> F[Product Descriptions] B --> G[Quality Criteria] C --> H[Time] C --> I[Cost] C --> J[Scope] D --> K[Dependencies] D --> L[Handoffs] E --> M[Reporting] E --> N[Tolerances] classDef blue fill:#108BB9,stroke:none,color:#fff class A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N blue

Work Package Template

Header Information

Field Content
Work Package ID WP-001
Work Package Name User Interface Development
Project Customer Portal Enhancement
Stage Stage 2 - Development
Team Manager Jane Smith
Date Issued 15 Jan 2026
Target Completion 28 Feb 2026

Products to Deliver

Product ID Product Name Product Description
P-101 Login Screen See PD-101
P-102 Dashboard See PD-102
P-103 User Profile Page See PD-103
P-104 Unit Test Suite See PD-104

Constraints

Constraint Type Constraint
Time Must complete by 28 Feb 2026
Cost Budget of £25,000
Scope Products listed above only
Resources Team of 3 developers
Technical Must use React framework
Dependencies API endpoints available by 20 Jan

Tolerances

Dimension Tolerance
Time +5 days / -0 days
Cost +£2,500 / -£2,500 (10%)
Scope No change without approval
Quality All acceptance criteria must be met

Interfaces and Dependencies

Inputs Required

Input Source Required By
API specifications Technical Architect 15 Jan
UI design mockups Design Team 15 Jan
Test data QA Team 20 Jan
Access credentials IT Operations 15 Jan

Outputs/Handoffs

Output Recipient Due Date
Completed code QA Team 25 Feb
Technical documentation Operations 28 Feb
Deployment package Release Team 28 Feb

Dependencies

Dependency Type Impact if Delayed
API endpoints Predecessor Cannot start integration
Design approval Predecessor Cannot finalise UI
Test environment Resource Cannot test
Security review Successor Delays release

Reporting Requirements

Progress Reporting

Report Type Frequency Content
Checkpoint report Weekly Progress, issues, forecast
Issue escalation As needed Issues outside tolerance
Product handover On completion Quality check results

Checkpoint Report Content

Section Content
Period Reporting dates
Progress Products completed, in progress
Quality Results of quality activities
Issues Problems encountered
Forecast Expected completion
Escalations Items for PM attention

Quality Requirements

Quality Expectations

Aspect Requirement
Standards Must comply with coding standards v2.1
Testing Unit test coverage >80%
Review Code review by senior developer
Documentation Inline comments, README files
Acceptance Product Owner sign-off

Quality Methods

Method When Applied
Code review Before merge to main branch
Unit testing During development
Integration testing After API integration
User acceptance Before handover

Approval Process

Work Package Approval

flowchart LR A[PM Creates
Work Package] --> B[Team Manager
Review] B --> C{Accepted?} C -->|Yes| D[Work
Begins] C -->|No| E[Negotiate/
Adjust] E --> A classDef blue fill:#108BB9,stroke:none,color:#fff class A,B,C,D,E blue

Product Approval

Step Responsibility
Product complete Team Manager confirms
Quality check As per quality method
Handover To recipient/PM
Acceptance PM signs off

Work Package Authorisation

Agreement Checklist

Before accepting a Work Package, the Team Manager should confirm:

Check Verified
Products clearly defined? ☐
Quality criteria understood? ☐
Constraints realistic? ☐
Tolerances appropriate? ☐
Dependencies identified? ☐
Resources available? ☐
Risks acceptable? ☐
Reporting clear? ☐

Formal Agreement

Field PM Team Manager
Name    
Signature    
Date    

Managing Work Packages

Work Package Register

WP ID Name Team Manager Start Due Status RAG
WP-001 UI Development J Smith 15 Jan 28 Feb In Progress Green
WP-002 API Integration M Jones 20 Jan 15 Feb In Progress Amber
WP-003 Data Migration P Brown 01 Feb 28 Feb Not Started Green
WP-004 Testing S Wilson 15 Feb 15 Mar Not Started Green

Status Tracking

Status Meaning
Not Started Work Package issued but not commenced
In Progress Work actively being performed
On Hold Paused due to dependency/issue
Complete All products delivered and accepted
Cancelled Work Package withdrawn

Work Package Closure

Closure Activities

Activity Description
Product handover All products delivered
Quality confirmation Quality records complete
Lessons captured Lessons learned documented
Resources released Team reassigned
PM acceptance Formal sign-off

Closure Confirmation

Element Confirmed
All products delivered? ☐
Quality criteria met? ☐
Documentation complete? ☐
Handovers completed? ☐
Issues closed/transferred? ☐
Lessons captured? ☐

Common Issues

Issue Prevention
Unclear scope Detailed product descriptions
Missing dependencies Thorough interface analysis
Unrealistic constraints Team Manager input before issue
Poor quality Clear quality criteria
Late escalation Regular checkpoints
Scope creep Firm change control

Work Package Checklist

Before Issuing

  • Products clearly defined?
  • Product Descriptions attached?
  • Constraints realistic?
  • Tolerances set?
  • Dependencies identified?
  • Quality requirements clear?
  • Reporting requirements specified?
  • Team Manager consulted?

During Delivery

  • Checkpoint reports received?
  • Issues escalated timely?
  • Dependencies tracked?
  • Quality activities happening?

At Closure

  • All products received?
  • Quality confirmed?
  • Handovers complete?
  • Lessons captured?
  • Register updated?
Last updated: 13 January 2026
Themes

Planning

Control