Accepting a work package
As part of accepting a Work Package, the Team Manager needs to clarify:
- what is to be delivered
- what are the constraints within which the work is to be done
- agree on the tolerances if applied
- understand the reporting requirements and how the products are to be approved and handed over
- confirm how the project manager is to be informed when the work package has completed.
Optionally, the Team Manager may produce a Team Plan to confirm that the Work Package can be completed within the given constraints.
Depending on the commercial arrangements, the project manager may wish to review and improve the team plan. Still, if this is not appropriate, the team manager may merely pass on critical milestones for the project manager so that progress can be tracked.
Project assurance may wish to review the Team Plan and should be consulted on whether extra reviewers are required and ensure the Quality Register is updated as appropriate.
Any risks associated with the Work Package and Team Plan should be logged on the Risk Register.
Execute a work package
The work must be executed and monitored in accordance with the requirements defined in the
authorized work package.
The team manager can only proceed with the work package or take corrective action when the work
package is forecast to be completed within the tolerances set by the project manager.
As soon as work package tolerances are expected to be exceeded, the team manager should raise an issue with the project manager. They will then choose a course of action.
In addition, it is extremely important to ensure psychological safety within the team, and related issues and risks will have to be addressed immediately and adequately.
Recommended actions for each team manager:
- manage the development of the required products in accordance with the requirements defined in the work package description and any specific arrangements in the agreed team plan.
- notify the project manager of any new issues, risks, or lessons, and take any action required by the project manager.
- notify the project manager of the completed quality activities, and update the quality register.
- obtain approvals for any completed products, and update the product register.
General considerations
The activities in this process may be combined, separated, or run concurrently to suit the context.
However, care should be taken to ensure the integrity of the connection to the controlling a stage
process.
As specialist work is undertaken in this process, work will be completed using delivery methods and
techniques that are appropriate to the type of work.
It is therefore important that monitoring and control of specialist work uses controls and measures that are appropriate to the methods and techniques being used.
The project manager and team manager should agree with such controls, include them in the work package description, and ensure that they are compatible with the management approaches established for the project.
Work packages are not necessarily small in scale. All the PRINCE2 principles are as applicable to a
work package as to a project, requiring appropriate governance and control and often needing a
team manager who is skilled in project management.
For large work packages, a team manager may create a hierarchy of smaller work packages to
allocate to the team members. In this case, the process for managing product delivery should be
tailored to ensure the work in any lower-level work packages is controlled.
The relationship between the team manager and their team members during the process of
managing product delivery should be collaborative. The team manager is not delegating or assigning
tasks to team members but rather facilitating the process to improve ownership and enabling them
to deliver their contribution to the work package or team plan and ultimately the project and
business objectives
Work Package Tolerances.
These are optional for a work package, but the project manager may wish to set them. If they are placed, and a forecast deviation beyond tolerance is determined, then the team/team/manager raises it as an Issue.
- Constraints. This covers anything that is placed upon the delivery of the work package.
- Reporting requirements. This covers the frequency, content, and method of the transmission of regular Checkpoint Reports. However, other non-PRINCE2 reports may be needed.
- Problem handling and escalation. This covers how Work Package tolerance (if forecast to be exceeded) will be escalated. As described above, generally via the raising of a project issue.
- Extracts or references. An opportunity to reference other relevant documents, particularly for a section from the Stage Plan and, of course, ONE product description.
- Approval method. This covers two aspects: how each product will be approved once it has passed its quality check and how the project manager will approve the completed work package.
When the Work Package is executed, the team manager is responsible for ensuring the work is conducted following the Work Package.
The project manager should be notified of new issues, risks, or lessons. As each product is created, the Configuration Item Records should be updated to reflect the current status.
The project manager should receive regular Checkpoint Reports in the manner and frequency defined in the Work Package. If tolerance is applied to the work package, the team manager must raise it as an issue to bring to the project manager’s attention.
When the products in the Work Package have all been created, quality reviewed and approved, then notification of its completion must be returned to the project manager.
The team manager will first want to review the Quality Register to check that all products are complete and to review the approval records to show that each product has been approved. The Team Plan should be updated to show that the work is finished before notifying the project manager.
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