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PRINCE2 Authorise and Accept a Work Package 

 January 11, 2025

By  Dave Litten

Authorize a work package

The degree of autonomy people require to deliver project work needs to be balanced with the need to coordinate timing of when work starts and by when work should be completed.

Project work should only commence and continue with the consent of the project manager. Otherwise, the working environment would be chaotic if people started performing activities whenever they chose.

The vehicle for ensuring the coordinated timing of project work is the authorization, execution, and delivery of a work package.

A work package should cover the work to create one or more products.

If a product requires more than one work package to create it, then it should be broken down into further sub-products with their supporting product descriptions.

Authorize a work package triggers

The triggers for the project manager to authorize a work package include the following actions:

  • stage authorization: the project board gives authority to execute a stage plan.
  • exception plan approved: the project board gives authority to execute an exception plan.
  • new work package required: an output is derived from evaluate stage status
  • corrective action: it is taken in response to an issue or risk.

This activity is used to authorize new work packages or to authorize amendments to existing ones.

Recommended actions for the project manager:

  • examine the project initiation documentation and the stage plan to determine the work packages required.
  • define each work package to be authorized (or amended).
  • build a working relationship with the team manager
  • co-create and review the work package description with the team manager, confirm they have accepted it, and authorize the team manager to begin work

For projects using an iterative-incremental delivery method, the co-creation of the work package description may be a joint exercise with the team manager, development team, and product owner

  • review the team manager’s team plan (if the commercial environment means it is inappropriate for the project manager to see its contents, use the milestone extract from it) and update the stage plan to reflect the timing of the work packages authorized.
  • update the project log to reflect the content of the work packages authorized.
  • update the project log for planned quality management activities.
  • consult with project assurance that the identified and selected quality reviewers are acceptable.
  • if necessary, update the project log in accordance with the management approaches.

Accept a work package

prince2 7 work package

There should be an agreement between the project manager and the team manager as to what is to be delivered before a work package is allocated to a team.

This should cover the reporting requirements, the constraints that apply, any procedures to be applied, and whether the requirements of the work package are reasonable and can be achieved.

Recommended actions for each team manager:

  • review the work package description to understand what is to be delivered and when.
  • produce a team plan to show which products can be completed within the given constraints. For example, within the timebox when using an agile approach.
  • check the work package description for the procedure to update the project log.
  • consult with project assurance as to whether any extra reviewers are required for each product, and ensure the project log is updated accordingly.
  • consult with project assurance (supplier) to confirm that the team plan is viable and in accordance with the relevant supplier standards.
  • seek necessary approval for the team plan (note that in a commercial customer-supplier relationship, it may be inappropriate for the project manager to review and approve the team plan, and in this context, the senior supplier may review and approve the team plans).
  • undertake a review of the risks against the team plan, and advise the project manager of any additional or modified risks, and if the work package description allows the team manager to directly log the risks, the team manager should update the project log.
  • agree to deliver the work package.

The Work package description

The purpose of a work package description is to describe how one or more products will be produced and delivered. It is used to pass responsibility for work formally to a team manager or team member.

PRINCE2 7 Work Package Description

Description of work to be done: a statement of work and associated work breakdown structure

Team manager or person authorized: the name of the team manager or individual responsible for the work package

Product descriptions: the product descriptions associated with the work package

PRINCE2 7 Work Package Description

Techniques and procedures: requirements for how the work is to be done

Change control requirements: arrangements for control of the project and product baselines that fall within scope of the work package

Constraints: restrictions or limits on the work, such as authorized work hours, safety, and security measures

Monitoring, control, and reporting: description of how the work package will be monitored, controlled, and reported

Targets and tolerances: the permissible deviations for scope, cost, and time for the work package

References: applicable references from higher-level plans

Approval: who will approve the completed products

Agreement: a record of the initial authorization and final completion of the work package between the project manager and the team manager.

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Dave Litten


Dave spent 25+ years as a senior project manager for UK and USA multinationals and has deep experience in project management. He now develops a wide range of Project Management Masterclasses, under the Projex Academy brand name. In addition, David runs project management training seminars across the world, and is a prolific writer on the many topics of project management.

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