Work Packages

Work packages are a subdivision of a control account work scope, schedule, and budget. This is the level where work is planned, progress is measured, and earned value is claimed and calculated. Working from the top down in a work breakdown structure (WBS), control accounts are broken down into work packages or future work effort planning packages with assigned resource requirements. Work packages and planning packages are equivalent to tasks or activities in a network schedule with a defined start date, end date, and duration. Resources assigned to a work package are equivalent to resource loaded activities in a network schedule. The work package start and end dates determine the time frame for the value details.

As an option during the proposal phase of a project, you can use the bi-directional integration in BOEMax to share activity and resource loading data with Microsoft Project or Oracle Primavera P6 to create the time phased cost estimate data. During the planning or execution phases of a project, you can create schedule driven time phased budget or estimate to complete data in MaxTeam or EVMax from the schedule data. You can also use the schedule activity progress to determine the work package percent complete and calculate earned value data in MaxTeam or EVMax for the current reporting period. This ensures the work package start date, end date, duration, resource assignment, and progress data align with the schedule resource loaded activities.

Work packages play a specific role in the ProjStream software tools. At the work package level you select the:

  • Spread or distribution profile for the assigned resource FTEs, hours, or direct cost values. You can also manually enter values for a specific calendar month.
  • Cost estimate or budget assumption type such as bottoms up or parametric.
  • Earned value technique. Optional entry for the proposal phase of a project. This setting is used during the execution phase of project and may be imported from a schedule tool.

You must define a work package before you can assign a resource.