From the course: Project Management Foundations

How to create work packages

From the course: Project Management Foundations

How to create work packages

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- [Narrator] A short task name in a WBS isn't enough to tell team members what they're supposed to do. To give your team the info they need, create work package documents that describe the work that needs to be done in detail. The level of detail needed in the work package document depends on things like how familiar the work is and the experience of the person assigned to the task. For example, a work package document might include a detailed description of the work for a less experienced person. For someone more experienced, a checklist of things to do might be enough. If the specifics of the work are described somewhere else, you can refer to the other document that contains the information. A work package document does more than describe the work. It also identifies how you know the task is complete and whether it was completed correctly. For some tasks, you can include the corresponding deliverable and success criteria in a work package document. Otherwise, write up a description of what you will have when the task is complete and what it should look like. As project manager, you won't know enough about every aspect of the work to produce these detailed task descriptions. Turn to the people who helped you build the WBS, team leaders for the groups that will work on the project or other knowledgeable people to help fill in the details. Work packages help your team members deliver what they're supposed to. For practice, try defining a work package for the scheduled training task that appears in the scheduling system WBS.

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