|
|
The work packages structure
The management of the project contains a work plan consisting of work packages.
Each work package shall include the intended objectives, approach/actions, the output
foreseen and the expected results; therefore it can be considered as a project within
the project. A work package is a sub-project and not a collection of unrelated actions.
As such, a work package must produce well-defined output, in terms of deliverables.
Even if a project only produces output for internal project purposes, this internal
output should be defined as a deliverable. There will be some interdependence among
work packages. However, in order to keep the project manageable, this interdependence
should be kept to a minimum. In particular, the definition of work packages which
are dependent on intermediate work package results should be avoided.
Because EU
projects involve an international consortium with partners who sometimes do not
have in-depth reciprocal knowledge, it is necessary to clearly define who is responsible
and who needs to participate in a work package. Usually, working together on a work
package involves close cooperation, which may require the use of adequate cooperation
tools. Some work packages will and should run in parallel. However, the more activities
are run in parallel, the more complex the overall project management will be. Therefore,
parallel work packages should be reasonably independent of one another and involve,
to a large extent, different project team members.
|
|