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WP 1 - Project Management

In WP1 the objectives are to monitor the overall performance of the project and to ensure that the consortium will reach its objectives; to coordinate overall project administrative and networking subjects; to report progress to the European Commission; to assess conformity of the results with the initial project scope and goals; to promote project visibility and assess quality of results; to promote dissemination and acceptance of project results in the relevant international forums; to efficiently resolve any project internal conflicts; to ensure data protection and privacy; to administer project resources and monitor project spending, as well as being prepared and able to cope with unexpected occurrences; to manage audit procedures; to define «project procedures» to assure compliance with requirements.

WP 2 - Current theory and practice

In WP2 the objectives are to establish robust and relevant conceptual tools for empirical research on responsible innovation. Mainly theoretical, this part of the project will map the main definitions and controversies around responsibility and innovation. It will analyse the tensions and possible complementarities between them (sustainability). The concepts will be replaced in the convergence between environmental ethics and technological ethics, which are evolving in two separated areas.

This conceptual work will be processed through interdisciplinary confrontation (moral and political philosophy, law, economics, law, engineering and natural sciences). Some related concepts; accountability, precautionary principle-, which are important in European building will be treated as well. A special concern will be focused on participative governance, combined with a high level of quality of the outputs in term of the selected criteria. Participation will not only be assessed by political criteria but relationally to the production processes and the products themselves.

WP 3 -  Context of Responsible Innovation

The objectives of WP3 are:

To develop an understanding of the context of Responsible Research and Innovation focusing on the landscape of EU funded projects, industry and research agencies.

To build a corpus of empirical findings and identify governance patterns relating to RRI and to create a taxonomy of common approaches

To develop methods and approaches for assessing and evaluating outputs of the project with user communities.

WP 4 -  Applied Analisys - Development of case studies

In WP4 the objectives are to carry out an empirical investigation into how responsible innovation is currently conceptualised, how it is currently considered in research, and how the integration could be improved in the future. The empirical domain for this will be a survey on a special sample of research and innovation networks in the current CIP Programme of the European Commission, i.e the projects of The Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme. On this basis, a sub-sample will be chosen which will be investigated using in-depth case studies. Calibrated by data from the survey and the case studies, this WP will then apply and further develop an agent-based model for ex-ante evaluation of research and innovation networks (SKIN-INFSO), which simulates scenarios for collaborative research and innovation networks under various policy conditions using real-world-data. The model will be extended by the RRI categories suggested in the project and found by the empirical work. Simulations will experiment with policies for implementing responsible innovation strategies in research and evaluate future scenarios. Furthermore, a sample of SMEs and ERC research projects will be investigated, as well, in order a diversity of cases be available.

WP 5 -  Gap Analysis and proposition of framework

In WP5 the objectives are to pinpoint the existing gap between the empirical findings and the theoretical background. Concrete investigation of appropriateness and gaps in existing theories will be assessed, and analysis will be conducted of the practical role of theory in responsible innovation, in an attempt to align its impact with the approaches and methods employed.

Also, extensive focus for MASIS work continuation and enrichment will be given.

WP 6 -  Guidelines and Recommendations

The GREAT project, as part of the Science in Society aspect of FP7, is tasked with undertaking research that can affect policy and further European goals as discussed in section 1. It is therefore of central importance that the research findings formulated and synthesised in WPs 2 to 5, are translated into manageable and applicable recommendations, guidelines that allow stakeholders to improve their approach to responsible research and innovation.

Work package 6 will therefore ensure that the research is conducted with a view to this aim. It will translate research results into guidelines and ICT tools in collaboration with the most important stakeholders and assess the usefulness and ease of use of the resulting guidelines with a view to optimising the wider uptake of project results.

WP 7 -  Dissemination and Exploitation

In WP7 the objectives are to develop the most effective dissemination strategy to make widely public the GREAT project model, its scientific base and its outcomes.

To implement the proper dissemination activities to leverage the impact of the GREAT project.

To successfully develop the GREAT project exploitation plan, where the outcomes of the project will be on focus for further exploitation.

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GO4 Conference Shaping New Horizons  http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-responsible-research-innovation  

Dr. R. Gianni

[email protected]  

This project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement n°321480

Project type: Collaborative project

Work program topics addressed: SiS.2012.1.1.1-1: Governance frameworks for Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)

Start date: February 2013 End date: Feburary 2016

Coordinator:

Dr. Robert Gianni

Project Officer: G iuseppe Borsalino

Budget : € 1 780 570

Project Responsibility Coordinator: Dr. Aki Zaharya Menevidis

Project ProGReSS Coordinator: Doris Schroeder

Project Res-AGorA Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Ralf Lindner

Project Responsible-Industry Coordinator: Prof. Berndt Stahl

Imperial College London Imperial College London

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• Antimicrobial Research Collaborative
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Work packages

Context of the research.

Antibiotics are important to prevent infections after several types of surgery. The growing number of infections that cannot be treated with antibiotics may mean that many basic types of surgeries cannot continue. Around the world, a large amount of all antibiotics are used during the surgical process. Antibiotics in surgery are used to prevent infections from happening after surgery (it is called 'prophylaxis') and for the treatment of infections after surgery. Infection after surgery is a growing concern in many countries. 23 million infections after surgery (or 'surgical site infections', SSIs) lead to 2 million deaths every year. Using antibiotics in the right manner is a sure way of preventing infections after surgery. For example, if the right antibiotics are given at the right time before surgery, then up to seven times fewer antibiotics are needed after surgery because fewer people get infections.

Overarching research question

How can antibiotic use be optimised along the entire surgical pathway through context-specific, (at country and organisational level) behavioural and organisational interventions aimed at providers and patients?

The question is answered through the following objectives, and the project delivered through five work-packages (WPs) with research in England, Scotland, India, South Africa and learning from Rwanda.

• Investigating the macro-level economic, regulatory and policy drivers and constraints which result in prioritisation, competition or integration of Infection Control (IC) and Antimicrobial Stewardship (AS) at each point in the care pathway at the organisational level. (WP1)
• Characterising cultural norms, established hierarchies, team roles and methods of communication around AS and IC which operate within specific surgical/healthcare environments (WP 1 & 2).
• An assessment of patient-provider co-production models which may be supported by the outer and inner contexts investigated through objectives 1 and 2. (WP1, 3, 5)
• Development of theory-based innovative solutions (WP3).
• Evaluating the operational and cost effectiveness of existing and new interventions using a systems thinking modelling approach (WP 2, 3 & 4).

Work Packages

Work package 1.

Health system level factors: PESTELI framework

Work Package 2

Roles and context: Ethnographic research

Work Package 3

Intervention design and implementation: Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) analysis

Work Package 4

Operational and economic evaluation: System Dynamics

Work Package 5

Validation of research, communication and translation of findings

Work package cost tables

Tables to provide information on project costs for research proposals.

Work package cost tables (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet)

Microsoft Excel spreadsheet , 44 KB

Work package finance table templates for research proposals, including:

• work package cost table
• summary cost table for whole project
• guidance notes for tables.

This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services .

RESEARCH WORK PACKAGES

Building on work done within and outside OFI, FOCI is achieving its objectives by carrying out a rich program of research, training and engagement organized into nine Work Packages (WPs), each clustered under one of the three core themes of safety, sustainability and inclusion. Four additional integration work packages (IWPs) are playing a key role in integrating findings across work packages and support wider and deeper public engagement with this collaborative, full-spectrum infrastructure regeneration/design/adaptation process. This is happening within  WPs through partner engagement with the research. Findings from WPs are also informing focused dialogues and the engagement of diverse public and Indigenous groups in the regeneration/design/adaptation of infrastructures through not only the co-design of research but also art, theatre, music, film/video and puppetry.

Infrastructure designs that contribute to full spectrum sustainability for coastal communities

  Designing safer maritime and coastal infrastructures for Atlantic Canada  

  Ensuring infrastructure designs that support inclusion, social justice, and equity  

Supporting integration and knowledge mobilization between stakeholders

Research Work Packages

WP 1: Mapping the Circular Economy Shift in the Global Fashion Industry

(PI: Whitfield, PhD1)

Working questions: How are global brands and retailers incorporating circularity in their business models, and what are the implications for their sourcing practices and demands of suppliers? What are the new technologies in alternative and recycled fiber production, textile waste recycling, and other CE initiatives?

WP 2: Baseline Study of Bangladesh’s Apparel Industry Ecosystem

(PI: Rana, CoPI, Hoque, Melita, PhD2)

Working questions: What are firms’ waste disposal practices and how much of the inputs are derived from regenerative and recycled resources? What are the systems of textile waste management, who benefits, and how is the cost structure of each value adding activity? What arrangements govern industrial clusters, and what are the roles of finance and government incentives? Are there firms engaged in innovations relating to CE?

WP 3: Analysis of Circular Economy Initiatives in the Apparel Industry

(PI: Allen, Co PI Olav, Rana.)

Working questions: What can be learned from apparel exporting countries already implementing CE initiatives such as China? What are the costs and capabilities required at the level of textile and apparel firms? What public policies have been used to incentivize firm-level investments and collaboration, and create the supporting industry and national infrastructure and institutions?

WP 4: Analysis of Supplier Firm Capabilities

(PI: Rana, CoPI, Alam, PhD2, PhD3)

Working questions: What are the existing resources, capabilities and corporate strategies of textile and apparel firms in relation to CE practices and their ability to invest in new technologies? What are the power relations and interdependency between supplier firms and their key buyers, and how do these relations affect their adoption of CE practices?

WP 5: Developing Policy Recommendations and Engaging in Policy Dialogue

(PIs: Amanullah, Sørensen, Rana, Khan, BGMEA)

The Bangladesh government does not have a comprehensive CE policy or a sector specific one for the textile and apparel industry. The project will provide the necessary inputs for such a policy, based on the findings from work packages 1 through 4. These findings will be presented and discussed with a Policy Impact Group (see Partnerships section) and high-level Project Advisory Committee as well as concerned stakeholder groups which will build on the previous policy work of the Circular Fashion Partnership.

Make Work Packages Work for You

By Kate Eby | December 29, 2016

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Congratulations! You’ve been made project manager and are responsible for seeing that a new, custom home is built for an important client. Now you have to estimate a budget and set a schedule. Work packages can help you figure out all the key elements of your housing project.

Work packages are the smallest components of the work breakdown structure and can help you identify details you required determine costs and work hours, and then view and manage the effort to completion. This article will walk you through the process to define a work package, how it fits into work breakdown structure, and what you need to know to create a work package. 

What Is a Work Package?

A work package is the lowest component in a work breakdown structure (WBS) , sometimes called the terminal element of a WBS. You create a work package when you decompose a deliverable into components while creating a work breakdown structure. You know you have a work package when you can’t break a deliverable down into further sub-deliverables or tangible project outcomes. A work package is a way to both understand cost and duration and easily manage those things. 

“A work package is a mini-project, in a way,” says Rod Baxter, Co-Founder of Value Generation Partners, and author of the Project Management for Success Handbook . Just like a project, your work package will include all elements, such as a budget, material(s), human resources, and schedules and milestones. 

For reporting purposes, a work package is usually owned by one person, and includes work that can be completed within a reporting period - however that may be defined for your organization. Break down a work package further and you end up with activities that make the mini-project. 

The tasks or activities that make up a work package should flow organically as a result of decomposing the project or deliverable, but activities are generally grouped around an engineering discipline, geographical location, or structural division. A work package should be unique to the WBS. Completion of work packages can be dependencies for other work packages.

As with other concepts in project management, such as the objective and the work breakdown structure, the focus with a work packages shouldn’t be the activities that create it, but the outcome, the product, or the deliverable.

Understanding work packages can be a little complicated because terms like task, activity, and work package sometimes are used casually and interchangeably. If you are studying for the Program Management Institute’s (PMI) Program Management Professional (PMP) exam, however, distinguishing between a work package and an activity is critical. 

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Work Packages’ Role in the Work Breakdown Structure

According to the PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), a work breakdown structure is “A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.” So, a WBS is an outcome-focused tool for determining all deliverables and tasks required for a project. A WBS breaks down, or decomposes, all the efforts needed to complete a project. It is a visual and hierarchical representation of work, which allows you and the team to see at a glance everything that comprises a project. 

The breakdown is done in at least three levels. At the lowest level is the work package. Each level and element in the WBS is numbered so that the work it represents can be easily identified and tracked through different graphical representations used in the life of the project.

An important part of the WBS is the WBS dictionary. While the WBS itself is a graphical overview of the project for quick reference, the WBS dictionary provides an in-depth background on each component in the WBS. Information such as a description of the deliverable for that component, the element number from the WBS chart, the required materials, and cost may be included. For example, if you were building a shed, metal walls might be one component. The manufacturer, size of metal sheets, and the number and name of all bolts and washers used may be included in the WBS dictionary.

The resources represented by the WBS components all roll up to total 100 percent. In other words, if you have a budget of $50,000 to build a house, and you have three components of foundation, electrical, and plumbing, the budget for those three must add up to no more than $50,000. The same is true for work hours, or materials. In this way, you can ensure that you’re not overcommitting any project resources.

When Does a Work Package Become an Activity?

Each work package is further decomposed into the activities or tasks required to complete the work package. Activities are usually stated as a verb and noun, such as “Make Lunch.” How do you know what the difference is between an activity and a work package? A work package has a specific product or outcome - or in project management-speak, a deliverable - that contributes to the project. An activity on its own does not produce a finished item or outcome that helps to fulfill the objective of the project. 

Planning Packages Versus Work Packages

A work breakdown structure can contain another component: a planning package. A planning package is basically a component to be worked in the future. The scope of work or deliverable it’s meant to create is known in general, but it has not yet been assigned and scheduled. A planning package can become a work package once it is decomposed into activities. 

How Does Work Packages Project Management Help You?

Breaking down your project may seem like a lot of fuss when all you and your team want to do is get on with the job, but work packages serve a real purpose. The following are some benefits of work packages:

• Scheduling and Budgeting. After you break down the work packages into activities, the activities are compiled into an activities list which allows you to create your schedule and your project budget. Rod Baxter notes that, depending on the project, you may then track key project metrics, such as Earned Value Measurement, Cost Variance , Cost Performance Index, or Key Scheduled Index. 
• Easier Estimates. It’s much easier to estimate time, staffing, costs, and materials on a small scale. If you were planning a banquet, how could you determine the total cost if you didn’t know the price of things like disposable forks and dinner rolls? 
• Concurrent Activity. Breaking out work packages allows you to spot opportunities for concurrent activity on a project. Multiple teams can work on different activities simultaneously.
• Reveals Interdependencies. When all the work packages are identified, you can see what tasks are dependent on others. For example, for your banquet, you probably need to send invitations and count RSVPs before you give the caterer a final headcount.
• Finite Control. Similar to estimates, it’s easier to observe and manage something when you know the details of what your managing. This knowledge can be a double-edged sword. If the project is expensive or has a high amount of risk, like with construction projects or with inexperienced teams, you might want that level of management. However, if you start managing activities and tasks, especially with an experienced team, you may actually be micromanaging. 
• Show Accomplishments. A detailed schedule and work obligations recorded in a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) can also help your team to see at a glance their duties and deadlines. Successfully completing frequent activities and work packages can boost their morale. 
• Stakeholder View. Depending on the project, stakeholders and upper management should be focused most on deliverables that are further up in the work breakdown structure hierarchy. However, the work package view is a good way to measure and display incremental accomplishments. 

How to Create an Effective Work Package

As with other project planning tools, including the work breakdown structure, defining work packages is a team effort. As the project manager, you’ll need the insight of subject matter experts and experienced workers to determine what activities are needed to complete a work package. With that in mind, follow these steps to create effective work packages:

• Don't over decompose. To figure out an appropriate work package size, try the 8/80 rule, which states that a work package shouldn’t take less than eight hours to complete or more than 80 hours. Another tried and true measure is to consider whether the work package can be completed between reporting periods.
• Keep estimates in mind. Remember that your breakdown should help you to estimate time and money for the project.
• Assign responsibility. For reporting and management purposes, a work package should be assigned to one person.
• Make it unique. The work package should not be repeated elsewhere in the WBS - it should be one of a kind.

Examples of Work Packages and Activities

1. Building a school

2. Building a shed

3. Organizing a big party 

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Using a work package in project management

One of the keys to successful project management is ensuring teams are on track and meet goals and deadlines. A work package can help tremendously with this.

This article will explain the concept of work packages and how a project team can use them to group related tasks. We will introduce various project management templates and how monday.com’s user-friendly Work OS, specifically its templates, can be a powerful asset.

What is a work package in project management?

A work package is a collection of related tasks that are part of an overall project.

The work package represents a defined deliverable or a specific project phase.

Example: A work package when building a house could be the building plan approvals or the building foundation completions. Each of these deliverables represents project milestones. 

The concept of a work package in project management dates back to the early 1960s, when the aerospace industry and the Department of Defense developed subsequent work breakdown structures to refine the model.

Activities within a work package are only those tasks related to achieving that specific work package’s objective or deliverable.

Each work package will represent a distinct type of work or project phase performed by different individuals or groups — the smallest identifiable deliverable.

A work package is the smallest deliverable within a project’s work breakdown structure.

Why is a work package not a separate project?

A project is a set of completed deliverables that achieve a specific objective, while a work package represents one small phase or deliverable of that project .

In the example above of building a home, the project encompasses all work packages from the initial building concept to include building plan approval, completion of the foundations, home construction, and final home completion.

On its own, a work package achieves only one specific deliverable . A work package is a sub-project of the overall project. Splitting projects into separate work packages helps teams focus on their immediate responsibilities and not lose themselves in too much detail.

What is the best way to manage work packages for projects?

There are several best practices to keep in mind when managing work packages for projects.

• Each work package must have a specific outcome and achieve at least one objective.
• Assign a responsible person for each work package and limit its scope to one department, function, or group.
• Keep work packages independent of other packages with the exception of the overall package, which will be dependent on completing preceding packages.
• Pay particular attention to each work package’s scope as it should be neither too large nor too small—this will help to eliminate resource requirements and costs.
• Clearly describe each activity, allocate responsibilities, and estimate resources and time for every work package.

Manage work packages efficiently on monday.com

monday.com Work OS is the ideal place to manage work packages, because you can manage everything from communication and task assignment to performance analysis in one flexible platform.

Here are a few important features you can use to organize your work packages:

• Groups : When setting up a board, create a group for each work package. To differentiate between work packages and activities, name each work package as a deliverable, such as “building plan approval.” Then enter the activities required to complete each work package.
• Timeline Column: This allows you to create a project baseline and setset milestones by clicking on a specific date and choosing the “set as milestones” option in the pop-up window.
• Gantt View: Once all activities have been added, view the work package as a Gantt chart , manage workload, and use a low-level project board to track expenses.  You can also set task dependencies. While the high-level board lets PMs see the bigger picture at a glance, the low-level board allows you to you track metrics such as cost management, effort, and scheduling.

Related templates

monday.com templates are an easy way to start, saving time and effort — no need to create boards from scratch. They generally focus on a specific topic of interest and are fully customizable. Here are a few project management templates we recommend starting with.

Project management plan template

The Project Management Plan Template is a high-level planning board that allows teams to start planning any project from scratch. It’s adaptable and fully customizable, making it a good addition to any project.

Single project template

The Single Project Template allows teams to view each work package and project. View this information individually and customize columns to view the information you want to see.. Use monday.com tools to integrate your project with standard in-house tools such as Gmail, Google Drive, Excel, and Outlook.

Free DMAIC template

Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) is a data-driven quality management strategy and part of the Six Sigma management improvement process. Our DMAIC Template allows you to get right on with process improvement initiatives.

FAQs about work packages in project management

What is the difference between a work package and work breakdown structure (wbs).

A work package is the smallest part of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) — a single phase or deliverable in a project. A WBS represents an entire project broken down into work packages or deliverables.

How does a planning package differ from a work package?

A project planning package is a component of a WBS that focuses on project planning, specifically the work not yet planned in detail. It’s an overview and does not include a complete list of activities. A work package is a detailed list of tasks aligned to achieve a specific deliverable or project milestones. When completed, a planning package can become a work package.

What is scope baseline?

The scope baseline is an approved and controlled document defining the project scope. Typically, the scope baseline includes:

• Scope statement: A management plan that defines project scope, goals, and deliverables.
• WBS: A breakdown of the project deliverables into work packages.
• WBS Dictionary: A detailed listing of all project activities, tasks, and deliverables.

Using work packages for effective project management with monday.com

Breaking projects into manageable work packages helps project managers better monitor and manage projects. It’s an improvement over traditional Gantt charts that represent an entire project.

Work packages eliminate the clutter of too much detail, allowing project managers to focus on milestones and effectively monitor progress toward each one.

With monday.com, this capability extends to every team member. Each individual manages their activities, identifies risks, and monitors progress toward achieving work package deliverables. Simple automation techniques and visual dashboards help simplify project management processes and provide real-time project information.

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Work packages

The project is organized into ten  work packages . The setup of work packages reflects our research design and distributes resources and responsibilities across the project team.

WP1: Management

Wp2: synchronization, wp3: patterns, wp4: perspectives, wp5: policy, wp6: causes, wp7: consequences, wp8: components, wp9: coherence, wp10: impact maximization.

Work Package 1: Systematic Reviews

Work Package 2: Trials Repository

Work Package 3: Realist Review and Survey

Work Package 4: Data Linkage

Work Package 5: Longitudinal Pilot

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What Is a Work Package in Project Management? A Quick Guide

For a project to be successful, you need effective work management . By providing structure to your project scope, you get some control over the project work and increase the chance that you’ll succeed.

Before you get started, you need to figure out every step in the project scope. That’s where a work package comes in.

What Is a Work Package?

A work package is a sequence of activities that leads to a deliverable when using a work breakdown structure (WBS). to map your project scope. In a sense, it’s a sub-project of the larger project.

There’s a difference, however, between a work package and an activity in a project. A work package is at a higher level in the WBS hierarchy than an activity.

This distinction is important for project managers, but not critical to the success of a project. Whatever language you use to define these building blocks as you fill in your WBS, they all lead to the same destination—the completion of your project.

Work packages are used in earned value management projects to integrate schedule, cost and scope management data to measure project performance.

The Benefits of Work Packages

The main benefit of work packages is that as part of a work breakdown structure, they break down larger projects into more manageable work. Projects often fail because they don’t account for all the work needed to deliver a product or service, which is a common mistake in project scope management that later affects the project schedule and budget.

Breaking down work into these smaller segments known as work packages, lets you assign work to multiple team members. This work can be done at the same time or sequentially. Following the steps and completing work by a set deadline lets teams work on various parts of the project.

To go even further granular, work packages help with the development of the WBS. Project managers can keep the project consistent and make more effective assignments. They show whether the work leads to a milestone, identify risks and how to mitigate them, help with estimating costs and much more.

Once you’ve figured that out, you’ll need to assign and monitor the work. ProjectManager is cloud-based software that does this in real time. The live dashboard provides instant status reports for a high-level view of the progress and performance of your project. Try ProjectManager today for free.

What Is Included in a Work Package

Work packages each have a small piece of the larger project management data associated with them:

• A budget: A budget is necessary to show how much money is allocated to this particular package. It’s also essential to track prices and ensure the project isn’t going over budget.
• Deadlines: This gives project managers a schedule baseline to measure the progress of the work.
• Risks: You must identify risks and create a mitigation plan. You need to monitor progress, too, so issues can be identified and dealt with quickly.
• Task priority: Your work breakdown structure will allow you to establish the level of priority of each task in your work packages. This WBS hierarchy lets teams know what must be done, and where they need to focus. Stakeholders don’t need to know details, but they also must be kept updated on the big picture.

What are the Characteristics of a Work Package?

Work packages generally share a certain number of characteristics. This includes the type of work you’re doing, whether that’s marketing, programming or some other discipline.

Naturally, you want to define the outcome of the tasks associated with the work package, where those tasks take and how much time to provide for completion. There are also the resources necessary to execute the tasks, which can be technology or material-based.

Each work package should have a team leader assigned to it. There will also be stakeholders who have a vested interest in the execution of that particular work package. You need to identify them and keep them updated on the progress of the work.

5 Essential Tips for Work Packages in Project Management

The following are a handful of project management tips to help with work packages:

• When defining the work breakdown structure, don’t neglect to bring the team members into the process. Your team is on the front lines of the work. They’re your most valuable resource when mapping out your project scope and identifying risks.
• Work packages are an excellent way to get an idea of your overall costs and the time required to execute the project. Adding up all the packages in your work breakdown structure gives you more accurate estimates.
• It’s best to have one person accountable for each work package. They will own the management of the work package and be responsible for reporting to the project manager.
• Work packages should be one of a kind. They lead to a deliverable, and therefore shouldn’t be repeated in other places on the WBS.
• Keep your work package doable within a specific timeframe. It should be completed in no less than a week and a half. You want to execute them within the timeframe of your reporting schedule.

How ProjectManager Helps With Work Packages

A work package is a mini-project, so you need project management software to manage it. ProjectManager is cloud-based software that gives you real-time data to make more insightful decisions as you manage your project scope.

Create Your Work Package on a Gantt Chart

Project managers will love the Gantt chart view, which organizes all the packages on a timeline, links dependencies and sets milestones. You can assign, attach files and even set a schedule baseline. Now you can compare your actual-to-planned effort to stay on schedule and keep to your budget.

Track Work Package Progress

Monitoring your progress and performance is how you stay on track. Use our real-time dashboard to get a high-level view of what your team is doing. Unlike other software, there’s no configuration needed. ProjectManager’s dashboard automatically calculates project status data and displays it.

Keep Stakeholders in the Loop

Stakeholders need to stay updated on what’s happening, too. One-click reporting features make it easy to share data with them, whether they want it printed out or attached as a PDF. All reports can be filtered to focus on only what the stakeholders are interested in.

ProjectManager is award-winning software that organizes work for greater productivity. Use our software to get real-time data, keep your team connected and always know your actual-to-planned effort. Join thousands of teams who are already using ProjectManager. Try it free today!

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What Is a Work Package in Project Management?

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No, it’s not a parcel delivered to your office. In fact, work packages encompass so much more and can even be viewed as the building blocks of project management.

In this article, we will define what a work package is and share a visual example. 

Before we begin, you can skip ahead and kick-start your work package management with our pre-built and customizable template.

Work package definition

A work package is a group of related tasks within a project. Because they look like projects themselves, they are often thought of as sub-projects within a larger project. Work packages are the smallest unit of work that a project can be broken down into when creating your Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) . Tasks are typically grouped into work packages based on geographical area, engineering discipline, technology, or the time needed to accomplish them.

Break down large projects and succeed effortlessly

Work package example.

A work package example is a helpful way to envision how a work package would be deployed within your own project management process. This is because a work package is the building block of a project, made up of related activities that, when completed, will create a desired outcome.

This work package example shows the breakdown of task groupings that make up each sub-section of a work breakdown structure. It is also clear from this work package sample how different work packages combine together under each activity to form the work breakdown structure.

Master work packages with Wrike

To fully harness the potential of work packages and elevate your projects, why not try Wrike? Our powerful platform is tailored to help you break down large projects with ease. Create your own folder structure, assign team members, and view dependent tasks on a Gantt chart . 

Don’t miss the opportunity to revolutionize your approach to managing work packages. Experience firsthand how Wrike can turn daunting projects into bitesize tasks, starting with our powerful work breakdown structure template.

Further reading

• 7 Keys to Project Stakeholder Management from the #PMChat Community
• How can collaboration and emergent structures do the routine job for you?
• Enjoy the Turkey: A Project Manager’s Guide to Surviving Thanksgiving Day
• 7 Leadership & Mindset Tips for Extreme Project Managers

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What the data says about food stamps in the U.S.

One component of the  recent deal to raise the federal debt limit and cut government spending  is additional work requirements for certain people who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , or SNAP – commonly known as food stamps.

The food stamp program is one of the larger federal social welfare initiatives, and in its current form has been around for nearly six decades. But many misconceptions remain about the program and how it works. (For one thing, no actual stamps are involved.) Here’s a closer look at the food stamp program, based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Census Bureau and other sources.

The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as the food stamp program, is back in the news amid recent changes enacted as part of a debt ceiling deal between President Joe Biden and House Republicans. With that in mind, we thought it was time to take an in-depth look at the program.

Our main data source was the  Food and Nutrition Service , the agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers SNAP and other food assistance programs. We supplemented the FNS data with data from the Census Bureau’s  Survey of Income and Program Participation , which focuses on the demographic and other characteristics of people and households who receive various forms of federal assistance. We also used the Census Bureau’s population and household estimates in some of our analyses. Finally, we obtained government expenditure data for other federal assistance programs from the  Office of Management and Budget .

How many Americans use food stamps?

The numbers vary from month to month. But in April 2023, the most recent month with available figures, 41.9 million people in 22.2 million households received SNAP benefits. That translates to 12.5% of the total U.S. population.

On average, 41.2 million people in 21.6 million households received monthly SNAP benefits in the 2022 fiscal year, which ran from October 2021 through September 2022.

The program operates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and the Virgin Islands. A separate nutrition assistance program covers Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.

How has the number of food stamp recipients changed over time?

The current food stamp program began in 1964 but took several years to ramp up. It wasn’t until July 1974 that states – which share administrative duties over the program with the federal government – were required to extend it to all jurisdictions within their borders. That year, 12.9 million people, or 6.0% of the total U.S. population at the time, received SNAP benefits.

Total participation has ebbed and flowed over the ensuing decades, driven both by economic conditions and changes in eligibility rules. Between fiscal years 1980 and 2008, the share of all U.S. households receiving SNAP benefits oscillated between about 7% and about 11%. But that percentage rose rapidly during the Great Recession and peaked at 18.8% in fiscal 2013 – representing 23.1 million households, or 47.6 million people.

In March 2020, as the nation headed into COVID-19 lockdowns, Congress authorized  extra SNAP benefits for recipients and suspended work and training requirements  for the duration of the declared public health emergency. The number of recipients immediately jumped from 37.2 million in March 2020 to 40.9 million one month later, and topped out in September 2020 at just over 43 million recipients, or 13% of the resident population.

Who is eligible for food stamps?

In general, a household qualifies for the program if it has a gross monthly income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level as well as a net monthly income at or below 100% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four in 2023, this works out to $3,007 in gross monthly income and $2,313 in net monthly income. (These limits are higher in Alaska and Hawaii .)

Households with older people (defined as ages 60 and older) or people with disabilities only have to meet the net income requirement. And households of all types are limited in how much they can have in cash, investments and other assets and still qualify for SNAP.

In addition, households receiving other types of aid, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), may be eligible for SNAP automatically.

States have  a certain amount of latitude  in how they administer the SNAP program. For example, they can decide how broadly to extend its benefits to people receiving other TANF-funded benefits, whether to count vehicles as household assets, and whether to count child support payments as income. In addition, there are somewhat different eligibility rules for Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

What, if any, work requirements are there for receiving food stamps?

In general, most Americans ages 16 to 59 who aren’t disabled must register with their state SNAP agency or employment office; meet any work, job search or job training requirements set by their state; accept a suitable job if one is offered to them; and work at least 30 hours a week. Failure to comply with those rules can disqualify people from getting SNAP benefits.

In addition, nondisabled adults without dependents must either work or participate in a work program for 80 hours a month, or participate in a state workfare program. If they fail to do so, they can only receive SNAP benefits for three months out of any 36-month period. Until recently, this additional work requirement applied to people ages 18 to 49. The debt limit deal recently enacted raises the maximum age to 54 , a change that will be phased in over three years starting in October. The new law also exempts veterans, homeless people and young adults aging out of foster care from all work requirements.

What do we know about food stamp recipients in the U.S.?

The most comprehensive data source we have is the Census Bureau’s  Survey of Income and Program Participation , although its most recent data is from 2020. That year, 23.6 million SNAP recipients (63%) were adults, and 13.8 million (36%) were children.

Non-Hispanic White people accounted for 44.6% of adult SNAP recipients and 31.5% of child recipients in 2020. About 27% of both adult and child recipients were Black. Hispanic people, who can be of any race, accounted for 21.9% of adult recipients and 35.8% of child recipients.

The vast majority of both adult and child recipients were born in the United States – 82.3% and 97.1%, respectively.

Among adult recipients, 62.4% had a high school diploma or less education in 2020. And despite the program’s work requirements, 61.6% said they had not been employed at all that year.

The Census Bureau also looked at households where at least one person received SNAP benefits. More than six-in-ten of these households (61.7%) reported having no children in 2020, including 34.4% who were people living alone. More than 40% of SNAP-receiving households were in the South, the highest percentage of any region.

How much do food stamp recipients get each month?

In April 2023, the national average benefit was $181.72 per person and $343.00 per household. That was a sharp drop from February’s averages ($245.44 per person, $464.36 per household), reflecting the expiration of the extra benefits put in place during the pandemic .

The nationwide averages conceal a considerable amount of state-by-state variation. SNAP beneficiaries in New York received an average of $212.09 per person in April 2023, while recipients in Oklahoma got $127.32. (These rankings exclude Alaska, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands and Guam, which have a different scale to reflect higher food costs in those places.)

Why do benefits vary so much by state? One reason is that benefit amounts are largely determined by recipients’ income, minus certain expenses. Household size also factors into the calculation. So a state’s demographics and the condition of its economy will influence how much its residents can receive through SNAP.

The maximum amount of SNAP benefits is based on the  Thrifty Food Plan , an estimate by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of how much it costs to buy groceries needed to provide a “nutritious, practical, cost-effective diet” for a family of two adults and two children. That amount is adjusted for other household types when determining benefit levels. The Thrifty Food Plan was updated in 2021 for the first time in 15 years and is scheduled to be re-evaluated again in 2026.

Which states have the highest and lowest rates of food stamp usage?

In New Mexico, 22.9% of the population receives SNAP benefits – the highest of any state, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of SNAP recipient figures and Census Bureau population estimates for July 2022, the most recent available. The District of Columbia is next-highest at 21.4%, followed by Oregon at 17.8% and West Virginia at 17.7%. (We excluded the Virgin Islands and Guam from this analysis because the Census Bureau doesn’t have 2022 population estimates for them. But using 2020 census counts instead would give them rates of 23.8% and 23.6%, respectively.)

Utah has the nation’s lowest rate of SNAP use: Just 4.6% of Beehive State residents get the benefits, according to our analysis. Other states with low rates include New Hampshire (5.0%), Wyoming (5.1%) and North Dakota (5.8%).

What can you buy with food stamps? What can’t you buy?

SNAP benefits can be used to buy  most groceries for household use , including breads and pastries; meats, poultry and fish (but not, in most cases, live animals and birds); fruits and vegetables; dairy products, including ice cream; and snack foods such as cookies, cakes and soft drinks. Recipients can also use SNAP benefits to buy plants and seeds to grow food for the household, but not (for example) non-edible flowers.

Alcoholic beverages and tobacco products cannot be bought with SNAP benefits, nor can nutritional supplements, medicines or pet food. Foods that are sold hot (think rotisserie chickens or ready-to-eat soups) aren’t eligible either, nor are household goods such as paper towels, cleaning products and toiletries. Gasoline isn’t eligible either.

Where can people use food stamps? Where do they use them most frequently?

More than 254,000 establishments accepted SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2021, but two types stand out: Supermarkets and “superstores” such as Walmart and Target together make up about 15% of SNAP-accepting establishments, but they accounted for nearly 80% of all redemptions.

By comparison, more than 44% of all SNAP-accepting establishments are convenience stores, but they accounted for only about 5% of redemptions in 2021. Notably, while only 89 internet retailers, such as Amazon, were authorized to accept SNAP benefits that year, they accounted for nearly 4% of redemptions.

How much does the federal government spend on food stamps each year?

In fiscal 2022, the government spent $119.4 billion on SNAP. Some $113.9 billion went to benefits while $5.5 billion went to administrative and other expenses. Through the first seven months of fiscal 2023 – that is, October 2022 through April 2023 – the government spent almost $70 billion on benefits alone, 2.8% more than during the corresponding period in fiscal 2022.

SNAP is one of the largest federal social welfare programs in terms of cost. For comparison, in fiscal 2022, the federal government spent $747.2 billion on Medicare, $591.9 billion on Medicaid, $161.2 billion on veterans’ benefits, $58.8 billion on Supplemental Security Income and $33.1 billion on unemployment compensation.

How has the cost of the food stamp program changed over time?

SNAP is an  entitlement program , which means spending on it rises and falls based primarily on how many people qualify for benefits (but also through changes in its authorizing legislation). Adjusted for inflation, annual spending on SNAP followed a regular pattern from the late 1970s to 2008: It fell to around $30 billion a year during strong economic times and rose during and immediately after recessions ­– at times reaching $50 billion.

The Great Recession changed that pattern, perhaps permanently. Spending on SNAP jumped as the economy sank, but it kept rising even as the “recovery” began, topping out at about $103 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars in fiscal 2013. Spending on the program then fell slowly, until the COVID-19 pandemic upended the U.S. economy. SNAP spending soared from $91.8 billion in fiscal 2020 to $127.6 billion in fiscal 2021, and fell back only slightly last year.

Why are they called “food stamps,” anyway?

The  precursor to the modern SNAP program , which began in 1939 and ran until 1943, did use actual stamps. Besides feeding the hungry, the program was designed to aid farmers struggling with surplus crops they couldn’t sell profitably.

People receiving public assistance could buy orange stamps that were exchangeable, dollar for dollar, for most food items at grocery stores. For every dollar participants spent on orange stamps, they also received 50 cents’ worth of blue stamps, which could be spent only on USDA-designated surplus commodities such as beans, eggs, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. Over the program’s lifespan, approximately 20 million people received food stamps at one time or another, at a total cost of $262 million.

The U.S. entry into World War II put an end to the first food stamp program, as the war effort absorbed both farm and labor surpluses. But the concept stuck in people’s heads, and when it was revived in 1964 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” it was formally named the Food Stamp Program. But instead of stamps, beneficiaries purchased multicolored “food coupons” that could be used much like cash. The purchase requirement was eliminated in 1977, benefits began to be widely delivered by debit card in the 1990s, and by 2004 the paper coupons had gone the way of the blue and orange stamps. The program was renamed SNAP in 2008.

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Drew DeSilver is a senior writer at Pew Research Center

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TU/e strengthens key semicon position with Future Chips flagship

At TU/e, more than 700 researchers from 25 research groups work on semicon and this number is expected to grow significantly.

In the coming years, TU/e will expand its key position in Dutch academia in the field of semiconductors with its Future Chips flagship. The outcome of Project Beethoven – 2.5 billion in Dutch investments in the chip sector – is an important stimulus for this. With the initiative, the university is giving a boost to the development of chip technology to accelerate the creation of solutions to the major societal, economic and geopolitical challenges in this field.

“There is an urgent need to strengthen the position of the Netherlands and Europe in the global chip sector,” explains Rector Magnificus Silvia Lenaerts. “With the Future Chips flagship, we are taking our responsibility, together with our strong industrial and academic partners, to make a maximum contribution to this. Given the enormous expertise that we have had for decades, TU/e is excellently positioned for this. We have a unique collaboration with the semicon companies in the Brainport region, we are the purveyor of engineering talent for these companies, and we are home to top researchers in the relevant research domains.”

“The Dutch government’s investment of 2.5 billion euros to facilitate the Dutch chip sector with Project Beethoven is a particularly welcome development. 450 million of this is earmarked for talent. We will flesh this out in a regional context, together with Fontys University of Applied Sciences and Summa College, among others,” says Robert-Jan Smits, President of the TU/e Executive Board. “This is an investment in the future economic model of the Netherlands and contributes to Europe’s sovereignty agenda. It will act as a booster of our Future Chips flagship, which we will use to build on our strengths in semicon.”

TU/e at the forefront of semicon for decades

TU/e has been conducting leading international research in the field of chip technology for over 50 years. This includes not only the development of new types of chips themselves but also research into the hyper-complex chip machines that must deliver increasingly extreme performance and into the materials and processes used to make microchips.

At TU/e, more than 700 researchers from 25 research groups work on semicon and this number is expected to grow significantly. In addition, TU/e has exceptional research labs for semicon, including the large cleanroom of  Nanolab@TU/e .

The Future Chips flagship is a strategic collaboration between all involved groups, centers, institutes and departments of TU/e to accelerate the multidisciplinary development of semicon technology in terms of education, research and valorization. In doing so, the university is emphatically committed to collaboration with its strong partners in the Brainport region and beyond.

Substantial stimulus packages for chip sector

Chips have become vital to the functioning of our society. There are more and more increasingly powerful chips in more and more products and systems. Governments worldwide therefore see semicon knowledge and capabilities as crucial to societal, economic and geopolitical interests.

The major world powers have thus allocated huge stimulus packages to the strengthening of their chip sectors. For example, the European Union launched the European Chips Act in 2022 and, a few weeks ago, the Dutch government decided to invest 2.5 billion in facilities for the Dutch chip sector (Project Beethoven) with the main focus in Brainport. There is a key role here for knowledge institutions because semicon is the world’s most complex industrial sector, and that complexity is only increasing.

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Alumni Spotlight – Wade Russell

Currently, I work at Total Package Hockey (TPH) in London, Ontario. My title is Head of Hockey and I oversee all of our on-ice programming. We work with players ranging from first-time skaters up to professionals. We run a variety of programs and offer third-party assistance to minor hockey players, teams, and programs in the southwestern Ontario region. These programs occur primarily in the early mornings, evenings, and on weekends. Most of my day is spent working in-house to run the business while I oversee our development initiatives with our TPH Academy athletes, who study & train full-time at our private school. The majority of the work I do with TPH would be considered to be in the skill development space although we also work with associations in delivering coaching clinics and seminars on a variety of coaching related topics. In addition to my work with TPH, I also volunteer my time as an assistant coach and skill development coach with Western University . I am entering my 3rd year with the program. I am constantly engaged in multiple disciplines all of which have been largely informed during my time within the SCLA program at MSU. Most recently, I have launched a games-based development program that seeks to incorporate in-class video sessions, 100% games-based practices, and follow-up “homework” activities, to enhance the development of players entirely through play. Much of this program has been informed from a Constraints Led Approach (CLA), which I was first introduced to in the SCLA program.

What brought you to the SCLA program and what did you want to do with the degree?

Kinesiology programs, specifically in Canada over the last two decades, have slowly dropped their coaching, physical education, and sport management streams. Upon completing my undergrad in sport management (which Western University has recently dropped), I made the decision to pursue coaching ice hockey not as a passion, but as a career. I sought out the SCLA program and had a few meetings with Dr. Driska regarding the content, structure and fit. I was fortunately accepted and I was able to complete my degree remotely, mostly during COVID. While COVID challenged my ability to actively coach during lockdowns, this provided me even further time to explore the literature and challenge my current approaches to coaching. My original intention entering the program was to begin running a U18AAA program locally as the Head Coach. However, I wanted further mentorship from a head coach regarding various responsibilities beyond the X’s & O’s of the game. This is why I am currently with Western University, as their head coach has provided incredible opportunities for mentorship and personal growth. My goal is still to work in professional sports. While I want to pursue coaching, I have found through this programs and additional experiences I am quite open to a variety of roles, but I am certain that I want to work in some element of the player development space and work directly with the athletes. To be frank I am unsure if my ideal position in ice hockey at the NHL level or below exists. By title it would be a Director of Player Development, but I am of the belief that this role’s title isn’t currently what the role actually entails. I believe firmly that hockey has a long way to go in truly streamlining a player development department such that it is connected amongst all (the many) members and is packaged concisely and readily understood by the players which it aims to serve (in theory).

What were some highlights during your time in the SCLA program?

Every project was purposeful and had practical applications. The integrated and applied nature of the coursework made it possible to not only research topics but actively explore them in my professional life. Recording interviews, journaling via prompts, recording myself coaching, and engaging with coaches in other disciplines all greatly contributed to my growth as a coach.

Tell us about your experience in practicum.

In my practicum I was fortunate to be accepted by Gardiner MacDougall at the University of New Brunswick. I was in Fredericton simultaneously completing my BEd during my practicum coursework so the stars really aligned. His program is highly reputable and the most successful in Canadian University hockey for the last 20 years. This past season his team went undefeated! I was provided unparalleled access to their programs workings and was able to film myself working to develop their players using CLA methodology. It was a great experience and I believe really changed my career trajectory.

What was your favorite SCLA course and why?

Skill Acquisition (KIN 868). There were many great courses, but when I entered the SCLA program 90% of my coaching experience was within a skill development or individual instruction role. Therefore I was fascinated to learn more and being introduced to ecological dynamics, CLA, instructional methods, and their impacts on skill acquisition was a memorable and important experience. Much of my work to this day is informed by this coursework. I have a binder of all my courses, the research, in my desk drawers that I consult regularly. I continue to work with my staff to teach them about the CLA and its applications in our work.

During COVID pandemic I was actively seeing coaching experience, particularly job interviews to practice being interviewed as a coach. Most higher level hockey teams don’t really post jobs as most are filled through back channels and “who you know.” At the time there was only one posting on job boards, this was for an eSports team! I ended up creating a whole presentation about how I would apply a CLA and games-based methodology to their “player development” to improve team performance. This always gives everyone who knows me a chuckle. I knew relatively zero details about the game itself or how to even coach a video game!

Check out more SCLA student and faculty spotlights here !