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In reality, a variety of applications, technologies and work processes are involved according to the needs of each contractor, and each of these has to be configured to work with the others to provide a complete overview of a project. The evaluation, configuration and implementation processes accompanying this take time, effort and money, and are subject to possible misinterpretation and human error.

The problem of providing better and more complete information mobility between engineering content and workface planning was seen as a major priority for constructors. This has now been addressed by Bentley Systems through its ProjectWise Construction Work Package Server, the first off-the-shelf solution for managing the lifecycle of construction work packages.

The innovative product, first unveiled at Bentley's Year in Infrastructure Conference in London last year, uses automated work packaging tools that enable contractors to manage projects better with projected install cost savings of up to 10%, alongside improved safety and predictability.

The need for such a solution was highlighted by attendees to Bentley's Project Delivery Forum who asserted the importance of construction information mobility, echoing the Construction Industry Institute's (CII's) call for "advanced work packaging" to become an industry best practice for defining the flow of information exchange between engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover.

WORK PACKAGING
Recently, the Construction Industry Institute conducted studies on the benefits of work packaging, recorded in some detail by Rusty Haggard, an author and erstwhile employee of the Institute. The study was a response to owners and constructors, both intent on improving project success -something they had strived with to no avail over many years - employing best practices, varying work shifts, using incentive packages, and so on. The aim was to improve not only productivity, but also safety, worker retention and morale, schedules, and consistency.

Further recent research by the CII, and also the Construction Owners Association of Alberta (COAA), pointed to the process known as Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) as an answer, with plenty of data to back up their claim. They got together in 2011, producing the results of exhaustive volumes of research, data analysis, expert interviews, and case studies in a 400 page report in 2013. This supported the idea that AWP, the accompanying detailed planning and other processes associated with AWP, work together to increase productivity, safety, quality of work, and other measures that, together, make a successful construction project.

DEFINITIONS
The starting point of the report was to define the different elements in Work Packaging to facilitate understanding of the process:

Work Packaging, done on all projects, is the process of breaking down a project into manageable tasks. The problem is that the process is done differently by each company and on each project. It's not repeatable and it's that very inconsistency from project to project that helps breed inefficiency

AWP - a more standards-based approach to work packaging, formalises the components and methodology for construction execution and includes engineering work packages (EWPs), construction work packages (CWPs), and installation work packages (IWPs). AWP is a construction-driven process that begins with front-end planning and detailed design and continues through construction execution at the workface in the field and on to handover and start-up

WBS - (work breakdown structure) - a hierarchical representation of a complete project

EWP - (engineering work package) - an engineering and procurement deliverable used to create a CWP. This typically includes the scope of work with a document list; drawings; installation and materials specs; vendor data; bill of materials; equipment and/or line lists; and permitting studies if required. Construction knowledge and input is vital to EWPs, which are subordinate to the project execution plan and the sequence and timing of construction work packages

CWP - defines a logical and manageable division of work within the construction scope. CWPs do not overlap within a discipline; are designed to be measureable and in alignment with project controls; are used to develop installation work packages; and may contain more than one EWP. They typically consist of safety requirements, at least one EWP, the schedule, the budget, environmental requirements, quality requirements, and any special resource requirements such as permits, and so on. CWPs are usually used to determine contractual scopes of work, are developed from the contract formulation through construction execution, and grow over time to include productivity factors, detailed cost reports, and other considerations

IWP - a deliverable that enables a crew to work in a safe, predictable, measurable, and efficient manner; typically limited in size such that a crew can perform the completed tasks in a set amount of time. IWPs contain all necessary documentation supporting execution of the work at the workface (in the field). They typically include a work package summary, quantity work sheet, safety hazard analysis, specific tasks, material safety data sheet(s), drawings, specs, change documents, manufacturer's installation instructions, model shots, bill of materials, required tools, installation test result forms, as-built documentation, inspection checklists, and completion verification signatures.

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