Preparing a project for a managed package

Defining the package

Set out what the package should cover and, just as importantly, what it should not. A boundary drawn early is easier to price, programme and appoint than one discovered during delivery. Where the boundary is genuinely uncertain, say so; establishing it is part of the first stage of work.

• The work you want inside the package
• The work that stays with others
• Where you are unsure and want advice

Information and drawings

Gather what exists. Partial and out-of-date information is still useful because it shows what needs to be re-established. A short list of what you hold, with dates, is often more valuable at first contact than the documents themselves.

• Drawings and specifications, with revision dates
• Surveys and ground or service investigations
• Anything known to be missing or out of date

Interfaces and access

Note the people and activities that touch the work area. Access arrangements, working hours and shared routes affect how the package is planned. Identify who controls each interface and where coordination is still needed.

• Adjoining occupiers and other contractors
• Utilities and statutory interests
• Access routes, restrictions and working hours

Sequence and programme

A programme does not need to be polished, but the fixed points matter. The package is then planned around the real constraints rather than an idealised sequence.

• Fixed dates and external deadlines
• Decisions or approvals still awaited
• The required order of handovers between stages

Change control

Set out the route for a proposed change, including changes affecting price, sequence or the package boundary. Keep the agreed record with the current scope and programme.

• How a change is raised and by whom
• Who approves, and within what limits
• Where each change and its effect is recorded

Completion evidence

Decide before work starts what completion will look like on paper. Naming that evidence in the appointment means it is produced as the work proceeds rather than reconstructed afterwards.

• The records and as-built information required
• Inspections or sign-offs the scope must evidence
• Who receives the completion record and in what form