Planning Package
A planning package is a WBS component below the control account with known work content but without detailed schedule activities, used as a placeholder for future planning.
Explanation
A planning package represents work that is known at a high level but has not yet been decomposed into work packages. It sits below a control account in the WBS and serves as a temporary placeholder for scope that will be elaborated in the future through the technique of rolling wave planning.
Planning packages have a defined scope and budget but lack the detailed schedule activities and specific resource assignments that characterize work packages. As the project progresses and more information becomes available, planning packages are decomposed into work packages with detailed estimates, schedules, and assignments.
This approach is practical for large or long-duration projects where not all work can be planned in detail at the outset. It allows the project team to acknowledge the known scope, allocate budget, and maintain the integrity of the scope baseline while deferring detailed planning until closer to the time of execution.
Key Points
- •WBS component below a control account, above the work package detail level
- •Has known scope and budget but no detailed schedule activities
- •Used in rolling wave planning as a placeholder for future elaboration
- •Decomposed into work packages when more information is available
Exam Tip
Planning packages are associated with rolling wave planning. They have budget and scope but lack detailed activities. Know how they differ from work packages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Topics
Control Account
A control account is a management control point where scope, budget, actual cost, and schedule are integrated and compared to earned value for performance measurement.
Work Package
A work package is the lowest level of the work breakdown structure, representing a deliverable or project work component that can be estimated, scheduled, monitored, and controlled.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A work breakdown structure (WBS) 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.
Decomposition
Decomposition is a technique used to divide and subdivide the project scope and deliverables into smaller, more manageable parts until the work is defined at the work package level.
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