Work packages and site tasks

Work packages divide a construction project into manageable scopes. Each package has a code, name, project, owner, planned dates, estimated hours and status. Site tasks sit within a package and carry their own assignee, priority, dates, estimated hours, actual hours and percent complete. The package rollups compare its task estimates and actual work, while the project rollups show the wider delivery picture.

The site task board groups tasks by status. A site manager can separate work waiting in Backlog from work in progress, in review, Blocked or Done. A board movement is a task decision; it does not approve a timesheet or mark a milestone Met. Those are separate records with their own owners.

• Package first. Give each package an owner and clear scope before creating tasks, so every task belongs to the right project workstream.
• Crew assignment. Assign tasks to a person in the crew directory and compare planned effort with that person’s existing workload and weekly capacity.
• Visible exceptions. Use the blocked list and due dates to find work that needs a site decision before it delays the next activity.

Decide what counts as a package on this site: a trade scope, a location, a phase or another consistent unit. Agree the size of a useful task and how task estimates are recorded. If a task spans several people, choose one accountable assignee and a clear convention for recording each person’s time. Set who may change package ownership and dates, and when a task should move into review.

Prepare one real package with several tasks of different priorities, a planned start, a planned finish and a known blocker. Check that every task points to the package’s project. Review the crew list for active people and the trade groups that will receive the work. This makes workload figures meaningful before the site starts using them to allocate more work.

For a foundation package, the project manager records the scope and estimated hours. The trade lead creates tasks for formwork preparation, inspection readiness and the pour. The first task goes to a site engineer with a due date and estimate. When the engineer starts it, the task moves from Backlog to in progress. An access problem stops the inspection-readiness task, so the site manager marks it Blocked and records the reason in its description.

At the morning review, Blocked Site Tasks shows the held task with its owner, priority and date. The site manager opens the task, resolves the access question with the relevant trade lead and moves the work back into progress. Actual hours remain on the task; labour submitted by crew members stays in timesheets. The package’s variance helps the project manager see whether the scope is taking longer than planned, while the board still shows which individual task needs action.

• Task Board by Status — Backlog, active, review, blocked and completed tasks grouped for the daily site discussion.
• Blocked Site Tasks — Held work with its assignee and due date.
• Site Tasks In Flight — Tasks in progress or review with current completion information.

Project setup to site plan connects scope to tasks. Site task execution follows daily status and labour recording.