Work package
A delivery container with an owner, dates and a budget. It says when and by whom, not what for.
What it is
A work package groups the work planned for a delivery — a release, a phase, a contract — and carries the management facts: who owns it, when it starts and ends, what it may cost. Work packages can nest, like a work breakdown structure.
Why it matters
Value and delivery are different questions. An epic answers "what capability"; a work package answers "what ships in the spring release, on whose budget". Keeping both lets a team change the plan without rewriting the product structure.
What goes wrong without it
- Releases are defined by whatever happened to be finished.
- Budgets and dates live in a separate spreadsheet that never matches the backlog.
- Project deliverables such as training are planned nowhere.
What it gives an AI agent
A work package tells an agent what belongs to the current delivery, so it does not start on work planned for later, and which project requirements the delivery must also produce.
Example: Clinic Booking
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Sprint stuff. | Release 1 — spring launch: owner Aylin, 1 Feb – 30 Apr, includes online rescheduling and reminders, delivers receptionist training. |
How it relates to the rest
- Epics, stories and tasks are planned in one package; it cuts across the value tree.
- Delivers project requirements.
- Can be part of a larger package.
In Corpole
- Type Work Package (WP), with owner, dates and budget.
- Workflow: Planned, In delivery, Done.