Promoting the Use of Advanced Work Packaging

Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) became a CII Best Practice in 2015 and numerous case studies have proved its ability to improve project performance, yet its use is still limited in the capital project industry. RT-365’s research was phase 2 of an investigation begun by RT-DCC-04. During this second phase of research, RT-365 identified potential solutions to overcome AWP implementation barriers and offered recommendations to enhance integration between AWP and engineering processes.  The RT-365 research was conducted in four phases:      

Preparation – The team determined its research objectives and appropriate methods.    

Data Collection – The team conducted a literature review and expert interviews.     

Data Analysis – The team used qualitative analysis to offer potential solutions to AWP implementation barriers and to develop recommendations to enhance integration between AWP and engineering processes.     

Development of an Implementation Tool – The team used the information it had gathered during the initial three phases to develop the AWP Concierge, an interactive, user-friendly document that presents solutions to overcome AWP implementation barriers and supports companies on their AWP journeys. For example, one common barrier is the lack of interorganizational coordination following a scope change. The AWP Concierge offers a solution to prevent or mitigate this issue by highlighting that AWP does not lock the project’s sequence, but instead provides data that enable traceability and can facilitate changes when needed.  

RT-365 conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with subject matter experts and synthesized more than 50 AWP resources in scholarly and grey literature. One objective was to explore issues that prevent AWP and engineering process integration. The perceived change in engineering work sequence and developing engineering schedule based on AWP deliverables are examples of issues addressed in this work.