Three steps to overcoming the data challenge of Advanced Work Packaging

Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) is a Construction Industry Institute (CII) best practice project delivery methodology that begins with front-end planning and continues through to commissioning.

The method aligns engineering and procurement deliverables with the construction sequence in the schedule. It’s a disciplined approach to increasing productivity and decreasing the cost of project delivery by providing a structure for focused execution planning and control that is directed at the construction work front, ensuring crews can work, constraint free.

AWP has become an increasingly popular way to deliver large capital projects and programs, due to the significant benefits available as an organization matures into this new methodology.

Benefits of AWP identified by CII

25% increase in productivity

10% reduction in total installed cost (TIC)

Increased safety

Additional benefits of AWP include:

• Improved labor productivity provision of constraint free packages of work.
• Early construction input—path of construction is critical so requires construction involvement from day one.
• Increased project predictability—constraint free packages of work lead to predictability.
• Stakeholder alignment—sign off of all package scopes.
• More time to supervise—no need to chase materials, etc.
• Craft morale—all materials, equipment etc are available to install.
• Improved progress tracking—small know discipline lead packages.
• Improved installation—having construction involved at day one.
• Enhanced start-up and commissioning—the commissioning teams are engaged early in the process.

Step 1: Work package structure

Organizations must adopt a rigorous approach to packaging work, with the construction sequence driving both engineering and procurement by discipline.

CWA—Construction Work Area

CWP—Construction Work Package

EWP—Engineering Work Package

PWP—Procurement Work Package

IWP—Installation Work Package

SWP—Start Up and Commissioning Work Package

Step 2: Data management

Data management and the “golden thread of data,” providing a digital data record of everything associated with the project processes, materials, decisions, and operation, is essential to Advanced Work Packaging as a delivery approach to capital projects. Both change to an organization’s current data structures and delivery approach as well as executive sponsorship are required for Advanced Work Packaging to be successfully implemented.

Step 3: Package delivery by discipline, to the field

Ultimately, the AWP methodology focuses on ensuring that constraint free packages of work are available to the crafts, to install, ensuring smooth start-up to deliver on schedule. To achieve this, a Path of Construction (POC), documenting how your capital project will be built and how engineering and procurement deliverables will support that effort, must be established on day one. The POC then influences how the engineering and procurement are packaged, managed, and monitored to ensure compliance and on time execution/delivery to site. 

As organizations transition to this new methodology, executive sponsorship is key. An organization’s employees and their supply chain must be trained on how to adopt AWP and what its benefits are.

Oracle, as CII members and veterans of schedule and data management, fully understand the concepts and methodology of AWP and as a data-driven organization, recognize the value of creating a golden thread of data across an asset lifecycle.

All solutions that are used by the project stakeholders to manage their work, now need to provide data in formats that can provide the golden thread of data, which is critical to achieving constraint free work and to the success of AWP. As detailed in the recent CII Document-AWP Data Requirements Implementation Guideline

Oracle, as CII members and veterans of schedule and data management, fully understand the concepts and methodology of AWP and as a data-driven organization, recognize the value of creating a golden thread of data across an asset lifecycle.

As such, Oracle Construction and Engineering has looked at this problem and with their Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management and Primavera Unifier platform, established a configuration that can be adopted by any organization that is looking to follow the three steps to achieving the benefits of AWP for their organization.

Primavera Unifier is a comprehensive enterprise data driven solution, which not only integrates to key solutions such as engineering authoring, SCM and ERP, but reduces the use of other disparate spreadsheet and ad-hoc data offerings that create significant data challenges.

The Primavera Unifier AWP configuration

Oracle Construction and Engineering has developed a pre-configured AWP-packaged solution using Primavera Unifier, a solution known for flexibility and easy integration with other systems. The solution enables organizations to address the AWP data challenge and to integrate that data with both engineering and procurement solutions.

In addition, this offering would enable owner organizations to quickly and easily use AWP to oversee their delivery organizations, improving both productivity and safety, while decreasing total installed cost.

This AWP solution could be adopted to manage any work packaged approach to project delivery, whether following the AWP process or an internal methodology.

In addition, we have brought together both the Advanced Work Packaging approach and Progress Measurement based on Rules of Credit, to provide a comprehensive offering for organizations looking to build on or mature their use of AWP and that require a data driven technology to support this goal.

Learn more about CII best practices.

Oracle Construction and Engineering, the global leader in construction management software and project portfolio management solutions, helps you connect your teams, processes, and data across the project and asset lifecycle. Drive efficiency and control in project delivery with proven solutions for project controls, construction scheduling, portfolio management, BIM/CDE, construction payment management, and more.

Related posts:

• How implementing Construction Industry Institute best practices improves project delivery
• Five best practices by the Construction Industry Institute to improve control over project delivery