Product breakdown structure is a hybrid in nature in that some aspects of a work breakdown structure will be incorporated and merged with the architecture concept of operations, master subsystem list, customer interface, and assigned management responsibility. Work breakdown structures in large projects how detailed should a wbs be. It is often described as a resultoriented tree that covers all project procedures in an organized way. Work breakdown structure a work breakdown structure wbs is a decomposition of all the work necessary to complete a project. The obs breaks down to engineering which breaks down to design which breaks down to interface design. Today, wbi helps develop individual, organizational, and institutional capacity in the world banks member countries by designing and delivering courses and seminars, providing policy advice, and helping countries. Work breakdown structure relativistic heavy ion collider. Developing the work breakdown structure means defining the relationships between the project goals, deliverables and scope. Chapter project management for new products and services. All levels contain the measurable components that must be produced or achieved in order to reach the overall objective, the. Usually this process is about creating a detailed decomposition of work planned for completion into smaller, more manageable and measurable components the pmbok guide.
The work breakdown structure wbs is defined by a guide to the project management body of knowledge 3rd edition pmbok guide as. Work breakdown structures a work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. A work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical outline of the tasks needed to deliver the projects product or service. The work breakdown structure is a hierarchical framework for organizing and ordering the activities that make up the entire project scope. Every major planning component of the project kicks off from the work breakdown structure. Resources are identified for each item within the wbs that facilitates budgeting as well as assignment of responsibilities.
Determining work and tasks sizes work breakdown structure wbs different approaches for developing a wbs notations for work breakdown structures heuristics and examples starting with templates how to identify work what do we do with risky tasks. All about work breakdown structures wbs smartsheet. The work breakdown structure wbs is a vehicle for breaking an engineering project down into subproject, tasks, subtasks, work packages, and so on. Jul 03, 2014 work breakdown structure is a tool to represent project and product scope.
Determine your strategy for developing a work breakdown structure wbs consider meeting with project team members and others with expertise in similar projects to develop the wbs. Before you further, you should read some of my other. Work breakdown structure rev e, june 2003 work breakdown structure a project work breakdown structure wbs is a deliverable or product oriented grouping of project work elements shown in graph ical display to organize and subdivide the total work scope of a project. The basis of a good estimate is understanding the scope of work, not just in terms of what is being installed but also where and when.
The definition of the required work activities for the project provide the ability to develop the project schedule, make assignments, and estimate the project budget using a definitive bottomup estimating technique. It is useful to ensure complete planning of a project as well as a basis for monitoring progress. The development of work breakdown structure involves subdividing the major project activities or subactivities into smaller, more manageable activities until the activities are defined in sufficient detail to support the management and development of project works. Creating a work breakdown structure wbs helps you be both comprehensive and specific when managing a project. Work breakdown structure wbs represents a vital element of scope management. A typical approach in developing a wbs is to start at the highest level, with the product of the project. Wbs is the logical sub diving of major activities into smaller elements. Students shall work with their opening pos statement, or project charter, and use this document as a basis to begin developing and creating a work breakdown structure, or wbs. The work breakdown structure is the foundation of sound project management. Work breakdown structure wbs purpose, process and pitfalls. Think of the wbs as a visual model of the project that identifies each piece of the scope of work and how its delivered to the customer. It defines and structures the total scope of the project because it starts from the deliverables as stated and then decomposes the work and the smaller sections.
Provides approach for decomposing the work into measurable units, which. Doe office of management, budget and evaluation work breakdown structure project management practices guide, revision e dated june 2003. A wbs creates links between the deliverables and their numerous components at all possible levels of project work. Although the work breakdown structure wbs is one of project managements primary tools for effectively managing a project, many project managers develop their wbss haphazardlyand frequently, without the involvement of their teams and without the support of their senior managers. Introduction after more than fifteen years of consulting on different kinds of projects, i propose a new vision of work breakdown structure wbs. Steps for developing a work breakdown structure your business. About this task before creating a work breakdown structure, be sure that the configuration selected in the tool bar is the same as the configuration selected as the default configuration for your process. Developing and elaborating effective work breakdown structures. Determine your strategy for developing a work breakdown structure wbs consider meeting with project team members and others with expertise in similar projects to develop. Thinking in detail is critical when planning your project, but you also need to consider the big picture. Have you encountered work breakdown structures and wondered how they can help in your project management efforts.
Creating the work breakdown structure by kim colenso, managing principal, artemis management systems the work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and control. A wbs is arranged in a hierarchy and constructed to allow for clear and logical groupings, either by activities or deliverables. Development of hybrid product breakdown structure for. A work breakdown structure wbs is a deliverableoriented grouping of project. Crm editable work breakdown structure template on creately. These points are primarily under the control of the entrepreneur, the founders, or executive management. Project managers use wbs to break a project into manageable sections and tasks. A wbs is not a todo list consisting of everything that needs to be done on the project. Organize the first level according to how the work will be done or managed. Application development project work breakdown structure.
Six steps to a better wbs presented by 41 bloomfield street lexington, ma 02421 usa. Ppt powerpoint, excel, visio or any other document. In order to produce these deliverables, work must be performed. Defining a work breakdown structure a work breakdown structure wbs is defined as a hierarchy of tasks that are representative of the real work flow of a construction project. The world bank cannot guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. Plan and schedule development create a work breakdown structure.
Differentiate the five approaches for creating work breakdown structures wbs the work breakdown structure wbs is a chart. The development of a work breakdown structure with appropriate dates and budget is usually accomplished in a single iteration. The work breakdown structure wbs provides the foundation for defining work as it relates to project objectives. Pdf work and resource breakdown structures for formalized. Chapter 1 introduction to the work breakdown structure 1.
The work breakdown structure visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that a project team can understand, as each level of the work breakdown structure provides further definition and detail. The importance of the wbs experienced project managers know there are many things that can go wrong in projects. A work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical structure of things that the project will make or outcomes that it will deliver this one is far better. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project. Work breakdown structure a tool to effectively manage projects. Pdf the work breakdown structure in software project management. This paper examines how project managers can develop a better wbs through facilitated team participation.
Work breakdown structure training will give you the skills to approach work breakdown structures, even for complex projects, with confidence and ease. It breaksdown the project into lowlevel subtask units of work that will be scheduled, executed and controlled. Cdc unified process practices guide work breakdown structure up version. You can also look max widemans glossary for few other definitions of work breakdown structure. The ground operations product breakdown structure needs to be able to identify the. Wbs work breakdown structure approach in project management. As discussed throughout the book, there is an overarching business life cycle involving several key development points. Managing the implementation of development russell d. Figure 1below depicts a sample work breakdown structure with three levels defined. Wbs development is one of the most critical activities in project planning.
View work breakdown structure research papers on academia. Aouad3 1 school of the built environment, heriot watt university, uk. The project management benefits of work breakdown structure. Free 30day wbs software trial how to make a work breakdown structure. How to improve productivity with a work breakdown structure.
Pdf the work breakdown structure in software project. Use the method described in the snapshot from practice. If you fail to identify a major part of your projects work. Your committee is tasked with developing the work breakdown structure. A work breakdown structure defines all the things a project needs to accomplish, organized into multiple levels, and displayed graphically. Since the beginning of my career, the tree structures have always been in the heart of my thoughts. It is the connecting point for work and cost estimates, schedule information, actual work effortcost expenditures, and accountability. This matrix is an example from a software development program. This paper examines the dimensions that are involved in developing a wbs that can help project teams successfully realize their project goals.
Nevertheless, i strongly suggest you to try using work breakdown structure on your project to the full extent. The wbs is a hierarchical reflection of all the work in the project in terms of deliverables. Detailed planning is essential for successful deployment of custom software. Naval postgraduate school monterey, california thesis analysis of how the work breakdown structure can facilitate acquisition reform initiatives by robert l.
In reality, wbs is a simple and easy visual breakdown of deliverables for product, result, or service. An organizational breakdown structure is an intermediate level of a different chart that many of you are already familiar with. Creating a work breakdown structure with microsoft project. This document is a great source of analyzing the way of work through different parts of project. It should cover all project scope and be broken down into unique and manageable parts that correspond to key deliverables, phases of work, or milestones.
How to develop a work breakdown structure by brainstorming how you develop youre work breakdown schedule wbs for a project youre managing depends on how familiar you and your team are with your project, whether similar projects have been successfully performed in the past, and how many new methods and approaches youll use. The development of the work breakdown structure is surely not easy. Differentiate the five approaches for creating work breakdown. The methodology for a formalized project management system includes development of a resource breakdown structure and a work breakdown structure before developing an estimate and a schedule for. What is wbs work breakdown structure in project management. This example is from a real world project to merge a professional services department from an acquired business. Work breakdown structure is a powerful and valuable tool in project management. The yellow sticky approach to create a network for this project. Use pdf export for high quality prints and svg export for large sharp images or embed your diagrams anywhere with the. Design the end of this document is delivered to the client what this is this guideline lists the process steps for developing a work break down structure that identifies all the tasks in the projects work, the first step in creating a detailed project plan and schedule.
A work breakdown structure or wbs for short is a chart or document used to organize project work into a list of focus areas. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply on the part of the world bank any judgment of the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. A work breakdown structure wbs is a visual tool for defining and tracking a project deliverable and all the small components needed to create it. A work breakdown structure is a hierarchical breakdown of work, such as activities, tasks, and steps, defining a process. A work breakdown structure template is a crucial document which helps to break down your work into small pieces for easily determining its procedure of completion. The goal is to use the wbs to achieve the project objectives and facilitate efficient management so as to best monitor the project in terms of budget and on schedule. P a g e 3 work breakdown structures a work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. What is meant by a work breakdown structure and how does it help manage projects. Many people have mistaken wbs as a list of tasks, a schedule or an organization chart. The work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical decomposition of the work to be completed in order to achieve the project deliverables. The wbs forms the backbone of all the project planning activities.
It is an input for many processes like cost estimation, schedule development, risk identification. A work breakdown structure defines the objectives of a project at all levels of detail. Chapter 1 introduction to the work breakdown structure. It helps in obtaining awareness about manageable sections for developing a precise. Moreover, there are a lot of aspects that you can learn only the hard way. Mar 18, 2011 how to make relationships between deliverables and project work. The building blocks of a schedule start with a work breakdown structure wbs. Second, on an it project the wbs also communicates the systems development methodology youll use on the project to produce the required deliverables. Mar 10, 2017 ensure that the wbs is the sum of all the work involved in your project while the wbs list is for an individual, multiple people can work on this the work break down structure must be consistent in the way work is going to be performed project team members need to be included in the wbs so that things run smoothly. The work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical decomposition of the project objectives into deliverableoriented tasks that are executed by the project team to accomplish the overall project goals. You can edit this work breakdown structure using creately diagramming tool and include in your reportpresentationwebsite. Start with the project vision and statement at the top of the hierarchy. The responsibility assignment matrix ram shows the intersection of the organizational breakdown structure obs and the work breakdown structure wbs. This document provides project managers with a work breakdown structure wbs, which defines all of the application development projects critical deliverables.
Simplifying project management neellohit burghate dept. The following discussion will examine the current trends and practice regarding work breakdown structures. The obs displays organizational relationships and then uses them for assigning work to resources in a project. Example work breakdown for onboarding professional services from a business acquisition. Outline for module 6 preparing the work breakdown structure, responsibility matrix, and master summary schedule 33. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Wbs is deliverable oriented hierarchical decomposition of total scope of work.
Plan development task identification and work breakdown. As the discipline has matured, project professionals have expanded and matured the wbs concept. It can help the project manager predict outcomes based on various scenarios. One work breakdown structure example that will make it clear. Having a big work breakdown structure could take several hours for development. The work breakdown structure in software project management article pdf available in journal of systems and software. Oct 27, 2016 a work breakdown structure wbs proposes a graphical nature that helps project managers predict results based on various scenarios. Create the work breakdown structure wbs a topdown hierarchical description of the work required to producewhat is called for in the project scope and achieve the mission, satisfy stakeholders. Developing work breakdown structure wbs is the way to do this. A deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.
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