Work Breakdown Structure What is a Work Breakdown

Work Breakdown Structure

What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)? • Breaks the project down into manageable parts • Organizes the team’s work into sections • According to The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) it is a “deliverable oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team” • WBS defines the project by dividing it into its major subcomponents (or tasks), which are then subdivided into more detailed components, and finally into a set of activities and their related costs

WBS Diagram • Are just like “To Do Lists” except more detailed • WBS decreases in size from top to bottom • Deliverable • Components • Elements • activities that create the components

Example of a WBS for the construction of a house

Decomposition • Level one is the deliverable or project (Construction of the house) • Level two are the components (internal, foundation, and external) • Level three are the elements or activities that create the components • Any level below level three are considered subdeliverables (1. 1. 1 and 1. 1. 2)

Who creates the work breakdown structure? • Project team • Identify the major deliverables • Subdivide those deliverables into smaller systems (subdeliverables) • Further decomposition is done until a single person can be assigned

Complete WBS for the construction of a house Notice the budget ($215, 500) and work percentage (100%) The percentages(45. 6%, 24%, and 30. 4%) and budget ($86, 000, $46, 000, and $83, 500) in level two add up to the total work percentage and budget The percentages are a way to determine how much work and time will be placed on an individual subdeliverable and the budget is used for allocation of funds

Another example of a WBS used for a wedding party

WBS Guidelines The following guidelines should be considered when creating a work breakdown structure: • The top level represents the final deliverable or project • Sub-deliverables contain work packages that are assigned to a organization’s department or unit • All elements of the work breakdown structure don’t need to be defined to the same level • The work package defines the work, duration, and costs for the tasks required to produce the sub-deliverable • Work packages should not exceed 10 days of duration • Work packages should be independent of other work packages in the work breakdown structure • Work packages are unique and should not be duplicated across the work breakdown structure

References • Heizer, J. & Render, B. (2008). Principles of Operations Management (7 th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson • http: //www. brighthub. com/office/projectmanagement/articles/2645. aspx • http: //www. matchware. com/en/templates/wbs-templateconstruction-of-a-house. php • http: //workbreakdownstructure. com/