Effective Work Breakdown Structures

Gregory T. Haugan PhD, PMP

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Year: 2001
• Print ISBN: 9781567261356
• eBook ISBN: 9781567264562
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

At last - the first comprehensive and practical guide to the work breakdown structure (WBS) in 45 years! This book offers vital new perspectives on how to apply the WBS to today's different types of projects that produce products, services or results. You'll learn how to use WBS throughout the project lifecycle to plan, control and communicate. Your new insights into the WBS principles, plus checklists and proven action steps, will improve the planning of new projects and help you launch projects more efficiently and effectively.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction to the Work Breakdown Structure

This introductory chapter provides information on the work breakdown structure (WBS), the background of the concept, and its place in the project management process.

THE PROJECT PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

Starting a new project is like starting to write a book—you have an idea of what you want to do, but are not sure how to start. Many writers, like many project planners and managers, find that outlining is frequently the most effective way to start writing.¹

An outline is both a method for organizing material and a plan for the book itself. There are many ways to outline a book, especially one based on research. In general, it is necessary to plan the research or data gathering, and decide what will be discussed in each chapter and the appendices. In addition, it is necessary to take into account drafting chapters, getting critical reviews from other experts, and the actual steps involved in reviewing proofs and publishing the document. A sample outline is included in the form of a WBS in Chapter 5.

A frequently used analogy is the old question: “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer, of course, is: “One bite at a time.” So the first step in preparing an outline is to start defining and categorizing the “bites.” The bites are important because that is where the useful work is accomplished. For a project, brainstorming can help define the “bites” or activities from the bottom up or a process of “decomposition” can be used starting from the top, and subdividing the project (or the entire elephant) into major sections and working down as shown in Figure 1-1. In either approach, the objective is to develop a structure of the work that needs to be done for the project.

It is obvious that the parts of the elephant can be broken down (or subdivided) further. For example, the head is made up of a face, ears, tusks, and trunk; the four legs can be individually identified; body parts identified, and the tail and tuft separated. A WBS for a project follows the same concept. The WBS is an outline of the work; it is not the work itself. The work is the sum of many activities that make up the project.

FIGURE 1-1 Elephant Breakdown Structure

A WBS may start either as an informal list of activities or in a very structured way, depending on the project and the constraints, and it can end wherever the planner wants it to. The goal is to have a useful framework to help define and organize the work and then to get started doing it.

In developing an outline for a book, for example, some things happen almost automatically, growing out of the discipline of the process. First, boundaries need to be imposed on the book’s contents. Preparing an outline forces the author to define the topics, parts, sections, and chapters. The same thing happens when the project’s WBS is developed. Assumptions and constraints are often considered without focusing on them directly.

Developing the WBS is a four-step process:

1. Specifying the project objectives and focusing on the products, services, or results to be provided to the customer

2. Identifying specifically the products, services, or results (deliverables or end items) to be provided to the customer

3. Identifying other work areas in the project to make sure that 100 percent of the work is covered and to identify areas that cut across the deliverables, represent intermediate outputs, or complement the deliverables.

4. Subdividing each of the items in steps 2 and 3 into successive, logical subcategories until the complexity and dollar value of the elements become manageable units for planning and control purposes (work packages).

KEY DEFINITIONS

Most of the project management terms used frequently in this book are in common usage in the project management field. The following definitions are included in the Glossary of the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Book of Knowledge, known as the PMBOK^® Guide.²

Activity: An element of work performed during the course of a project that includes a verb in its descriptor signifying action. An activity normally has an expected duration, expected cost, and expected resource requirements. Activities are often subdivided into tasks.³

Deliverable: Any measurable, tangible, verifiable outcome, result, or item that must be produced to complete a project or part of a project. Often used more narrowly in reference to an external deliverable, which is a deliverable that is subject to approval by the project sponsor or customer.

End Item: A general term that represents the hardware, services, equipment, facilities, data, etc., that are deliverable to the customer or that constitute a commitment on the part of the project manager to the customer.

Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS): A depiction of the project organization arranged so as to relate work packages to organizational units.

Program: A group of related projects managed in a coordinated way. Programs usually include an element of ongoing work.

Project: A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM): A structure that relates the project organization structure to the WBS to help ensure that each element of the project scope of work is assigned to a responsible individual.

Subproject: A smaller portion of the overall project according to the PMBOK^® Guide. Usually, a subproject is a WBS element that can be managed as a semi-independent element of the project and is the responsibility of one person or organization.

Task: A generic term for work that is not included in the WBS, but potentially could be a further decomposition of work by the individuals responsible for that work. Also used to describe the lowest level of effort on a project.

WBS Dictionary: A document that describes the work performed in each WBS element.

WBS Element: An entry in the WBS that can be at any level and is described by a noun or noun and adjective.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): A deliverable-oriented grouping of project elements that organizes and defines the total work scope of the project. Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work.

Work Package: Th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• About the Author
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• CHAPTER 1 Introduction to the Work Breakdown Structure
• CHAPTER 2 Work Breakdown Structure Fundamentals
• CHAPTER 3 Lifecycle Planning: Programs and Phases
• CHAPTER 4 The WBS in Project Operations
• CHAPTER 5 WBS Examples and Descriptions
• CHAPTER 6 WBS Principles, Steps, and Checklist
• Bibliography
• Index