Work Breakdown Structure

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) helps overcome the project complexity by breaking the project into smaller parts and arranging these parts in a logical progression order.

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Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish project objectives and create the required deliverables.

PMBOK GUIDE Seventh Edition p.253

The starting point for the Work Breakdown Structure is the Project Charter. The outcomes of the Scop Statement in the Project Charter should match with high-level elements of the Work Breakdown Structure. Work Breakdown Structure defines the project scope and ensures all project components are documented correctly.

The Work Breakdown Structure is a visual tool and uses diagramming to represent and structure all project components. Project management software like Monday or Smartsheet has options for creating WBS, alternatively, there are multiple applications that come with WBS templates.

For creating a Work Breakdown Structure we use the decomposition method, which encompasses a top-down step-by-step planning approach. The starting point of decomposition is the first box on the diagram or the first level. This box represents the whole project. The next level of the diagram represents major deliverables.

Further, those deliverables are decomposed into sub-components, and so on. Decomposition continues until components can no longer be divided. Components that can no longer be divided are often called activities or work packages and have to be transferred in the project scope and project schedule.

Let's have a look at the fragment of WBS to understand better how it works.

Project: Family Vocation in Cairns, Australia :) Project objective: Creating lasting memories and bonding with loved ones :)

Project budget: Unknown, will be formed after creating WBS :)

Project scope: Unknown, will be formed after creating WBS :)

Project duration: 14 days

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Conclusion:

Comprehensive WBS is a solid foundation for project planning, project execution, and project monitoring. It helps to keep under control hundreds if not thousands of project components and helps manage effectively a significant amount of information and documentation. Advantages of using Work Breakdown structure:

• Comprehensive and structured overview of the project scope

• Common understanding of what the project will deliver

• Better control over budget and resource allocation

• Effective communication among the project management team and all project participants

• Clear structure for decision-making

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