How to create a work breakdown structure and why you shouldReading time: about 9 min Show
Posted by: Lucid Content Team
It’s your first dive into the world of project management and everyone around you seems to be speaking a different language. Worse than anything, your co-workers hurl acronyms left and right, and there’s not enough time for you to look one up before a new one is casually tossed onto the field—QCD, PMBOK, ACWP, QFD, RBS, SOW, SWOT, FPIF, and WBS. Mercifully, the deluge stops. But now you are left to ponder over your list. You start at the bottom and think to yourself, “What does WBS stand for?" In project management, WBS stands for work breakdown structure. This is a foundational tool that will help you to plan, manage, and evaluate large projects, so let’s learn a little bit more. What is a work breakdown structure?The name is rather self-explanatory. A work breakdown structure starts with a large project or objective and breaks it down into smaller, more manageable pieces that you can reasonably evaluate and assign to teams. Rather than focusing on individual actions that must be taken to accomplish a project, a WBS generally focuses on deliverables or concrete, measurable milestones. These deliverables may also be called work packages, tasks, sub-tasks, or terminal elements. If you're still unclear on what is a work breakdown structure, it looks something like this: Work Breakdown Structure Example (Click on image to modify online)A work breakdown structure is a diagram that shows the connections between the objectives, measurable milestones, and deliverables (also referred to as work packages or tasks). The main reason for a work breakdown structure is to make a project more manageable and quantifiable by breaking up the work into smaller tasks. Why use a WBS in project management?There are a number of reasons why breaking down a large project is beneficial. It helps you to:
All of these benefits essentially arise from working with chunks of a project that you can accurately visualize rather than trying to digest and interpret a mysterious and overwhelming task in one fell swoop. How to create a work breakdown structure
Tips for making a work breakdown structureAs you make a work breakdown structure, use the following rules for best results:
Work breakdown structure exampleAs you are thinking about how to make a work breakdown structure, let’s look at an example. This is a work breakdown structure for building a house. Notice how the rules of building a WBS are applied in this example. First, the house building project is subdivided into three large sections that seem to make sense: foundation, exterior, interior. Those sections are further subdivided to one or two more levels for a maximum of three levels. The effort needed to build a house has been allocated across all of the work packages for a total of 100% effort. There is no duplication of work represented in this diagram. To further enhance this diagram, it would be possible to add the budget for each work package and assign a team. Work breakdown structure formatsYou can choose from several different format options when creating a work breakdown structure. The example above uses a tree format, which is the most visual option. It structures the WBS like an org chart and shows the hierarchy of tasks in addition to providing space for additional information about each work package. Outline structure A text outline is the simplest WBS format. It is easy to put together and shows the hierarchy of tasks. However, it is difficult to add additional information about budget, duration, and assignment using this format. Build a House 1 Foundation 1.1 Excavate 1.1.1 Dig 1.1.2 Level 1.2 Frame 1.3 Concrete 1.3.1 Pour 1.3.2 Cure 2 Exterior 3 Interior Hierarchical structure This format is less visually intuitive but shows the hierarchy of tasks. Because it is a table, this format fits easily onto a page. Tabular view A tabular view is a more visually intuitive way to show hierarchy using a table. WBS dictionary What is a WBS dictionary? A WBS dictionary is formatted like the hierarchical structure, but it includes a brief description of each work package. When documenting a project, a WBS dictionary is often included in addition to a visualization of the WBS. It helps to clarify the scope of each task so that all team members understand their responsibilities. Work breakdown structure templateTo get you started, here are a number of work breakdown structure templates you can use. Simply click to open the template, and then customize the information, layout, and design. Work breakdown structure chart Work Breakdown Structure Template (Click on image to modify online)How to make a work breakdown structure in Microsoft OfficeWork breakdown structures and WBS dictionaries are often included as part of a larger set of documentation or data analysis made using Microsoft Office. The best way to put a WBS into Word or Excel is to use Lucidchart and its free integrations with MS Office. Build your diagram in a software optimized for diagrams, and leave the words and data crunching to Microsoft. Just follow the steps below: 1. Register for a free account with Lucidchart. 2. To make a work breakdown structure in Excel, install the free Lucidchart add-in for Excel. 3. Install the free Lucidchart add-in for Word to create a WBS in Word. Get started with our work breakdown structure software. Learn more Which statement is true about the WBS?Option C is the correct answer. C. The WBS breaks the proejct deliverables down to the work package level, where cost and time estimates can be easily determined. The work package level is the lowest level in the work breakdown structure.
What are the main planning tasks performed as part of project Scope Management?Steps of project scope management. Plan Your Scope. In the planning phase, you want to gather input from all of the project stakeholders. ... . Collect Requirements. ... . Define Your Scope. ... . Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) ... . Validate Your Scope. ... . Control Your Scope.. What is a crucial part of the project charter quizlet?What is a crucial part of the project charter - a section in which key project stakeholders acknowledge their agreement on the need to the need for the project.
What can project team create to help promote teamwork and clarify team communication?(T/F)A team contract can be used to help promote teamwork and clarify team communications as part of the planning process.
|