Develop Work Breakdown Structure

DescriptionA work breakdown structure (WBS) is a hierarchical outline of the tasks needed to deliver the project’s product or service.   It “breaks-down” the project into low-level subtask units of work that will be scheduled, executed and controlled.

Rationale/PurposeThe work breakdown structure is the foundation of project planning.

The Project Manager uses the work breakdown structure to estimate the duration of the project, determine the required resources and schedule the work.

Who is InvolvedProject Manager
Project Team

ResultsThis information is included in a separate section of your project plan often referred to as the “Work Breakdown Structure.”

Recommended actions and strategiesThe table below lists the steps for developing a work breakdown structure:

	What to do	How to do it
1	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.  Some benefits of involving the team include: Team members and experts bring experience from other projects Fosters early buy-in to the project among team members Helps discover new or forgotten tasks Gives insight to the overall project for team members
2	Identify the highest level components of work  to be accomplished	Example of highest-level or first level components that logically group work: Product deliverables – such as Project Charter, Project Plan Life Cycle Phases – such as Analyze, Design, Build Functions – such as Create New Student, Update Grades Organizational responsibility -  such as Finance, Network Services
3	Break work process into small components	Under each high-level component, break the work into small components until each component is defined to a level of detail that allows accurate estimating for the time and cost required for its completion. Note: Create the work breakdown structure to the level of project detail you understand. If the project spans a long period of time, it is difficult to identify the detailed tasks for work a year or more in the future. In this case keep the tasks at a high level for the entire project and create a detailed work breakdown for work for the next phase or period of time
4	Name the component	The component name should adequately describe the task to be completed. Use the noun-verb format. Examples: Document User Manual Install Network Routers Review Project Charter
5	Make sure work has been broken down to the lowest level desired	Apply the following guidelines to ensure work has been broken down to its lowest level: One and only one staff resource can be assigned to a task (This is a general guideline. In certain instances there may be a team assigned to a task (such as a review team) or two people working side-by-side delivering one final product from a task). Each task has clearly identified results Tasks can be performed within a reasonable time. The industry “80 hour rule” states that a work task should be completed in two weeks (or less) The task name conveys the work to be accomplished The task is at the level you want to track the project Each task is well enough defined and small enough so estimates of duration are credible

		Example: Work Breakdown Structure
	The Work Breakdown Structure identifies the project's tasks and provides a framework for organizing and managing the work. Two methods for presenting a work breakdown structure ( WBS ) are the WBS outline and the WBS diagram.
		Work Breakdown Structure Outline
		(task numbering optional)
		Project Management Improvement Project – Phase 1
	1	Initiate Project
	1,1	Develop Project Charter
	1.1.1	Define Scope
	1.1.2	Define Requirements
	1.1.3	Identify High-Level Roles
	1.1.4	Develop High-Level Budget
	1.1.5	Identify High-Level Control Strategies
	1.1.6	Finalize Charter and Gain Approvals
	1.1.6.1	Consolidate and Publish Project Charter
	1.1.6.2	Hold Review Meeting
	1.1.6.3	Revise Project charter
	1.1.6.4	Gain approvals
	2	Plan Project
	2,1	Develop Work Plan
	2.1.1	Develop Work Breakdown Structure
	2.1.2	Develop Project Staffing Plan
	2.1.3	Develop Project Schedule
	2.1.4	Develop Project Budget
	2,2	Develop Project Control Plan
	2.2.1	Develop Communication Plan
	2.2.2	Develop Quality Management Plan
	2,3	Finalize Project Plan and Gain Approvals
	3	Execute and Control Project
	3,1	Design Framework
	3.1.1	Define framework stages and activities
	3.1.2	Design framework content formats
	3.1.3	Design web framework delivery tool
	3,2	Build the Framework
	3.2.1	Write the framework content
	3.2.2	Review framework content for quality
	3.2.3	Build web tool prototype
	3,3	Test the Framework
	3.3.1	Test usability of web tool
	3.3.2	Test usability of content
	3.3.3	Adjust framework based on user feedback
	3,4	Implement Framework
	3.4.1	Move framework to production environment
	3.4.2	Announce availability of framework
	4	Close the Project
	4,1	Conduct Post-Project Review
	4,2	Celebrate