3. 3 The Work Breakdown Structure in the
PMBOK®
From the file
ITO2008.ppt
4. 4 The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Used as a basis for a number of processes in
particular to produce the subsidiary plans of the
Project Management Plan.
• The WBS is a deliverable-oriented hierarchy of
decomposed project components that organises and
defines the total scope of the project. The WBS is a
representation of the detailed project scope
statement that specifies the work to be
accomplished by the project.
• The elements comprising the WBS assist the
stakeholders in viewing the end product of the
project.
• The work at the lowest-level WBS component is
estimated, scheduled, and tracked.
5. 5
The Dictionary of the WBS
• A WBS dictionary is a companion document to the
WBS that describes each WBS element. For each WBS
element, the WBS dictionary includes a statement of
work, a list of associated activities, and a list of
milestones.
• Other information can include the responsible
organisation, start and end dates, resources required,
an estimate of cost, charge number, contract
information, quality requirements, and technical
references.
• WBS elements should be cross-referenced as
appropriate.
6. 6
• Redecorate Room
Prepare materials
Buy paint
Buy a ladder
Buy brushes/rollers
Buy wallpaper remover
Prepare room
Remove old wallpaper
Remove detachable decorations
Cover floor with old newspapers
Cover electrical outlets/switches with tape
Cover furniture with sheets
Paint the room
Clean up the room
Dispose or store left over paint
Clean brushes/rollers
Dispose of old newspapers
Remove covers
Example WBS
7. 7
Developing the WBS
• Divide the total work of the project into
major groups...
• ...then subdivide these groups into
tasks...
• ...then divide these tasks into sub-tasks
• Subtasks should be small enough to
permit adequate control and visibility
• But avoid excess bureaucracy!
8. 8 Product Breakdown Structure
• Redecorated Room
Removed old wallpaper
Clean room
Cover for furniture
Cover for electrical
switches
Newspapers to cover
floor.
Paint
Paint on wall
Leftover paint
Management products
Ladder
Brushes and rollers
• Focus on the product
to be delivered and not
on the work to do.
• Underpins PRINCE2®
“product-based”
approach.
9. 9 “Scope Breakdown Structure”
(Max Wideman’s approach)
• Geographically discrete components
• Time based phases and stages
• Intermediate or final major deliverables
• Discrete structural, process, system or device
components
• Deliverable elements that can be associated
with distinctive types of people-skills or
resources
• After that, break down the work as in the WBS
10. 10 Scope Breakdown Structure
(Max Wideman redecorates a room)
• Redecorated Room
Painted wall
Buy paint
Buy ladder
Buy brushes or rollers
Paint room
New curtains
…
• Content Family
A clean room
Cover floor with old newspapers
Cover electrical outlets/switches with tape
Cover furniture with sheets
Dinner in a restaurant
…
Decision on colours
…
• Note the noun
phrases on the top
levels (scope
breakdown) and
the activities on
the lower levels!
11. 11
Summary
• The WBS is used to define the
activities that are then further
managed.
• Consider alternatives:
Work Breakdown Structure
Product Breakdown Structure
Scope Breakdown Structure
• Use Common Sense in Breakdown the
Project.
12. 12Six Criteria to Test for Completeness in
the WBS
• The WBS is developed as part of a Joint Planning
session. But how do you know that you've done this
right? Each activity must possess six characteristics
to be considered complete – that is, completely
decomposed. The six characteristics are
1. Status/completion is measurable
2. Start/end events are clearly defined
3. Activity has a deliverable
4. Time/cost is easily estimated
5. Activity duration is within acceptable limits
6. Work assignments are independent
13. 13 Project scope statement
• The project scope statement documents the entire scope,
including project and product scope
Project scope encompasses product scope
plus the work required to create the product:
any project-related activities, such as
documentation delivery and training
Product scope encompasses the functional
and non-functional requirements for the final
project deliverable
• The project scope statement provides a common
understanding of the project scope among project
stakeholders
• The project scope statement may contain explicit scope
exclusions that can help to manage stakeholder expectations
14. 14 Project scope statement
• Project scope statement. The project scope statement
contents include:
Product scope description. Progressively elaborates
the characteristics of the product described in the
project charter and requirements
Product acceptance criteria. Conditions required for
acceptance of deliverables
Project deliverables. Deliverables include both
product outputs and project outputs, such as project
reports and documentation
Project exclusions. Identifies what is excluded from
project
Project constraints. Lists and describes anything that
limits the project team's options, such as budget,
imposed schedule, milestones, etc.
Project assumptions. Lists and describes anything
assumed to be true with respect to the scope and
impact if these prove to be false
15. 15
Uses for the WBS
• Planning tool:
In the planning phase, the WBS gives the project
team a detailed representation of the project as
a collection of activities that must be completed
in order for the project to be completed.
It is at the lowest activity level of WBS that we
will estimate effort, elapsed time, and resource
requirements; build a schedule of when the
work will be completed; and estimate deliverable
dates and project completion.
16. 16
Uses for the WBS
• Project status reporting tool.
The WBS is used as structure for reporting
project status.
The project activities are consolidated from the
bottom as lower-level activities are completed.
Completion of lower-level activities cause
higher-level activities to be partially complete.
Therefore, WBS defines milestone events that
can be reported to senior management and to
the customer.
