Instead, wbs provides useful inputs for cost estimating and budgeting, scope control, activity definition, and more. Tabular work breakdown structure for school plant project. Not so good for displaying work breakdown structures to audiences who are not familiar with the project. If you do, its better to combine the two elements together and push the. The lowest level components for each deliverable are known as work packages.
A work breakdown structure template is a document that arranges a work project into its relevant portion. Oct 27, 2016 managers use wbs to break down their projects into easily manageable components. A b s tr ac t the work breakdow n structure wbs is a powerful tool for project management. Rather than focusing on individual actions that must be taken to accomplish a project, a wbs generally focuses on deliverables or concrete, measurable milestones.
Unfortunately, the business pressures driving projects have often prevented project managers from developing a comprehensive wbs. Creating a work breakdown structure with microsoft project. Ebook workflow editable work breakdown structure template. It does not elaborate about individual tasks or the order of execution in detail. Development of hybrid product breakdown structure for nasa ntrs. The project schedule is the tool that communicates what work needs to be performed, which resources of the organization will perform the work and the timeframes in which that work needs to be performed. Project networks are developed from the work breakdown structure wbs. The department of energy, national nuclear security administration doennsa, office of defense. Work breakdown structure wbs in project management apppm. While creating a work breakdown structure is technically easy its just a flowchart or an excel sheet, after all, it. But to confront the challenges of working in todays volatile economic environment, project managers are increasingly using. It is the connecting point for work and cost estimates, schedule information, actual work effortcost expenditures. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project.
Once youve made the work breakdown structure, share it with your team. Once the elements of the wbs have been defined, resource requirements are determined for each element. A work breakdown structure wbs is a fundamental project management technique for defining and organizing the total scope of a project, using a hierarchical tree structure. It is the connecting point for work and cost estimates, schedule information, actual work effortcost expenditures, and accountability. Reporting structure crs appendix l to provide a description of the transition between the work breakdown structure wbs to the crs during a program. Programs, manages a large, complex, and diverse portfolio of weapons activities. Nasa work breakdown structure wbs handbook page viii preface p.
The project schedule should reflect all of the work associated with delivering the project on time. The breakdown of the work package might then be done by the project team for that work package or even an external vendor. The wbs is designed to help break down a project into manageable chunks that can be effectively estimated and supervised. The development of a work breakdown structure with appropriate dates and budget is usually accomplished in a single iteration false tf. Company owners and project managers use the work breakdown structure wbs to make complex projects more manageable. The work breakdown structure wbs is a powerful tool for project management. Information to develop a project network is collected from the a. These components are further decomposed until a required person from the team can be assigned. A total project wbs is created by combining the elements of the nasa inhouse wbs elements. Using work breakdown structure wbs for effective project. It is also a good layout to use when developing the wbs because you can easily make changes, especially since the microsoft word auto numbering feature. Work breakdown structures give you a highlevel understanding of the project and. Integrating process and work breakdown structure with design. By kim colenso, managing principal, artemis management systems.
Assignment matrix ram shows the intersection of the organizational breakdown structure obs and the work breakdown structure wbs. In order to produce these deliverables, work must be performed. Download work breakdown structure diagram template. Work breakdown structures wbs are regularly used by project sides to break the scheme into smaller, easily and simply particular components. Think of the wbs as a visual model of the project that identifies each piece of the scope of work and how its delivered to the customer. Pdf work and resource breakdown structures for formalized. You can edit this work breakdown structure using creately diagramming tool and include in your reportpresentationwebsite. The work breakdown structure wbs divides the entire project into its component elements in order to establish a framework for effective management control of the project scope, schedule and budget. A work breakdown structure in every project management and system engineering is an effective tool that is used for defining and group the discrete elements of work in any project so that it can help the organization, build it in some way and boost the work scope of the whole project. A work breakdown structure, commonly abbreviated wbs, is a key project deliverable that is utilized to organize a project teams work and responsibilities into compact sections that are more manageable. Actually, work breakdown structure wbs is an essential visual tool can be used for defining hierarchical structure to more effective, and track the works. The work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and.
It is simply a chart or outline of your projects deliverables. The goal of a wbs is to make a large project more manageable. The work breakdown structure presented here represents all the work required to complete this project. Save time by deconstructing projects and tackling them one element at a time. Work breakdown structure wbs the building blocks of a schedule start with a work breakdown structure wbs. Pdf integrating process and work breakdown structure with. Wbs mindview simple wbs software work breakdown structure software. 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. The work break down structure wbs was developed during 1960s by the u. Tausworthe jet propllsiotl lrrhoultop the work breakdown structure wbs is a vehicle for breaking an engineering project down into subproject, tasks, subtasks, work packages, and so on. How to create a work breakdown structure lucidchart blog. The combined framework of obs and wbs allocates each. Structure the work based on the work products activityoriented approach structure the work based on development activities and project functions geographical area approach structure the work based on geographical location organizational approach structure the work based on organizational structure. The work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and control.
All the work contained within the wbs is to be identified, estimated, scheduled, and budgeted. Defining a work breakdown structure a work breakdown structure wbs is defined as a hierarchy of tasks that are representative of the real work flow of a construction project. The project management body of knowledge defines the work breakdown structure as a deliverable oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team. The wbs forms the backbone of all the project planning activities. Dividing tasks in their distinguishing components makes it easy to perform them in an organized.
Thinking in detail is critical when planning your project, but you also need to consider the big picture. This is a way of describing the work so that the team knows exactly what work is. A work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. A work breakdown structure element may be a product, data, a service, or any combination.
Work breakdown structure or wbs is a hierarchical tree structure that outlines your project and breaks it down into smaller, more manageable portions. Combine this with a wbs dictionary for a mix of visual structure and detailed project information. Wbs, or work breakdown structure, is a management tool for analyzing a complex project. Figures 1 and 2 provide examples of a wbs for the building of a table. The placement of an activity on the wbs is maintained directly on the activity record. A work breakdown structure wbs is the perfect tool to do so as it helps illustrate and divide a projects moving parts into smaller pieces. The wbs breaks down to cams gui which breaks down to prime msn product which.
A work breakdown structure wbs in project management is a tool used to define and group a projects discrete work elements or tasks in a way that helps organize and define the total work scope of the project. The work breakdown structure wbs is a tool that defines a project and groups the. It helps in obtaining awareness about manageable sections for developing a precise. Blank work breakdown structure template work breakdown structure. The wbs is a hierarchical reflection of all the work in the project in terms of deliverables. This example is from a real world project to merge a professional services department from an acquired business. The work breakdown structure provides a common framework for the natural development of the overall planning and control of a contract and is the basis for dividing work into definable increments from which the statement of work can be developed and technical, schedule, cost, and labor hour reporting can be established.
Learn how to create compelling work breakdown structure wbs. Isodis 21511en, work breakdown structures for project. If you fail to identify a major part of your projects work. The project network is a visual flow diagram of the sequence, interrelationships, dependencies and timing of all the activities that must be accomplished to complete the project. Workbreakdownstructure work breakdown structurewbs.
O utline v iew the outline view presents an easy to view and understand layout for the wbs. It is the cornerstone of effective project planning, execution, controlling, statusing, and reporting. Creating a work breakdown structure wbs helps you be both comprehensive and specific when managing a project. The work breakdown structure visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that a project team can. Merging the wbs and obs, the project manager creates a responsibility. You organize your project work into smaller, more easily manageable units called tasks. Oct 20, 2018 the work breakdown structure wbs an interesting schedule model. If you fail to identify a major part of your projects work, you wont have the chance to detail it. Templates work breakdown structure wbs during project scope management, a work breakdown structure will be produced. The purpose of a work breakdown structure is as follows.
This is a full breakdown of all of the work activities that will be required to deliver the project. Set boundaries for a time, so that there is no delay. All the work contained within the wbs is to be identified. Use it to get a highlevel overview of the projects progress. The development of work breakdown structure involves subdividing the major project activities or subactivities into smaller, more manageable activities until the activities are defined in sufficient detail to support the management and development of project works. The work breakdown structure wbs is one of the most important tools you can use when managing a project. How to do a wbs work breakdown structure with projectlibre in a simple way. You can define a hierarchy of tasks called a work breakdown structure wbs. This glossary applies only to the terms used in the ska project execution plan phase 1 work breakdown structure and statement of work mgt001. Structural breakdown of the project into small components, can be helps to focus on priority and important works. This helps project managers and company owners alike to get a clearer picture of amount of time and resources needed for each component of the project.
The work breakdown structure in software project management robert c. Work breakdown structure examples and overview brighthub. Creating the work breakdown structure by kim colenso, managing principal, artemis management systems the work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and control. Jun 17, 2014 this article describes one of the most important tools the wbs work breakdown structure for understanding and decomposing project scope and also the various advantagessuccesses that a project team could derive if a wbs is wellprepared and used through the duration of the project. The methodology for a formalized project management system includes development of a resource breakdown structure and a work breakdown structure before developing an estimate and a schedule for. Understanding work breakdown structures the wbs of a project is represented by a hierarchical grid that shows project activities and their relationships. Work breakdown structure wbs is one of the most vital planning processes of the project management. Studies suggest that there is a strong correlation between project success and clear project scope definition. Isodis 21511en, work breakdown structures for project and. Work breakdown structure template in word and pdf formats. May 06, 2012 the work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical decomposition of the project objectives into deliverableoriented tasks that are executed by the project team to accomplish the overall project goals. The items at the lowest level of a branch are known as work packages. The efficiency of a work breakdown structure can determine the success of a project. In programs or large projects, a work package may be at a level requiring further decomposition into its own work breakdown structure.
Wbs is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. The work breakdown structure in software project management. The work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical decomposition of the project objectives into deliverableoriented tasks that are executed by the project team to accomplish the overall project goals. The importance of the wbs experienced project managers know there are many things that can go wrong in projects. A description of how this structure was developed using the work breakdown structure wbs approach section 2. Work breakdown structures a work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. The yellow sticky approach to create a network for this project. This document is a great source of analyzing the way of work through different parts of project. This is where all the work component descriptions are documented. Practical approaches for integral project management and. Detailed tasks which must be performed to satisfy the subsidiary work product goals and objectives are then identified and defined for each work product or element on which work will be performed. Nasa work breakdown structure wbs handbook page 3 set of goals and objectives which must be met in order for the project objectives to be met. The work breakdown structure wbs is a vehicle for breaking an engineering project down into subproject, tasks, subtasks, work packages, and so on.
Free work breakdown structure templates smartsheet. In reality, wbs is a simple and easy visual breakdown of deliverables for product, result, or service. Different characters of work, change of responsibilities and external factors inhibiting a continuous flow of work imply to break down the overall project into partial projects. The work breakdown structure provides a common framework for the natural development of the overall planning and control of a contract and is the basis for dividing work into definable increments from which the statement of work can be developed and technical, schedule, cost, and labor hour reporting can be established a work breakdown structure permits summing of subordinate costs for tasks. Work breakdown structure relativistic heavy ion collider. Work breakdown structure wbs template free visio excel. Large or complex deliverables are broken down into smaller components. It becomes an important status monitor during the actual imple.
What is work breakdown structure in project management. Pdf designing work breakdown structure wbs in tunneling. The aggregation of all the work to be performed in a project. The wbs provides the foundation for all project management work, including, planning, cost and effort estimation, resource allocation, and scheduling. Without a full and complete schedule, the project manager will be. A single wbs could represent one segment with its associated tasks of a larger project. How to do a wbs work breakdown structure with projectlibre. Jul 27, 2016 work breakdown structure excel template. This document makes it easy for employees to perform their duties and it puts the tasks in an order. The work breakdown structure the project management institute pmi 2001 define the wbs as a hierarchical structure that defines and organises the total project scope based on deliverables, with each descending level in the hierarchy representing an increasingly detailed definition of the project work. In wrike, you can build a wbs by creating folders and subfolders, and can even go further to divide individual tasks into subtasks. The wbs divides the scope of the project work into smaller, manageable work. It is an im portant planning tool which links objectives with re sources and activities in a logical framework.
It decomposes the work into project sections and further into individual tasks. A work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical outline of the tasks needed to deliver the projects product or service. It can be used on its own or nested into a larger network schedule. Work breakdown structure wbs, in project management and systems engineering, is a deliverableoriented decomposition of a project into smaller components. Work breakdown structure rev e, june 2003 work breakdown structure a project work breakdown structure wbs is a deliverable or product oriented grouping of project work elements shown in graph ical display to organize and subdivide the total work scope of a project. If i were building something with many, many parts like an airplane. But there are few researches on the methods or tools to design wbs in tunneling projects. Oracle projects supports an unlimited work breakdown structure, in which you can define as many levels of tasks as you want. Work breakdown structures for project and programme management. Work breakdown structurebased cost model for reverse.
When one employee is responsible for each unit of a wbs, the breakdown is complete. The work breakdown structure wbs has long served as a valuable tool in helping project managers plan deliverables and detail project scope. The wbs was initially employed by the defense department of us, which directed its application on their projects. What is wbs work breakdown structure in project management. The following discussion will examine the current trends and practice regarding work breakdown structures. Work breakdown structures bernd bruegge applied software engineering. Developing and elaborating effective work breakdown structures. A work breakdown structure template is a crucial document which helps to break down your work into small pieces for easily determining its procedure of completion. Use the method described in the snapshot from practice. Applying work breakdown structure to project lifecycle. A wbs work breakdown structure is a project management tool that is planned to capture project activities in an illustrative diagram.