This paper examines how project managers can appropriately use a wbs to manage. Event planners can use a work breakdown structure to display all the details of subtasks to move forward. Work breakdown structure wbs in project management. Software project scope verification is a very important process in project scope management and it needs to be performed properly so as to avoid project rework and to promote better project scope control. Work breakdown structure free software downloads and. Determining work and tasks sizes work breakdown structure wbs different approaches for developing a wbs notations for work breakdown structures heuristics and examples starting with templates how to identify work what do we do with risky tasks.
A work breakdown structure showing wbs travel plan. Wbs project work breakdown structure management for ios. In the project management category, you can double click the work breakdown structure icon. The graphical nature of the wbs can help a project manager predict outcomes based on various scenarios, which can ensure that optimum decisions are made about whether or not to adopt suggested. It is an important planning tool which links objectives with resources and activities in a logical framework. Pdf designing work breakdown structure wbs in tunneling projects new work breakdown structure pdf printable, source.
Work breakdown structure brief history the work breakdown structure theory originally came from the united states department of defense dod. Nov 26, 2019 a work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. 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 obs breaks down to engineering which breaks down to design which breaks down to interface design. How to do a wbs work breakdown structure with projectlibre. Software project work breakdown structures rosehulman. It is used to identify all project deliverables and necessary activities. One work breakdown structure example that will make it clear. 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. This document is a great source of analyzing the way of work through different parts of project. A work breakdown structure is not a list of tasks, a schedule or an organization chart. The work breakdown structure wbs has long served as a valuable tool in helping project managers plan deliverables and detail project scope. A work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. Preprint pdf available november 2015 with 23,330 reads.
The work breakdown structure in software project management article pdf available in journal of systems and software. An example would be the finished design model for a ship. Online banking system editable work breakdown structure. The work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and control.
The work breakdown structure wbs is a vehicle for breaking an engineering project down into subproject, tasks, subtasks, work packages, and so on. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project. The wbs should be a productbased, hierarchical division of deliverable items and associated services. The following discussion will examine the current trends and practice regarding work breakdown structures. Pdf the work breakdown structure in software project management. Ease of data transfer, interface and integration with other systems and software within the department for example, catssap, projman.
On the other hand, things such as design engineering, requirements. How to do a wbs work breakdown structure with projectlibre in a simple way. What is wbs work breakdown structure in project management. Many people have mistaken wbs as a list of tasks, a schedule or an organization chart. Work breakdown structures in large projects how detailed should a wbs be. Thinking in detail is critical when planning your project, but you also need to consider the big picture. Work breakdown structures wbs for software development projects. The contents of the template are shown below and hints and tips are includes in the template.
The work breakdown structure does not show any dependence among the activitiestasks. Section 2 focuses on the work breakdown structure wbs as a tool that supports. Fully expandable and collapsable work breakdown structure. A work breakdown structure wbs is a graphical chart which shows all the parts a project has to deliver in order to meet the project goal. System hierarchy and work breakdown structure module. You can edit this work breakdown structure using creately diagramming tool and include in your reportpresentationwebsite. A work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. This is a free work breakdown structure wbs template in excel and pdf. The work breakdown structure in software project management. Work breakdown structure software features create wbs quickly create wbs quickly and easily in edraw using a topdown approach. When a project provides professional services, a common technique is to capture all planned deliverables to create a deliverableoriented wbs. In a work breakdown structure, you need to identify the smallest units of the work items that can be started and completed as a unit. Applying work breakdown structure to project lifecycle pmi.
Work breakdown structure sample pdf besttemplatess123. 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. What is a work breakdown structure wbs example included. All the work contained within the wbs is to be identified, estimated, scheduled, and budgeted. Here is a work breakdown structure example that shows the task details of an integrated management information system. A work breakdown structure wbs is a chart in which the critical work elements, called tasks, of a project are illustrated to portray their relationships to each other and to the project as a whole. Creating a work breakdown structure wbs helps you be both comprehensive and specific when managing a project. It is an im portant planning tool which links objectives with re. Work breakdown structure or wbs is a hierarchical tree structure that outlines your project and breaks it down into smaller, more manageable portions. A work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical structure of things that the project will make or outcomes that it will deliver this one is far better. A work breakdown structure wbs 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. A work breakdown structure wbs is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. Featuredriven software projects may use a similar technique which is to employ a. A deliverable basically is the end result or product of a task.
A work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical. If your software does not allow you to create a hierarchy diagram easily, dont do it in ms word, please. Pdf the work breakdown structure in software project. Featuredriven software projects may use a similar technique which is to employ a feature breakdown structure. Unfortunately, the business pressures driving projects have often prevented project managers from developing a comprehensive wbs.
Feb 28, 2018 how to do a wbs work breakdown structure with projectlibre in a simple way. A b s tr ac t the work breakdow n structure wbs is a powerful tool for project management. 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. It is the connecting point for work and cost estimates, schedule information, actual work effortcost expenditures, and accountability. The project management body of knowledge pmbok defines the work breakdown structure as a deliverable oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team. Pdf the work breakdown structure wbs is a vehicle for breaking an engineering project down into subproject, tasks, subtasks, work packages, and so. It helps in obtaining awareness about manageable sections for developing a precise.
Wbs hierarchical list of projects work activities t wo formats outline indented format graphical tree organizational chart uses a decimal numbering system ex. A work breakdown structure for implementing and costing an. 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. The wbs is based on the system hierarchy or product breakdown structure pbs, with the specified prime products. 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. 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. The work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical description of all of the work that must be done to meet the needs of the client. The importance of the wbs experienced project managers know there are many things that can go wrong in projects. This is a way of describing the work so that the team knows exactly what work is. A fixture in classic project management methodology and systems engineering, the work breakdown structure wbs is a method that breaks a project down into a hierarchy of deliverables, tasks, and subtasks.
A signal processor, for example, is clearly a product, as are mock ups and computer software configuration items. It is the cornerstone of effective project planning, execution, controlling, statusing, and reporting. Rational unified process, rational software corporation 19872001. A wbs is the cornerstone of effective project planning, execution, controlling, monitoring, and reporting.
The graphical nature of the wbs can help a project manager predict outcomes based on various scenarios, which can ensure that optimum decisions. Reorganizing the tasks in the chart requires only click of a button. It encompasses many cuttingedge tools for advanced drawings. In your project you will want to develop them down to a much more detailed level using the 8 to 80 rule where the wbs is broken down to where a work package contains between 8 and 80 hours of work to complete. What is work breakdown structure in project management. If you fail to identify a major part of your projects work, you wont have the chance to detail it. Rather it provides the basis on which a task list and a schedule can be constructed. One project may include several phases, or also smaller subprojects. Information technology engineers can use a work breakdown structure as a roadmap for their program development, for example, software development, remote projects, database system development and more. Work breakdown structure wbs a work breakdown system wbs is used for. 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. In so doing, you gain clarity into the details needed to accomplish every aspect of your project. A work breakdown structure defines all the things a project needs to accomplish, organized into multiple levels, and displayed graphically.
Project work breakdown structure wbs management on outline and chart views. Wbs should not take too much effort to create and maintain it. Work breakdown structure in software project management pdf new 48 new work breakdown structure pdf example, source. Creately diagrams can be exported and added to word, ppt powerpoint, excel, visio or any other document. Work breakdown structure relativistic heavy ion collider. The items at the lowest level of a branch are known as work packages. Along the way, the work breakdown structure template provides columns for assigning the owner of the task, if there are any dependencies that are linked to the task, what resources are needed, the status, resources required, cost and a brief timeline of the estimated time to complete the task, and its start and end date. A work breakdown structure provides a birds eye view of the project and helps identifying various dependencies in the project. For example, you can link dependencies with a simple click on the gantt chart, which is online and will notify the team member who is responsible for it. The work breakdown structure wbs has long served as a valuable tool in helping. 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. Free download edraw max to explore more builtin diagram resources. Breakdown your project within the only wbs project management software that allows task assignment and full collaboration with your team mates. Its a helpful tool that defines a detailed cost or time estimate and provides guidance for schedule development and control.
Task or work package planning and scheduling cost estimating or budget formulation product development documentation, e. Work breakdown structure software edraw max provides an innovative approach to visually and graphically create, edit and modify work breakdown structure diagrams. The work breakdown structure in software project management robert c. Planhammer is a fully featured work breakdown structure software with robust project management capabilities. 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. The work breakdown structure presented here represents all the work required to complete this project. Use pdf export for high quality prints and svg export for large sharp images or. Think of the wbs as a visual model of the project that identifies each piece of the scope of. As an example, you may have a deliverable defined for a software. Even subprojects can be broken down into smaller bits.
A work breakdown structure for implementing and costing an erp project communications of the ibima volume 6, 2008 94 a work breakdown structure for implementing and costing an erp project aisha momoh, decision engineering centre, cranfield university, bedford, uk,a. Applying work breakdown structure to project lifecycle. The pd is to structure the project work into wbs elements work packages. Work breakdown structure wbs in project management teamgantt. This matrix is an example from a software development program. The template is fully editable with excel and can be converted or changed to suit specific project requirements. In wrike, you can build a wbs by creating folders and subfolders, and can even go further to divide individual tasks into subtasks. You only need to click, drag and drop to create tasks and phases. Work breakdown structure information, software and wbs samples. Aug 23, 2019 our cloudbased software allows you to use the work breakdown structure template with all our other great features. Work breakdown structure rev e, june 2003 do not include elements that are not products.
The responsibility assignment matrix ram shows the intersection of the organizational breakdown structure obs and the work breakdown structure wbs. Outline of todays class determining work and tasks sizes work breakdown structure wbs different approaches for developing wbss notations for work breakdown structures heuristics and examples for wbs. Structure wbs is a hierarchical description of all of the work that must be done to meet the needs of the client. Wbs travel plan editable work breakdown structure template. A wbs is a productoriented family tree that identifies the hardware, software, services.
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. In reality, wbs is a simple and easy visual breakdown of deliverables for product, result, or service. Tasks and schedules are better handled in other ways, for example by using gantt charts. Online bankingyou can edit this template and create your own diagram. Work breakdown structure wbs in project management an. Work breakdown structure wbs definition a hierarchical breakdown of the work necessary to complete a project. The work breakdown structure visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that a project team can.