Effective work breakdown structures project management. The importance of the wbs experienced project managers know there are many things that can go wrong in projects. This zip file contains the white paper the work breakdown structure. Effective work breakdown structures management concepts.
To develop and maintain a wbs, you must have a clear understanding of the projects. It is a product oriented structure, not an organizational structure. The following discussion will examine the current trends and practice regarding work breakdown structures. Cdc unified process practices guide work breakdown structure up version. Effective work breakdown structures the project management essential ibrary series 97815672656. At last the first comprehensive and practical guide to the work breakdown structure wbs in 45 years. Haugan, now retired, has a long history in project management starting with dod projects in 1960. Haugan effective work breakdown structures the project management essential ibrary series by gregory t. A wbs is arranged in a hierarchy and constructed to allow for clear and logical groupings, either by activities or deliverables. Chapter 1 introduction to the work breakdown structure the project problem and solution. Work breakdown structures wbs are a fundamental building block of practicing project management. Haugan project planning and scheduling project management essential library. Work breakdown structure a work breakdown structure wbs is a decomposition of all the work necessary to complete a project. Youll learn how to use wbs throughout the project lifecycle to plan, control and communicate.
His book reflects the original dod approach to wbs. Doe office of management, budget and evaluation work breakdown structure project management practices guide, revision e dated june 2003. This paper examines the dimensions that are involved in developing a wbs that can help project teams successfully realize their project goals. Gregory t effective work breakdown structures, gregory t. To create effective work breakdown structures or determine if the wbs represented in a given project schedule has been derived from an effective wbs development process, the project manager must first understand the attributes and characteristics found in effective work breakdown structure construction and become familiar with the process that. This book offers vital new perspectives on how to apply the wbs to todays different types of projects that produce products, services or results. Design documents, manuals, the delivered system, functional approach structure the work based on development activities and project functions examples. Guidance provided by haugan 2008 indicates wps should be established at a level that. Buy effective work breakdown structures project management essential library 1 by gregory t haugan isbn. The work breakdown structure wbs is a tool that defines a project and groups the projects discrete work elements in a way that helps organize and define the total work scope of the project.
It is a hierarchical chart that accounts for the individual parts of a system. A brief synopsis and work breakdown structures in both word and excel and a pdf appendix of the work breakdown structure wbs example for bicycle, environmental management, government designbidbuild, oilgaspetrochemical, pharmaceutical, process improvement, process plant construction, service industry outsourcing. Now that weve talked about how to use a work breakdown structure to estimate your projects and manage project scope, lets look at some simple work breakdown structure examples to jumpstart your ideas. The placement of an activity on the wbs is maintained directly on the activity record. Approaches to develop work breakdown structures product component approach structure the work based on the work products examples. The work breakdown structure wbs is used for defining work packages and developing and tracking the cost and schedule for the project. Creating the work breakdown structure the wbs can be structured in either of two ways.
Creating effective work breakdown structures or how to recognize. Effective work breakdown structures project management essential library. Product breakdown structures and work breakdown structures look very similar and both have important roles to play in the project planning and control process. Pdf for a project to be properly managed, there is a need to generate its. This book offers vital new perspectives on how to apply. What is wbs work breakdown structure in project management.
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. Project managers have long relied on work breakdown structures wbs to help them effectively and efficiently plan and implement projects. Activities by cindy berg, pmp, and kim colenso, pmp pm network, april 2000 does the wbs include activities, or should it. Work breakdown structures engineering systems science. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Some of the features are listed below, but many more are being developed to make this the best tool for breaking down projects.
Haugan at last the first comprehensive and practical guide to the work breakdown structure wbs in 45 years. From the time the first edition of the practice standard for work breakdown structures was being developed a little more than five years ago, there has been a vast expansion in rapid electronic access to information through the internet, cdroms. One work breakdown structure example that will make it clear. Seeing how complex projects are actually broken down can help you do the same in your projects. Practice standard for work breakdown structures 2nd ed. Project planning and scheduling by gregory t haugan pdf. Breakdown structure efficient project management simplified. As the discipline has matured, project professionals have expanded and matured the wbs concept. Creating effective work breakdown structures or how to. Documentations, project management docs effective work breakdown structure gregory t. The end of exam candidates should be aware that the pmi scheduling professional pmisp. The wbs 1 is a hierarchal decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project. Work breakdown structure practice standard projectwbs vs.
The lowest level describes a package of work that can be. The 100% rule haugan, 2002, p 17 is one of the most important principles guiding. Mar 15, 2018 work breakdown structure wbs examples. Booz allen hamilton what is a work breakdown structure. The wbs is the key tool used to assist the project. An entry in the work breakdown structure that can be at any level. A mismatch between the project wbs, the organizational structure, and the. Wbs is a hierarchical model of all the work required to produce the projects outputs. Effective work breakdown structures the project management. Heres an example of a work breakdown structure in flowchart form. Summary offering perspectives on how to apply the work breakdown structure wbs to different types of projects to produce products, services or results, this book shows how to use wbs throughout the project lifecycle to plan, control and communicate. Sign up, and give feedback to influence the features.
Work breakdown structures objectoriented software engineering. The work breakdown structure wbs provides the foundation for defining work as it relates to project objectives. A work breakdown structure wbs is a fundamental project management technique. Effective work breakdown structures the project management essential ibrary seriesmanagement concepts 2002. Pdf impact of various workbreakdown structures on project. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project management lifecycle. Work breakdown structure wbs in project management teamgantt. And yet, despite the benefits derived from an effective wbs, research suggests that project. A work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by. And yet, despite the benefits derived from an effective wbs, research suggests. Chapter 1 introduction to the work breakdown structure 1. The work breakdown structure wbs is the tool commonly used to ensure proper division of labor and integration of the project deliverables.
Practice standard for work breakdown structures download. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project. Effective work breakdown structures the project management essential ibrary series by gregory t. Each level of the wbs represents an increasingly detailed description of the project work by activity. Understanding work breakdown structures the wbs of a project is represented by a hierarchical grid that shows project activities and their relationships. A work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. The work package includes the schedule activities and schedule milestones required to complete the work package deliverable or project work component. The first approach structures the wbs primarily from a deliverables perspective, in that the highest level level 1 entries represent the major deliverables that the project is committed to create. Task oriented verb types of wbs types of work breakdown structure deliverable oriented noun time phased phases organisation types, geographicaltypes costbreakdown. A deliverable or project work component at the lowest level of each branch of the work breakdown structure. It is quite common for misunderstandings and the loose use of language to blur the edges in these two diagram types causing them to lose effectiveness. Chapter 1 introduction to the work breakdown structure. Construction phase work breakdown structure construction initiation addenda construction operations construction completion asbuilt plans bids advertisement communications project briefing meeting minutes public outreach meeting minutes construction bidx posting of addenda contractor addenda acknowledgement advertising memo bidx posting goals. Haugan is associated with the development of the work breakdown structure wbs design principle called.
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. Developing and elaborating effective work breakdown structures. It is a book you must have in your shelf for 2 reasons. Haugan received his phd from american university, his mba from st. Lavold also considers the wbs to be an effective basis.
This tool helps project managers initiate and implement the planning process in conjunction with the many other essential project management processes, such as estimating, scheduling, and controlling. The best way to understand how work breakdown structures work is by looking at different wbs examples. The practice standard for scheduling has been developed as a complement to a guide to the project management body of knowledge pmbok guidethird edition in the knowledge area of project time management. Specifically, the planning process group begins with three essential steps scope planning 3. Approaches to develop work breakdown structures resultoriented approach 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. Work breakdown structures 1 au this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution 3. Outstanding book if you want to learn about the work breakdown structures. 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 relevance of the topic and the way gregory haugan wrote it. Is it completely separate from the dependency network, with nothing in common, or do these two key project management tools share some common elements. This practice standard describes the methods related to scheduling that are generally recognized as good practice for most projects most of. The work breakdown structure wbs provides a view of your project based on activities. Work breakdown structure wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Read online and download ebook practice standard for work breakdown structures.