How to Craft a World-Class Work Breakdown Structure

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How to Craft a World-Class

Work Breakdown Structure

Laura Miller, PMP

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Overview

• Major input to the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the Scope Statement

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Project Planning uses the Scope Statement as starting point

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WBS is last step in defining Scope

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Scope Statement will likely be updated after full WBS and Schedule creation

• The Scope Statement

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Puts boundaries around the project (i.e., what’s “IN” and what’s “OUT”)

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Includes description, high-level deliverables, key milestones, success criteria,

assumptions, constraints

• Work Breakdown Structure:

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Sub-divides the project objective into smaller, more manageable components

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Gives clear view of the work required and organizes the work activities

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Serves as a basis for estimating, assigning resources, and managing/controlling the work

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•Please provide a benefit for building and/or using a WBS

What are the benefits of a WBS?

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Benefits

• Helps to determine sequence of work

• Clarifies responsibility and assignment of work

• Creates a baseline to measure performance

• Provides an excellent tool for communication to the stakeholders

• Ensures the scope of work is covered

• Assists in controlling change

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Examples

Approaches

WBS Decomposition

• WBS needs to convey the decomposition of work

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Can be in prose, outline form

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Can be graphical in an org or hierarchical tree chart

• Generic Levels in WBS

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1.0 = Project name

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1.x = Subsystems or Phases

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1.x.x = Major deliverables

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1.x.x.x = Sub-deliverables

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1.x.x.x.x = Work Packages

• Each work package has a unique identifier

• Process or Activity-Oriented

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By different activities or flow

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E.g., Needs Analysis, Purchasing, Testing

• Achievement-Oriented

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By final state to meet objectives

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E.g., Acceptance of System per Plans

• Function or Product-Oriented

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By different parts of final product

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Group Input

What approaches have you used to build WBS?

Has anyone used achievement-oriented approach?

Has anyone used function or product-oriented approach?

Has anyone used process or activity-oriented approach?

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Real-life Example

1. Business Objective: Modernize the kitchen

Description: Meet current building standards for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. Update all fixtures and appliances.

2. Business Objective: Facilitate meal preparation

and flexibility of meal delivery

Description: Ensure 2 persons can work in the kitchen at the same time to prepare meal and can streamline delivery of meals for dining

3. Business Objective: Manage within the specified

budget

Description: Make design and execution decisions such that cost does not exceed 10% of appraised value of residence

Project Scope Objectives

Which Approach could be Selected?

• Process or Activity-Oriented

– By different activities or flow

– E.g., Needs Analysis, Purchasing, Testing

• Achievement-Oriented

– By final state to meet objectives – E.g., Acceptance of System per Plans

• Function or Product-Oriented

– By different parts of final product – E.g., Hardware, Software, Data, Service

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Real-life Example

Project Scope Objectives

WBS Outline

1. Business Objective: Modernize the kitchen

Description: Meet current building standards for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. Update all fixtures and appliances.

2. Business Objective: Facilitate meal preparation

and flexibility of meal delivery

Description: Ensure 2 persons can work in the kitchen at the same time to prepare meal and can streamline delivery of meals for dining

3. Business Objective: Manage within the specified

budget

Description: Make design and execution decisions such that cost does not exceed 10% of appraised

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Example, con’t

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WBS Graphical Tree

Levels in WBS

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1.0 = Project name

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1.x = Subsystems/Phases

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1.x.x = Major deliverables

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1.x.x.x = Sub-deliverables

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1.x.x.x.x = Work Packages

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Let’s Practice

In Visio – decompose your scope to work packages

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Considerations

Sequencing

Ordering:

• Put list of activities in logical order

• Consider when the tasks should start, should be completed, or should be worked on • Check the sequence and determine if something isn’t flowing correctly and rework it

– Not only logical, but consider what is feasible and desirable

– E.g., Task # 5 starts before task # 4 is completed because it’s more feasible Constraint:

• What is keeping tasks from being started at the same time or finishing on time?

– E.g., Resource availability, Client timing for delivery of product, Certain manufacturer on short-list Dependency:

• How are tasks related and dependent on one another?

– E.g., Can task #3 get started before task #2 ends or is it dependent on task #2 being completed? • Use a network diagram to show dependency relationship, using arrows /lines to show connections

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Sequencing, con’t

Example & Discussion

Click over to view the Visio of the PAINT WBS and answer the following questions. Ordering:

• What are examples of ordering on our PAINT WBS example? Constraint:

• What might keep PAINT tasks from being started or finishing on time? Dependency:

• What are examples of dependent PAINT tasks?

• Can you identify different types of dependencies? (FS, SS, FF) • What type of dependencies exist to tasks in other WBS towers?

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Considerations

• Duration is the time elapsed to complete the task; typically in days

• Effort is the number of hours the task will take for the assigned resource to expend

− E.g., 9 hour effort task will take 3 days in duration to complete since resource is assigned only 33% because has assignments on other tasks/projects

• Typically, consider a 5-day work week and not a 7-day calendar week or holidays for duration

− Scheduling software can be set to remove non-workdays from the calendar

Estimating

Types of Project Estimating

1. Top Down Estimating: high level estimating by comparing similar projects. 2. Bottom Up estimating: estimates at the work package level from start to finish

3. Quantitatively based estimates: based on productivity rates for a repetitive type of task As the PAINT team lead - What method of estimating would you recommend?

How could you use the other methods?

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WBS Build Challenges

• When drafting initial Scope Statement, PMs are often asked to provide project-related estimates − Dates for key milestones or deliverables

− Level of required resources

o Capital / Equipment o Personnel

• Need to estimate dates and resource loads before detailed planning can begin

• Need to start project when latter phases on project not known or not yet funded

• Plan in detail only what you really know for certain through a period of time, i.e. “planning horizon” • Use placeholders to convey the major deliverables

or phases – just not the decomposition

• Additional detail is added to schedule at key points in time

• Cross industry term: “Planning Package Conversion” • Repair any breaks in scheduling standards

• Set a new Baseline

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• Document generated to support the WBS

• Provides a detailed description of the WBS components and assists in providing a further clarification of work, to help set expectations for stakeholders.

• It can include:

• Identifier and Component Name • Description of Work

• Resource

• Could also include:

• Milestones • Estimates • Organization Information • Quality Requirements • Acceptance Criteria • Related Activities

• Need to validate the value of creating one • Some software creates this for you

• Helpful on very large projects

WBS Dictionary

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Snapshot of Project Schedule

Next Step with WBS

In MS Project – look how the “Renovate Kitchen” WBS is portrayed

Scheduling Standards include:

• Be consistent in the WBS Decomposition

• Predecessors, successors, resources & costs are applied only to Work Packages • There should be only one task without predecessor; one task without successor • Milestones are zero duration and can be the phase’s tasks successor

What are the key things to remember to do when building a WBS?

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