Work Break Down

Structure Technique

Assignment
Engineering Economics and Management

Submitted To

SIR QAMAR ABBAS ZAIDI

Submitted By

SEC: ‘C’
Group Members: Syed Hashim Hussain 2008-EE-174
Syed Bilal Ahmed 2008-EE-151
Hussain Johar 2008-EE-150
Raja Imran 2008-EE-139
Sarmad Sultan 2008-EE-131
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Work breakdown structure

A work breakdown structure (WBS) in project management and systems

engineering, is a tool used to define and group a project's discrete work elements
in a way that helps organize and define the total work scope of the project

Work breakdown structure, WBS, captures all the elements of a project in an

organized fashion. Breaking down large, complex projects into smaller project
pieces provides a better framework for organizing and managing the project. WBS
can facilitate resource allocation, task assignment, responsibilities, measurement
and control of the project.

A work breakdown structure element may be a product, data, a service, or any

combination.
A WBS also provides the necessary framework for detailed cost estimating and
control along with providing guidance for schedule development and control.
Additionally the WBS is a dynamic tool and can be revised and updated as needed
by the project manager.

How to Get Started?

If we think about starting a project, we begin with a project charter and preliminary
scope statement. This defines the high-level goals and deliverables of the project.
We then create the project scope document which further defines these
deliverables into a list of all deliverables and the requirements of each. The next
step is to use this comprehensive list of deliverables to build the WBS.

The WBS will detail the full scope of the work necessary to finish the project. The
WBS can then be used to estimate the cost of the project, schedule resources, and
plan quality gates. Essentially the WBS will enable you to better manage your
project.

Getting to a Point Where we can start to plan

To get the point we follow the process of decomposition.

• Decomposition is a 5-step process:

1. Identify all the major project deliverables.

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2. Organize the WBS
3. Define the WBS components
4. Assign identification codes.
5. Verify the WBS

It’s a lot of work to do this, but really beneficial if you’re at the early stages of
managing your project or program. By deconstructing the tasks you may identify
areas you would not have otherwise noticed until later in the project execution.
This makes you more likely to get things right up front and stops the teams getting
frustrated because you will not be asking them to change things several times
during the project.

WBS Concepts
A WBS, as defined in the PMBOK® Guide—Third Edition is ―a deliverable-oriented
hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to
accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. It organizes
and defines the total scope of the project. Each descending level represents an
increasingly detailed definition of the project work. The WBS is decomposed into
work packages. The deliverable orientation of the hierarchy includes both internal
and external deliverables.‖ With this definition, it is clear the WBS provides an
unambiguous statement of the objectives and deliverables of the work to be
performed. It represents an explicit description of the project’s scope, deliverables
and outcomes—the ―what‖ of the project. The WBS is not a description of the
processes followed to perform the project… nor does it address the schedule that
defines how or when the deliverables will be produced, but rather is specifically
limited to describing and detailing the project’s outcomes or scope. The WBS is a
foundational project management component, and as such is a critical input to
other project management processes and deliverables such as activity definitions,
project schedule network diagrams, project and program schedules, performance
reports, risk analysis and response, control tools or project organization.

Defining the WBS

The upper levels of the WBS typically reflect the major deliverable work areas of
the project, decomposed into logical groupings of work. The content of the upper
levels can vary, depending on the type of project and industry involved. The lower
WBS elements provide appropriate detail and focus for support of project
management processes such as schedule development, cost estimating, resource
allocation, and risk assessment. The lowest-level WBS components are called Work
Packages and contain the definitions of work to be performed and tracked. These
can be later used as input to the scheduling process to support the elaboration of
tasks, activities, resources and milestones which can be cost estimated,
monitored, and controlled. A few of the key characteristics of high-quality Work
Breakdown Structures (Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures–Second
Edition) are outlined below
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• A central attribute of the WBS is that it is ―deliverable orientated‖

(Berg and Colenso, 2000). The PMBOK® Guide—Third Edition
defines a deliverable as: ―Any unique and verifiable product, result,
or capability to perform a service that must be produced to
complete a process, phase or project.‖ In this context, ―oriented‖
means aligned or positioned with respect to deliverables, i.e.,
focused on deliverables.
• An additional key attribute of the WBS is that it is a ―…hierarchical
decomposition of the work…‖ Decomposition is ―a planning
technique that subdivides the project scope and project deliverables
into smaller, more manageable components, until the project work
associated with accomplishing the project scope and deliverables is
defined in sufficient detail to support executing, monitoring, and
controlling the work‖ (PMBOK® Guide—Third Edition). This
decomposition (or subdivision) clearly and comprehensively defines
the scope of the project in terms of individual sub-deliverables that
the project participants can easily understand. The specific number
of levels defined and elaborated for a specific project should be
appropriate for effectively managing the work in question.
• The 100% Rule (Haugan, 2002, p 17) is one of the most important
principles guiding the development, decomposition and evaluation
of the WBS. This rule states that the WBS includes 100% of the work
defined by the project scope and, by doing so, captures ALL
deliverables—internal, external and interim—in terms of work to be
completed, including project management. The rule applies at all
levels within the hierarchy: the sum of the work at the ―child‖ level
must equal 100% of the work represented by the ―parent‖—and
the WBS should not include any work that falls outside the actual
scope of the project; that is, it cannot include more than 100% of
the work.

Organizing the WBS

You can organize the WBS in several ways:

• Major Deliverables and subprojects

Here the major deliverables of the project or program are used as the first
level of decomposition. This is the approach we used for the Car example
above.

• Subprojects executed outside the project team

You can think of this as being a little like streams within a program.
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For example, if on one stream is to rollout the product globally,
then the rollout project manager can define the WBS for this component.
Often a subproject will be contracted out.

• Project phases
Using this technique, each phase of the project would be listed in the first
level of decomposition, with the deliverables of each phase listed in the next
level. This is the approach we used for the Project example previously.

• Combination approach
This is a combination of the organizational methods, for example, you might
have subprojects listed on the first level, with the major deliverables of each
listed on the 2nd level.

When to Stop?
Don’t go crazy when creating your Work Breakdown Structures. What you’re
trying to do is define the work of the project or program so you can easily plan,
manage and control that work. You should only decompose the plan to a level
that allows you to achieve this aim.

Project
Our project is to design the WBS for the publication of a series. For this we will implement the
techniques of WBS as we have discussed it previously. We acting as an editor have produced a
project plan and the key phases are shown on the WBS. Below these phases are the tasks that
need to be done to complete each phase.

By creating the units of work, it now becomes possible;

For example,

• to delegate lower level tasks to individual workers and the higher level tasks to their
managers and so on.

WBS Implementation
Remarks

• Two formats

– Graphical tree
– Textual outline

• Uses a decimal numbering system to identify

elements (Example: 3.1.5)
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• May include Development, Management, and
project support tasks

• Shows “is contained in” relationships

• Does not show dependencies or durations

Levels of WBS
Each level of the WBS is often called a task. How many levels you have will
vary by project, generally the bigger the project the more levels. Up to about 5
is fine. If you have more than this, you should think about initiating sub-
projects to deal with legs of the WBS. Anything over 10 levels and the project
scope is probably flawed and needs rechecking.

At the higher level (top) appear the phases of the project (usually the phases
in the project plan). Beneath this are all the tasks that have to be performed
to complete the phase.

Chart

Level 1
Publish
Series

Level 2

Pre Production Production Roll Out

Level 3

Improve Manuscript Design Layout Sales drive

Design Jacket Print Advertising

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AN EXAMPLE OF WBS
PROJETC: Building a House
This is a simplified example of a WBS and it is not created to show
all the needed activities and deliverables when you build a house.

The Top Node (1. House) is the first level in this WBS. Please note
that you can have the level below as level 1 as well. If you manage
a program that consists of multiple projects it is although
recommended that you define the top level as level 1. For project
one you could then use WBS Identifier 1 and for Project Two WBS
Identifier 2 etc… The top node should always symbolise 100% of the
work in the WBS and the in the project. First level is numbered x.
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The second level of a WBS consists of the first level of breakdown.
In this exampel we have identified three major parts for building a
house; 1.1. Foundation, 1.2 Walls, 1.3 Roof. If your vision of the
project is clearly defined this level are reasonable easy to identify.
Second level is numbered x.x.

Third level continues to break down the sub-parts even further. At

this level you will start to identify specific deliverables that are
possible to follow up and measure. Third level in this exampel
consists among other part of 1.2.1 Construct Walls and 1.2.2 Raise
Walls. Third level is numbered x.x.x.

In the fourth level you continue to break down the third level into
smaller components. The number of levels is depending of the
complexity of th work within your specific project. We have unusual
requirements for the walls in our example which increases the
complexity. This makes it feasible to include a fourth level. Fourth
level is numbered x.x.x.x.

The success of the project is dependent of

the WBS and how you use it to manage and
control the project.
A well constructed WBS is constructed in such a way that it fulfills
the requirements for its own existents in the project. A WBS should
and must be consistent through out all the levels independently of
if it is a WBS of a Program, Portfolio or a Project.

There are a number of attributes that will decide the quality of the
WBS;

• The WBS has all the deliverables in hierarchical structure.

• Each level of the WBS contains 100% of the parent-level.
• The WBS defines the scope of the project and focus on the
Deliverables.
• The WBS is able to clarify the scope to any stakeholders and
project members.
• The WBS contains work packages that enable the definition of
tasks to complete the work package.
• The WBS has at least two levels.
• Project members that will perform the work are involved when
creating the WBS.
• The WBS is continuously updated according to the change
management procedures in the project before and after the
baseline of the project.
• The WBS is built in a graphical, tabular or textual way which
makes it easy to see the different levels.
• Use nouns and adjectives if possible.
• All the work packages are coded in a hierarchical way.
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• Defines all (100%) internal, external and interim deliverables
necessary to complete the scope of the project.

If your WBS has all of the above attributes it should be considered a

well defined WBS. The above stated attributes are important if you
aim to have a WBS that will support you in the best way.

When constructing the WBS you should think of the following

aspects:

Level of breakdown
Each project is different and you need to find a suitable level of
decomposition for your specific project and there are no hard rules
for how many levels you should have. A large and complex project
will although most likely have more levels than a small and straight
forward project. The size of the deliverables should not be too small
so they cause too much follow up and administration but on the
other hand not too large which makes it more difficult to manage
them and follow up them. My personal rule of thumb is that a
deliverable on the lowest level not should be larger than 80 hours of
manwork, but as stated, this is different from project to project and
also depends on the experience in the project management and in
the team.

Accountability. A proper designed WBS will make it possble for

you as a project manager to easily assign the deliverables to
individual team members, sub-contractors or other orgnisations. The
WBS is a great support when writing the assignment descriptions.

Structure. The structure of the WBS give you as a project

manager an easy overview of the different parts of the project. If
possible the structure also should be reflecting the organisation of
the project.

Control. A proper designed WBS gives you the correct level of

follow up on each individual deliverable which enables you to
measure performance and be proactive in your decisions instead of
reactive. An efficiant and correct tracking in a project is key for
success, especially if the project is of a larger nature.

Communication. The WBS is a great tool when communicating

the scope and work in the project. A well designed WBS will make it
easy for all stakeholders to see an appriciate the scope, work and
complexity of a project.

How to create the WBS…

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Steps to create a WBS together with the project-team or other
stakeholders;

1. Start with repeating the vision and goals of the project. This will
make all the participants focus on the objective of the project.

2. Breif the group about what you would like to achieve with the
excercise and show them another example of a WBS. It is also good
to define and agree what a deliverable is and to inform them about
that this not is an exercise that aims to solve problems or tasks or
that they at this point in time not need to worry about the order of
the deliverables. (people are by nature focusing on solving problems
directly when they are identified but this should not be done in a
WBS-workshop)

3. Split the team into groups of two or three.

4. Give them 5-20 minutes, depending on the size and complexity of

the project, to discuss and identify deliverables. Have the write one
deliverable on a yellow sticker.

5. Group the yellow stickers on a brown paper on the wall. Remove

duplicates and try to organize the deliverables into groups. Give
each group a parent and name the parent accordingly. This is the
first time you will see different parts (parent and sub-deliverables) in
the project.

6. Continue by identifying key actions/task to accomplish is

deliverables, but do not get stuck into details or start solving
problems.

Once the WBS is complete, illustrated (documented) and placed

under change management control, it becomes the foundation for
other important aspects of the project, including the project
schedule, risk management plan, budget and financial management
plan, quality plan, resource management plan and others. Beyond
this, the WBS plays a vital role in the executing, monitoring,
controlling and closeout phases of a project, and in so doing,
transitions from being seen primarily as a planning tool, to an active
role, where the WBS becomes the basis for decision making. It
establishes clear boundaries for the project during the initiating and
planning phases, and provides a ready tool for ensuring those
boundaries are protected during the remaining phases of the
project.

Summary
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In summary, applying the WBS to the Project Management
Lifecycle is simply an outcome of effective scope analysis, WBS
development and careful project management execution,
monitoring and control by the project manager. Applying a carefully
articulated WBS and WBS Dictionary to subsequent project
processes further utilizes tools such as the Network Diagramming
technique or Scope Relationship Diagram development and results
in the creation of a baselined Project Schedule, drawn from the
decomposition of Work Packages - which reveals key project tasks,
activities and milestones. Key attributes associated with effective
WBS development are included below.

An Effective Work Breakdown Structure:

• Is a deliverable-oriented grouping of project elements
• Is created by those doing the work
• Contains 100% of the work defined by the scope or contract
and captures all deliverables (Internal, External, Interim) in
terms of work to be completed, including Project Management
• Defines the context of the project, clarifies the work and
communicates project scope to all stakeholders
• Is expressed as an illustration, chart or outline, providing a
graphical or textual breakdown
• Arranges all major and minor deliverables in a hierarchical
structure - and is constructed so that each level of
decomposition contains 100% of the work in the parent level
• Should contain at least 2 levels
• Uses nouns and adjectives – not verbs
• Evolves along with the progressive elaboration of project
scope, up to the point of scope baseline, and thereafter in
accordance with project change control - allowing for
continual improvement
• Employs a coding scheme for each WBS element that clearly
identifies the hierarchical nature of the WBS when viewed in
any format

To develop effective Work Breakdown Structures and apply them

throughout the conduct and duration of projects, the project
manager should take the guidance provided here and apply WBS
construction activities independently of the project schedule or
scheduling tools. To do this, the project manager will reference a set
of key documents to begin the development of the WBS. These
include (and may not be limited to):
• The project charter
• The project problem statement or scope definition
• Applicable contract or agreement documentation
• Existing project management practice

Armed with these documents as the basis for WBS development, the
project manager will guide the project team through the
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development of a deliverable-oriented WBS, carefully relating all
WBS elements to these foundational documents and associating
work described by the WBS to specific scope boundaries defined by
them. These activities are typically performed by engaging the
entire project team in ―brainstorming‖ or ―idea-generation‖
sessions, using affinity diagramming techniques and iterative
decomposition to define the WBS elements - all independent of the
project scheduling tool. Once complete, the WBS is placed under
―Change Control‖ and will be managed in accordance with the
Change Management processes defined for the project - allowing for
the expected and inevitable change that will impact the scope of the
project. When these changes occur, they are reflected not only in
the project schedule and budget, but are documented as changes to
the Scope Statement, Charter, contract, agreements and of course,
the WBS. In this way, the project manger will have constructed a
Work Breakdown Structure that directly links to sponsoring
documents, provides a basis for project schedule and process
management, yet is designed to grow and flex with the changes
that impact the project in a controlled and controllable manner.