It is the very essential tool for the planning and to executing the project. Organization breakdown structure obs see next page, shows a representative obs. What are the purposes of the work breakdown structure and. Create work breakdown structure process is the 4th process of the scope management according to the online pmp course. Have you encountered work breakdown structures and wondered how they can help in your project management efforts.
The nwbs is contained in a relational database that. A work breakdown structure wbs is a visual tool for defining and tracking a project deliverable and all the small components needed to create it. Hhs ocio it earned value management process and procedures. Work breakdown structure relativistic heavy ion collider. A wbs is the cornerstone of effective project planning, execution, controlling, monitoring, and reporting. Work breakdown structure practice standard projectwbs vs. Work breakdown structure wbs is one of the best to obtain a well organized planning and to have a clear view of the things to get done. A work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. The work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and control. This zip file contains the white paper the work breakdown structure.
Hierarchical structure allows for you to incorporate more levels so it is more. At the conclusion of this lesson you will be able to recognize the relationship between the work breakdown structure wbs, organization breakdown structure obs and responsibility assignment matrix ram. The importance of the wbs experienced project managers know there are many things that can go wrong in projects. What are the 4 aspects of work breakdown structure wbs. In accordance with nfs part 1834, major systems acquisition, nasa policy npd. What is the difference between product breakdown structure pbs and a work breakdown structure wbs. 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. Work breakdown structures give you a highlevel understanding of the project and. Era program work breakdown structure pwbs elements identified in section j, attachment 11. The nwbs provides a consistent framework for planning, programming, budgeting, and evaluation of work required to execute the defense programs mission. A wbs work breakdown structure is a project management tool that is planned to capture project activities in an illustrative diagram. This is when making a work breakdown structure or a work breakdown structure template is essential.
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 updates the wbs code automatically. Not so good for displaying work breakdown structures to audiences who are not familiar with the project. The wbs is critical because it is the primary source for development of a cbs. The work breakdown structure wbs is a tool that defines a project and groups the. The work breakdown structure presented here represents all the work required to complete this project. Merging the wbs and obs, the project manager creates a responsibility. The wbs was initially employed by the defense department of us, which directed its application on their projects.
The following discussion will examine the current trends and practice regarding work breakdown structures. Their use by anyone engaged in industry or trade is entirely voluntary. Work breakdown structure wbs represents a vital element of scope management. Work breakdown structures bernd bruegge applied software engineering. Is it completely separate from the dependency network, with nothing in common, or do these two key project management tools share some common elements. All about work breakdown structures wbs smartsheet. Defense acquisition university acq101 summary for work breakdown structures how to.
A workbreakdown structure wbs in project management and systems engineering, is a. 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. With a work breakdown structure, you can stay focused on what you need to accomplish. Aouad3 1 school of the built environment, heriot watt university, uk. Show work, select the work you want to open, then choose work and resource management as your action. What is wbs work breakdown structure in project management. The first two levels of the wbs the root node and level 2 define a set of planned outcomes that collectively and exclusively represent 100% of the project scope. The importance of the work breakdown structure p3moteam. A work breakdown structure or wbs is a common term in project management.
Breakdown structure wbs and other supporting documents. Use the wbs to define the work for the project and to develop project schedule. The wbs project management template provides the structural view in the project. You will know how to split up the work between your team and what.
The wbs is referenced in the military handbook which is located in the course library. Assignment matrix ram shows the intersection of the organizational breakdown structure obs and the work breakdown structure wbs. The work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and. Project managers use wbs to break a project into manageable sections and tasks. By kim colenso, managing principal, artemis management systems. According to pmi, 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. Work breakdown structure element dictionary concept development procedures are subject to change without notice.
The term wbs describes the procedure of subdivision of the project deliverables and. One project may include several phases, or also smaller subprojects. Using the wbs can help ensure that you are addressing all components of the project. Expanded work breakdown structure weight classification guidance revision letter 2 prepared by government industry workshop society of allied weight engineers, inc.
Use the wbs to get a quick overview of the entire project, including the tasks and subtasks nested in. The work breakdown structure visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that a project team can. A useful tool in defining the work is a work breakdown structure wbs. The act of breaking down the work into smaller components, and then getting more detail about each of these components, helps you and the team work through the specifics needed. The aggregation of all the work to be performed in a project. This checklist allows you to produce an accurate and details work breakdown structure wbs document that encompasses all the necessary work for your project. The output of scope management is a specification that may be presented as a product breakdown structure pbs showing the deliverables and a work breakdown structure wbs showing the work required to produce them long answer. 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. 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. It contains about 10,400 titles from 50 organizations, both domestic and international. The work breakdown structure wbs provides the foundation on which a project manager works.
If you do, its better to combine the two elements together and push the. 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. Free work breakdown structure templates smartsheet. The concept is used each time a new project is designed and is created before entering any data into a microsoft project file. To develop and maintain a wbs, you must have a clear understanding of the projects. A work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project. At the conclusion of this lesson you will be able to identify the purpose and specific elements of the work breakdown structure wbs. The project manager uses the work breakdown structure to control the project and the work of the team. Work breakdown structure a work breakdown structure wbs is a decomposition of all the work necessary to complete a project. Work breakdown structure wbs a work breakdown structure wbs is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. During the process of developing a visual work breakdown structure, youll identify and fill in your project planning blind spots. Learn how to create compelling work breakdown structure wbs. All sawe technical reports, including standards applied and practices recommended, are advisory only.
Building the work breakdown structure wbs for additional support, please visit the epmo website. Cdc unified process practices guide work breakdown structure up version. 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. A wbs is arranged in a hierarchy and constructed to allow for clear and logical groupings, either by activities or deliverables. Basics of the work breakdown structure wbs project bliss. They are used for our youtube videos as well as for video work we do for our customers.
O utline v iew the outline view presents an easy to view and understand layout for the wbs. A work breakdown structure is a way of organizing a project by functional areas to segment the work to be done so that it has a logical structure that maps to the overall solution functionality. Appendix b work breakdown structure wbs b2 february 2015 one of the first tasks that must be performed by the cost estimator when developing a new cost estimate is to either obtain or develop the wbs step 2 in nasa s 12 step cost estimating process. The wbs breaks down to cams gui which breaks down to prime msn product which.
In so doing, you gain clarity into the details needed to accomplish every aspect of your project. A wbs might be used at a functional level to break d. Work breakdown structure is abbreviated as wbs and create work breakdown structure process mainly aims to produce the wbs of the project. Whether you prefer big chunks or minute details, youll benefit from creating a wbs with the help of our killer guide and free work breakdown structure template. Lets look at a couple of the key phrases of this definition. The goal is to use the wbs to achieve the project objectives and facilitate efficient management so as to best monitor the project in terms of budget and on schedule.
Work breakdown structure project wbs a division of a project into tasks and subtasks. It is the connecting point for work and cost estimates, schedule information, actual work effortcost expenditures, and accountability. Work breakdown structure article about work breakdown. Resources are identified for each item within the wbs that facilitates budgeting as well as assignment of responsibilities. It is a product oriented structure, not an organizational structure. The database was supplied compressed on a single floppy disk as a borland swbs. The work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical representation of all the tasks in your project. 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. Section 2 focuses on the work breakdown structure wbs as a tool. Check the capital project delivery website to ensure this is the current version. One project may include several phases, or also smaller, subprojects. It can be use to additional fields in the ms project to provide the more detailed information on the each component of the wbs then export the dictionary.
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