What is meant by a work breakdown structure and how does it help manage projects?
What happens when an enterprise-level project comes your way and it’s up to you to manage the resources, tasks, and budget, plus ensure the project is completed on time and within scope? Show
Project management isn’t easy. It requires keeping track of many – sometimes geographically dispersed – teams, coordinating tasks, and keeping everyone accountable to a single goal. Fortunately, there are several project management philosophies that can help. And when it comes to large, complex projects, one of the best approaches is work breakdown structure. Get Work Done Faster: 6 Steps to Accelerate Project Planning and DeliveryGain practical tips and tools that will help you plan, track, and deliver more efficiently. View the eBook • Get Work Done Faster Agile Program Management: Make Work Connected and VisibleLearn the challenges facing organizations undergoing transformation and how enterprise Kanban software can help you effectively practice Agile Program Management. View the eBook • Agile Program Management What Is Work Breakdown Structure?Work breakdown structure is a type of project management that offers a visual way to detail the deliverables within a project. It does so by presenting key milestones within a hierarchy that simplifies large projects into smaller, more manageable groups. As a result, work breakdown structure is ideal for complex projects that involve numerous steps and stakeholders. Notably, work breakdown structure focuses on deliverables rather than the activities required to achieve those milestones. The work breakdown structure divides all deliverables into sub-deliverables until they are manageable enough that one person can complete them. Each deliverable also gets assigned a budget and time estimate. All these estimates should add up to 100% of the total budget and time allotted for the entire project. Now that we have the work breakdown structure definition out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the question of “what is work breakdown structure” to understand what it means in practice. Putting Work Breakdown Structure into ActionA work breakdown structure should display every deliverable for the project in a single, hierarchical graphic. That graphic can be a flowchart, a table, an outline, or anything else that visually represents everything within a hierarchy. Using a simplified flowchart, a work breakdown structure might look something like this:
This example includes three levels, which is the most common setup. The structure can be extended to four or five levels if needed. Each deliverable should be a project milestone (e.g. hire contractor, launch product), not specific tasks. The tasks required to meet each deliverable are known as a “work package.” Finally, each deliverable must have a work and budget allocation. You can also choose to include team assignments and start and end dates for each deliverable. How to Create a Work Breakdown StructureThere are several ways you can create a work breakdown structure. The lowest tech options are a whiteboard or a wall with sticky notes, but that clearly won’t work for a geographically dispersed team. Go digital with project management software that drives agility across teams, whether in the same room or distributed across the globe. Work Breakdown Structure RulesAs you get started with work breakdown structure, there are several rules to keep in mind, many of which are covered in the work breakdown structure definition. These rules include:
Why Use a Work Breakdown Structure?Now that you have the complete work breakdown structure, it’s time to review why you should use this approach to project management. Using a work breakdown structure delivers numerous benefits, including:
A work breakdown structure is a helpful method for managing the challenges that accompany large-scale enterprise projects and enjoying successful outcomes. What is work breakdown structure how it is useful for management of project?A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a tool that can be used for projects, programs, and even initiatives to understand the work that has to be done to successfully produce a deliverable(s). The benefits of creating a WBS include: it defines and organizes the work required.
What is a work breakdown structure and how can it be used?A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a project management tool that takes a step-by-step approach to complete large projects with several moving pieces. By breaking down the project into smaller components, a WBS can integrate scope, cost and deliverables into a single tool.
What is a work breakdown structure and how is it useful for project planning quizlet?WBS divides a project into manageable tasks that can be individually planned, estimated and controlled. WBS is the entry data needed to produce a cost or time schedule.
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