wbs or work breakdown structure for a project

8/10/2019 WBS or Work Breakdown Structure for a project

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Work BreakdownStructure

Tuesday, March 13, 12


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What is a WBS?

A (deliverable-oriented) hierarchicaldecomposition of the work to be executed

by the project team to accomplish projects

objectives and create the requireddeliverable



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Why?

To decompose the complexity of project workinto smaller, more manageable components.

The lowest level is called workpackageand it

is the point at which cost and schedule can bereliably estimated (work packages can becomposed of more elementary activities.)



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WBS: Remarks

Two formats Graphical tree

Textual outline

Uses a decimal numbering system to identify elements

(Ex: 3.1.5) May include Development, Management, and project

support tasks

Shows is contained in relationships

Does not show dependencies or durations



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WBS Chart Example

AccountingSystem

ProjectManagement

HWProcurement

SWDevelopment

Requirements Design Build

DBDevelopment

Client Web App

Development

Integration System Test Acceptance

Test

Training Deployment

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1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

1.3.1 1.3.2 1.3.3 1.3.4 1.3.5 1.3.6

1.3.3.1 1.3.3.2 1.3.3.3



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WBS Outline Example

1. Accounting System

1.1.Project Management

1.2.HW Procurement

1.3.SW Development

1.3.1.Requirements

1.3.2.Design

1.3.3.Build1.3.3.1.DB Development

1.3.3.2.Client

1.3.3.3.Web App Development

1.3.4.Integration

1.3.5.System Test

1.3.6.Acceptance Test

1.4.Training

1.5.Deployment



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WBS Types (1/3)

Process WBS

a.k.a. Activity-oriented

Ex: Requirements, Analysis, Design, Testing

Typically used by PM

Product WBS

a.k.a. Entity-oriented

Ex: Financial engine, Interface system, DB

Typically used by engineering manager

Hybrid WBS: both of the above

This is not unusual

Ex: Life cycle phases at high level with component or feature-specificswithin phases

Rationale: processes produce products



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WBS Types (2/3)

Less frequently used alternatives:

Organizational WBS

Research, Product Design, Engineering, Operations

Can be useful for highly cross-functional projects

Geographical WBS

Can be useful with distributed teams

NYC team, San Jose team, Off-shore team



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Program

Project A Project B Project C

System A System B

Contract X

Subsystem 1 Subsystem 2 Subsystem 3

System C

PWBS

CWBS

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WBS Type (3/3)

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PWBS:Program

(project) WBS, used

to coordinate all

projects (systems)

CWBS:ContractWBS, basis for

subcontracting system

development



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Product WBS

SoftwareSystem

RequirementsDocument

ArchitectureDocument

Front End Middleware Back End

SQL Schema DB Data Admin Intf Site

TemplatesWeb Pages

DynamicPages

StaticPages



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Process WBS

SystemDevelopment

RequirementsAnalysis

ScenariosAnalysis

Security Req.Analysis

SupportabilityReq. Anal.

Analysis andDesign

Coding Testing

System Test AcceptanceTest

Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Integration



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WBS Rules of the Thumb

Everything (and nothing else) is in place: The 100% rule:make sure all work items are there (product oriented WBS are

better suited for this kind of rule)

The ME rule (Mutually Exclusive rule):make sure there are no overlaps in the

definition of the elements (especially workpackages)

No need to make it balanced: all paths do not have to go to the same level

Quality of the WBS is high (taken from ESA standards):

Coherence:tasks within a work package should have the same goal;

Coupling:work package dependencies should be minimised, so that

team members can work independently;

Continuity:production work packages should be full-time to maximise

efficiency;

Cost:bottom level work packages should require between one man- week and

one man-month of effort.

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WBS Dictionary

A way to further specify the entries of a WBS

A WBS dictionary lists and defines the WBS elements.

It is initially prepared for the PWBS by the NASA

project manager, and is expanded in greater detail at

lower levels by contractors as the CWBSs aredeveloped(NASA WBS Prep. Guide)

Rules of the thumb:

it can be done for each entry in the tree.

follow the definition: increase the details as you move down the

tree

a good practice is doing it for the leaves (work-packages)

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WBS Dictionary Example (EU Proposals)

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Work packagenumber

1 Start date or starti g event: Month 1

Work packagetitle

Case Stud Re uirements and Experimentation ite Asses ment

Activity type RTD

Participantnumber

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Participantshort name

P1 P2 P3 P3 P P5 P6 P7

Person-monthsper participant

1 0 0 9 6 0 2 0

Objectives

Description ofwork

Task 1.

Task 2.

...

Deliverables D1.1.

D1.2.

Milestones M1.1.

M1.2.



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WBS Construction Techniques

Top-down(from the top to the leaves): best for well

know projects; used frequently (top-down

decomposition it is in the very nature of the WBS).

Bottom-up(from the leaves to homogeneous groups):

best with group elicitation activities (post-it on a wall) Analogy (copy & paste): effective, if the analogy

between existing material and the new project can

actually be drawn

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The Project Management Institute Practice Standard forWork Breakdown Structures provides guidance for thegeneration, development, and application of WBS. Thepublication contains industry-specific examples.


B kd S


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Breakdown Structures

Breakdown structures are used for various purposes

Organizational breakdown structure

Bill of Material

Risk Breakdown Structure

Resource Breakdown Structure

do not confuse WBS with the ones above


Fi l R k


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Final Remarks

Remember to get the people who will be doing the work

involved (buy-in matters!)

Use a text editor or tools such as Visio, DIA, MS Project

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WBS Examples


WBS E l (PMBOK)


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WBS Example (PMBOK)

Source: PMBOK

Aircraft

System

Project

ManagementTraining Data Air Vehicle

Support

Equipment

System

Engineering

Management

Supporting PM

activities

Equipment

Training

Facilities

Training

Services

Training

Technical

Orders

Engineering

Data

Management

Data

Organizational

level SE

Intermediate

level SE

Dept level SE

Airframe

Engine

Communicatio

n systems

Navigation

System

Fire Control

System

FacilitiesTest and

Evaluation

Base Building

Mainteinance

Facility

Mockups

Operational

Test

Developmental

Test

Test


WBS E l (PMBOK)


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WBS Example (PMBOK)

Source: PMBOK

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SoftwareProduct

Release

ProjectManagement

ProductRequirement

Detail Design ConstructIntegrationand Test

Planning

Meetings

Administration

Software

User

Documentation

TrainingProgram

Material

Software

User

Documentation

TrainingProgram

Material

Software

User

Documentation

TrainingProgram

Material

Software

User

Documentation

TrainingProgram

Material


Some other E amples


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Some other Examples

Military: MIL-STD-881A, MIL-STD-881B, MIL-

HDBK-881 (1998)

Civil Engineering:http://www.csinet.org/s_csi/docs/

15700/15694.pdf

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http://www.csinet.org/s_csi/docs/15700/15694.pdfhttp://www.csinet.org/s_csi/docs/15700/15694.pdfhttp://www.csinet.org/s_csi/docs/15700/15694.pdfhttp://www.csinet.org/s_csi/docs/15700/15694.pdf

wbs or work breakdown structure for a project

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