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Project Management Fact Sheet: Developing a Work Breakdown Structure

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Project Management Fact Sheet: Developing a Work Breakdown Structure Project Management Fact Sheet: Developing a Work Breakdown Structure Version: 1.2, November 2008 Department of Premier and Cabinet What is a Work Breakdown Other References you may need Structure? Corporate/Business Plan for the The Work Breakdown Structure is a Department/Business Unit hierarchical breakdown of the work to be Tasmanian Government Project done in the project. It takes each output Management Guidelines and shows in sequence, from general to specific, all the activities and tasks Departmental Project Management required for its production. As such the Guidelines Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) also What you will have when you are defines the scope of work of the project – finished whatever is not in the WBS is outside the scope of work for the project. A complete WBS that can be used to plan resource allocation, determine the budget, Why would you develop a Work create a Gantt chart, and determine Breakdown Structure? milestones. It may be useful to present to senior managers to clarify planning A WBS is developed to: estimates and work required. define what needs to be done in the project and the order in which tasks should be completed How do you develop a Work Breakdown Structure? determine resource allocation and define tasks for delegation and the A WBS can be created using any skills set required technique of listing and grouping project confirm a common understanding of activities and tasks. It can be a resource the scope of work among Project intensive activity, depending on the level Sponsor, Steering Committee/senior of detail required. This example uses a top management and Project Team down technique, starting with the project outputs and breaking these down into the assist with the identification of activities that need to be completed to milestones produce each output. These activities are assist with the preparation of a Gantt broken down further into smaller tasks. Chart Another useful approach is to use mind assist with budget estimation mapping, either by using software or sticky assist with identification of project notes. Write down each output on a risks by showing areas of uncertainty separate note and brainstorm with the project team to find all the tasks that would When would you develop a Work need to be completed to deliver the Breakdown Structure? output. Write these on separate notes and place around each output. The tasks listed The WBS is usually created at the start of will vary in size. the project, but may be created at any time when the work to produce an output Try to break them into two levels: large needs clarification. tasks, or activities, and their associated smaller tasks. Move the notes around and What you need before you start keep adding more until a structure An agreed Project Business Plan or emerges, see figure 1. As a guide each Project proposal or Brief, including a output will have about seven activities, list of project outputs each activity will have about seven tasks. Tasks, activities and outputs can then be Knowledge and understanding of the entered into the Work Breakdown project Structure. Page 2 Tasmanian Government Project Management Framework Project Management Fact Sheet: Developing a Work Breakdown Structure, Version: 1.2, November 2008 Tasks Tasks Tasks Activity Activity Activity Output Activity Activity Tasks Activity Tasks Activity Tasks Tasks Figure 1: A mind map showing an output broken into seven activities and each activity broken into seven tasks. Page 3 Tasmanian Government Project Management Framework Project Management Fact Sheet: Developing a Work Breakdown Structure, Version: 1.2, November 2008 Work Breakdown Structure - <Project Title> Project Name 1. <Output name> 2. New software tool 3. <Output name> 4. <Output name> 5. <Output name> 6. <Output name> 7. <Output name> <1.1 Activity> 2.1 Plan the < 1.1.1 Task > Purchase < 1.1.2 Task > 2.1.1 Conduct Market Research < 1.1.3 Task > 2.1.2 Design the specification. 2.1.3 Determine the purchasing method. 2.1.4 Develop an evaluation plan. 2.1.5 Develop a risk management plan. 2.1.6 Develop a contract management plan. <1.2 Activity> 2.2 Prepare the < 1.2.1 Task > Documentation < 1.2.2 Task > 2.2.1 Determine the conditions. Etc. 2.2.2 Finalise the specification. 2.2.3 Determine the contract conditions. 2.2.4 Develop a Tender Form. 2.3 Invite Tenders etc Page 4 Tasmanian Government Project Management Framework Project Management Fact Sheet: Developing a Work Breakdown Structure, Version: 1.2, November 2008 How to use this table Note: Activities and tasks are written in the present tense using action verbs, for The Table shows outputs, activities and example ‘assemble team’, ‘develop model’ tasks. Generally the project will need more and ‘sign lease’. than one page! The second column gives an example of the breakdown of one A number of different text styles have been output into activities and tasks. used within the Table, as follows: Text in italics is intended to provide a 1. Write each output across the first row guide as to the kind of information that of the table. Use as many columns and can be included in a section and to pages as necessary. This is the output what types of projects it might be level. applicable 2. Break each output down into Text enclosed in <angle brackets> is sequential smaller units of work, called intended to be replaced by whatever it activities. These are all the things that is describing need to be done to produce the output, in the order they need to be started. There are usually about seven Using the Work Breakdown activities for each output. This is the Structure activity level. Resource allocation 3. Write each activity in a separate cell in The WBS can be used to determine the output column. resource allocation, such as budget, in a 4. Break each activity into sequential process known as bottom-up estimation. smaller units of work, called tasks. This involves determining resources, Write these in the same cell as the including budget requirements, for each activity. This is the task level. task on the WBS. The ‘above the line’ or project management activities will also 5. Review the list to check that the need to be considered when using this activities and tasks seem appropriately approach. As a guide ‘above the line’ grouped in terms of complexity. For activities will take about 15% of the time of example a task might be so complex the project team. It is also advisable to that it needs to be considered as an include an allowance for contingencies; a activity, in its own right. This is simply guide level is 10%. (Refer to the Project a judgement call, there is no formula Management Fact Sheet: Project for determining at what level a unit of Estimation) work should sit. Developing a Gantt Chart 6. Check to see that completion of each group of tasks will result in the A Gantt Chart is a horizontal bar chart. It completion of activity above it. Check shows all the project activities and tasks that the completion of each group of from the WSB in sequential order with the activities will result in the completion of bars representing the time estimated to the output above it. For example complete them. The chart graphically finishing all the activities that belong to depicts the time relationship of activities, the output will mean that the output tasks, and resources in a project. It can itself will be completed. Move the also show milestones (see below). activities and tasks around as necessary. It is a flexible document and is regularly updated through the life of the project. 7. Finally, give each item on the list a (Refer to the Project Management Fact unique identifier to use as a reference. Sheet: Developing a Gantt Chart) Page 5 Tasmanian Government Project Management Framework Project Management Fact Sheet: Developing a Work Breakdown Structure, Version: 1.2, November 2008 Identifying project milestones Critical Path Milestones are significant events that act In estimating timeframes the Critical Path as progress markers for a project and their Method (CPM) is often used. The Critical achievement is monitored and reported. Path is the chain of activities that links the The hierarchical structure of the WBS can start to the finish of the project, and for assist in identifying project milestones as which any delay will cause the project to be they are usually linked to the delivery of delayed by the same amount of time. outputs or the completion of key project Project Managers, who need to shorten the activities. The Gantt Chart can be used to duration of their project, work on the critical identify milestone dates. (Refer to the path tasks and add resources and change Project Management Fact Sheet: predecessor relationships to shorten their Developing a Gantt Chart) critical path tasks. Other things to consider: (Refer to the Project Management Fact Interdependencies Sheets: Project Estimation Developing a Milestone History Monitor) Where there are programs of projects, or large and/or complex projects, possibly Where to get additional help divided into sub-projects, it is important to define the interdependency management Refer to the Tasmanian Government processes to be applied. In other words, Project Management Guidelines. how will critically related activities be monitored and managed. Further information and resources are available from For further exploration of this issue, see www.egovernment.tas.gov.au the Tasmanian Government Project Management Guidelines: Section 9.0 Project/Program Integration. Acknowledgements This Fact Sheet contains elements of the Tasmanian Government Project Management Guidelines prepared by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
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