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Date Submitted: 05/22/2010 08:15 PM
Week 2 Lecture:
Work Breakdown Structure and Scheduling
Work Breakdown Structure
The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) organizes and defines the project. The Scope Statement gives a broad definition of the project and then the next step in planning the project, the WBS, further defines the project. Simply stated, if an element is not in the WBS, it is not in the project, specifically it is out-of-scope. The WBS is deliverables-oriented and hierarchical. The WBS can be developed and presented in two different formats. One format is the diagrammatical format and appears, at first glance, to look like an Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS), which is also known as an organizational chart. However, the WBS differs in one very important way from the OBS. The WBS defines the work to be done to complete the project, while the OBS lists job titles or functions rather than the work that needs to be done. Both, however, are hierarchical. The WBS can also be presented in the indented format. It contains the same information as the diagrammatic format but is presented in outline form. It still contains all the work to be done to complete the project but is presented in an indented format. This is the format you will use to enter tasks in a scheduling software such as Microsoft Project®.
To check either the diagrammatic format or the indented format for completeness, simply check off all the elements at the lower level and ensure that, when those are completed, the next higher level is also complete. A WBS can be based on a product, phases, or geographic areas, to name but a few ways to organize the WBS, or you can use a combination if that works best for the project at hand. The key is to organize and define the project using the WBS. The WBS is a very powerful communication tool you can use when working with stakeholders to make sure that you have included all the requirements for the project. You will not want to proceed with more detailed planning of the project...