It’s a great way to make sure the entire team knows exactly what they are responsible for and have a good understanding of the deliverables. Although it is possible to create a work breakdown structure and manage a project by hand, it is highly recommended that you use project management software. Without the software, creating a work breakdown structure will be a daunting, time consuming task.

Following these 6 steps below will help you create a good WBS and ensure nothing will fall through the cracks. Integrations Connect Scoro to 1000+ tools you know and love. We believe that functionality must go hand in hand with accessibility. We aim to make our app as user-friendly and accessible as possible to shorten and improve the onboarding time of new employees. Moreover, we are preparing a multi-language app interface containing a set of available translations and more.

What is Work Breakdown Structure in Project Management?

If you plan on creating a deliverable-based WBS, you will want this list to be fully defined. However, it’s often useful for process-based work breakdown structures to have the deliverables identified beforehand. A work breakdown structure 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. While most WBSes are deliverable-based, they can also be phase-based.

Also, define the specifications of the deliverables for a specific task to be deemed complete. Feel free to create control accounts, which constitute task categories for the different areas of work that you would like to monitor. Control Accounts are WBS Elements at which the project plans to monitor and report performance. To assist with the monitoring and reporting, project management information tools are used to collect, analyze and report information at any Element within the WBS. With the support of systems engineering, the PM develops the first three levels of the program WBS and provides contractors with guidance for lower-level WBS development.

WBS Examples

Task Status – whether each task is assigned to an owner/resource, started, in progress, late, complete, etc. Work Estimate – how many hours/days of work are required to complete the task . Continue adding and indenting list items until you reach the work package level.

Not to mention that it breaks the 100% rule mentioned above. Podio is a web-based project management software that offers a variety of features, such https://globalcloudteam.com/glossary/work-breakdown-structure/ as task lists, file sharing, a social newsfeed, and more. Basecamp is a web-based project management software with a focus on collaboration.

Set WBS Levels

Measurable goals can include reducing the contact time with devices, maintaining sterility where required, or reducing handling time. Task identification and estimates are based on knowledge of the project requirements and require experienced engineers and project managers to perform. The three layers of most work breakdown structures are the project’s main deliverables, control accounts, project deliverables, and work packages. Because all tasks are well-defined, it’s much easier for project managers to assign specific costs to them – ensuring that the cost of the tasks doesn’t exceed project budget. The primary purpose of WBS in project management is to break down complex projects into more manageable tasks and subtasks to ensure project success.

Similarly, you can use a spreadsheet to create your WBS to achieve this format. You should assign each work package to a specific team or individual. If you create your WBS right, there will be no overlap in work and responsibilities. You can move individual tasks up and down with a drag-and-drop feature.

Control Accounts in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

From there, you’ll organize your structure based on the hierarchical levels of sub-deliverables. Your project might also include phases based on the work needed and the overall project timeline. The WBS sets up your tasks and deliverables, but once the project is in the execution stage, it’s key that you have a way to allocate resources to your team to keep the tasks moving as planned. That includes a feature to make sure their workload is balanced. Second, it provides a roadmap for the different individuals and teams working on the project. Many projects involve different teams moving in tandem, all of which need to coordinate and integrate for project completion.

• So don’t get too caught up in the level of detail needed just yet.
• Initially, it divides the Endeavour into digestible, bite-sized pieces, making it less intimidating.
• At each subsequent level, ask yourself whether further decomposition would improve project management.
• Then each level below breaks down the project into further detail, using the 100% rule at each level.
• A phase-based WBS typically breaks the first level down into five elements and then identifies deliverables within those phases.
• Without the software, it is also much more likely you will make critical arrows that will affect the overall project.

This can include the estimated start and finish dates, duration, budget, and project team. It is ultimately up to the organization to determine which WBS type to use for their project. Different projects may require different types of work breakdowns. It is also possible to create a WBS that combines both process and scope.

6.2 Transformation of non-ISDC cost formats to the ISDC ­format

In Figure 1, the Level 1 Elements are summary deliverable descriptions. The Level 2 Elements in each Leg of the WBS are all the unique deliverables required to create the respective Level 1 deliverable. This was a complicated shutdown with extensive engineering work, raising the probability of not completing the work on time.

Document all your findings and incorporate the key ones in the project charter. Work Package is simply a task/activity or grouping of work and is the point at which work is planned, progress is measured, and earned value is computed. It can be translated into different terms in different companies and functions. A program WBS is established to provide the framework for program and technical planning, cost estimating, resource allocation, performance measurement, and status reporting. The WBS defines the total hardware, software, services, data, and facilities system and relates these elements to each other and to the end product. Program offices develop a program WBS tailoring the guidance provided in MIL-HDBK-881 and MIL-STD-881D.

How to create a work breakdown structure and why you should

Creating a WBS before defining tasks is useful because it provides an overall roadmap to project completion. A WBS dictionary is formatted like the hierarchical structure, but it includes a brief description of each work package. When documenting a project, a WBS dictionary is often included in addition to a visualization of the WBS. It helps to clarify https://globalcloudteam.com/ the scope of each task so that all team members understand their responsibilities. Depending on the nature of your project, start dividing by project phases, specific large deliverables, or sub-tasks. Divide the overarching project into smaller and smaller pieces, but stop before you get to the point of listing out every action that must be taken.