-
ORDER OUR BOOK TODAY
Now available in paperback.
Plan projects with a Work Breakdown Structure
I enjoy leading a project. Setting the goal, defining scope, and then using my favorite piece of the planning process: creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
Before you get to who’s going to do what and the schedule, the WBS allows you to take a project and break it into smaller, more manageable pieces. You end up with an organized, visual display of the main pieces of your project.
How it works: Once you define your final date for the project, your next step is to define the scope or magnitude of that project. How big is it? What will the project include? If your goal is to have a wedding by June 30, 2009, your scope might include dinner, invitations, decorations, entertainment, and a ceremony.
To further define the scope, a WBS offers a system to map out the work in detail. A simple way to think about it is by asking: What are the key deliverables — tangible and intangible things — that will result from the project? What will it take to get the project done?
A WBS also includes a logical list of tasks, that when completed, roll up to the deliverable. For example, the entertainment deliverable for the wedding event above might look like this:
1.0 Entertainment
- 1.1 Research bands.
- 1.2 Select band.
- 1.3 Create preferred song list.
The beauty of the WBS is that it can be used for relatively small projects (like organizing your garage), as well as large projects (like developing a piece of software).
You can create a WBS in most of the project software tools out there, or you can create one of your own on paper or in a document program like Word. On the work front, a WBS can be part of your project planning for anything from an office move to building a bridge. The more complex the project is, the more useful the WBS is to ensure that the main pieces of the project puzzle are captured.
Do you use WBSs on your projects? Let us know your experience in the comments area.
25 comments posted
Posted by AA - 04/16/2009
Really interesting. Would like to know more info on how this works. Resources you would recommend?
Posted by A Conceited Jerk - 04/16/2009
I use the WBS features of project management software extensively both in my personal life and in my professional life. OmniPlan is a terrific tool for the Macintosh.
Posted by Keith_Indy - 04/16/2009
Being a software developer, and now project manager, I’ve always used a WBS. Even in my home life, I’m always making lists, breakdown projects into tasks, and then sub-tasks. I help build sets for a community theater every now and then, and it’s the same thing. Break the work down, and then you can assign discreet tasks to smaller groups/individuals.
Posted by DJ - 04/16/2009
Back in the day, I called this “outlining.”
Posted by Enrique S @ The Corporate Barbarian - 04/16/2009
Working for a defense contractor, I’m well acquainted with the WBS. When designed properly, they can be a great tool to set up the framework for tracking your schedule and collecting your costs. I’ve got one set up for our home maintenance tasks, and I’ve even added an Earned Value calculation to track if I’m over budget with time.
Posted by John - 04/16/2009
I do this, but I always thought it was just “making a list.”
Posted by Sue Brenner - 04/16/2009
@AA -
pmi.org is a good resource for all things project related. It’s the prof dev org for project managers. Good luck!
Sue
Posted by Ioan Lucian - 04/16/2009
Hello everybody,
I’m wondering about your opinion about RationalPlan – project management software.
Covering project management areas starting with WBS construction, project planning and scheduling to progress tracking, Gantt chart etc, RationalPlan is an affordable alternative to Microsoft Project with some extra-features like multi project management.
Mac OS X, Windows and Linux supported.
Posted by Sean - 04/16/2009
For Windows users, WBS Chart Pro (http://www.criticaltools.com/) is an excellent piece of software. It works seamlessly with MS Project, allowing you to convert Project outlines to WBS charts and vice versa. At $199, it isn’t cheap. But as a project manager I find it indispensable.
Posted by Kathy - 04/16/2009
I do this (through natural list making/outlining), and i use it in helping to coach people through working through challenges. It allows for the opportunity to identify roadblocks, dependencies and to break the pieces down into more managable chunks.
My husband and I were just doing this tonight — we’re painting a room this weekend, and he jumps straight to “paint room” and misses so many steps, which makes him manage time inappropriately (and get frustrated), not have the right tools at the right time (wasting time and resources), and skipping steps you can’t go back and redo (like taking “before” pictures).
Posted by Richard Riggs - 04/16/2009
This methodology seems to be simply “mind clutter.” You need this “approach” to unclutter a garage? Really? Spend more time with a broom, the trash can, a garden hose, a paint brush and some common sense. Please.
It’s not a software project, it’s the garage.
Posted by Michael Kirkham - 04/16/2009
As a software developer, I tend plan out the scope of projects in this way, but with a couple GTD-based caveats. First, for most projects (I’ll grant something you have to book well ahead of time like a wedding is different), you’ve got this backwards:
“Once you define your final date for the project, your next step is to define the scope or magnitude of that project.”
That doesn’t work in practice. Figure out the scope and magnitude of the project, then you can get an idea how long it’s going to take based on the smaller parts, and then you can estimate your final date. In my industry we have a saying: “On time, feature complete, bug free: pick two.” If you’ve already set the date before figuring out what’s involved or what you’re going to deliver, you’re already doomed to fail.
Second, use wording that implies defined milestones and next actions as if to check them off later, not vague areas. “Research bands” isn’t so good because there’s no goal or actionable item; “Select band” is better, but “Band selected” would be better still. Researching would be a subproject of that, but you want a next action like “Email friends for band recommendations.” It’s something direct you can act on and be done with, unlike “research” that has no defined scope other than “band selected”.
Posted by Ken - 04/16/2009
I agree. Typically the first step of establishing your project timeline is to define the scope based on the deliverables/goals for your project. After you break out all the major tasks/milestones for your project, you assign durations for each task based on the approximate number of hours required to complete it. Only then do you have a general idea of when you could likely complete the project.
At least that’s how it works with IT projects. I agree, as Michael did, that event planning is different. But if I’m organizing my hours, my timeline will be based on the number of rooms and how many hours will be required to organize each one.
Someone said that this is “mind clutter”. I guess it all depends on scope. For even moderately-sized projects, though, project management actually saves time. Proper planning prevents poor performance.
-Ken (IT PM)
Posted by Mike - 04/17/2009
Recently I just started doing using this process yet I didn’t know it had a name. I like to pin my individual tasks on a plastic wire that’s on my wall. The breaking down of specific steps helps me from hyperventilating! (jk)
Posted by Rue - 04/17/2009
I definitely agree with Richard that for most tasks like cleaning out the garage, this would be a waste of time (at least, it would be for me). Most of the tasks I do at home and at work don’t require much planning, so it would end up taking me more time to make this plan of attack than to actually do the task!
However, for large projects that encompass numerous minute details (like planning a wedding or writing software programs as were mentioned), this would be much more useful. Have to agree with the person who said it’s basically outlining though!
Posted by Keith_Indy - 04/17/2009
Hey Richard, come on over and “clean” my 1600 sq ft garage (2 levels) any time. I need a punch list so I know what order to do things in.
Posted by j phillips - 04/17/2009
i don’t understand how WBS is different from the conventional “make a to-do list.”
Posted by Luisa - 04/17/2009
I think the difference between WBS and conventional to-do list, as well as the take away of this is that… you need to break the task down. It might seem ridiculous to do WBS for household/daily chores, but I actually find it useful, esp for things I like to procrastinate on. I find that things I usually procrastinate on, like tax, yard cleaning, etc, are because they are big, or my to-do list are vertical and long, so that I either can’t do them in one go, or not sure which to tackle first. By breaking them down and prioritizing, I know each small task are very do-able, I know which should be done first, and being able to cross the subtask out shows that I’m making progress, and eventually I will actually get the task done.
Posted by mycrazyhair - 04/28/2009
Richard, the goal here is to avoid more subtle versions of “painting yourself into a corner”. The work breakdown is particularly helpful when you’re trying to meet a deadline.
A WBS helps you to see all of the steps that must occur, in what order, and how long each will take. If I want to have my backyard ready for a party, a WBS will help me to remember to get to the hardware store to pick up sandpaper and paint early enough that the paint will have time to dry before I need to put up decorations. Similarly, if I want to write a will, I’ll need a full picture of my financial situation first. The WBS will help me to remember to gather all of my financial statements, etc. in time to review them before the meeting with the lawyer.
I use the WBS approach all of the time when developing my to do lists. I just wish I could find an inexpensive piece of software that would help me to organize my lists that way. http://www.rememberthemilk.com just isn’t working for me, because it doesn’t allow me to link my “to do” items together to show which ones depend on the others, and to determine when I need to start the first in order to meet my overall deadline.
Posted by Dietmar Schoder - 04/29/2009
And use a cool, free tool: http://www.wbs-tool.net.
Posted by Fazeel - 05/05/2009
hi to all.i am fazeel doing chemical engineering want to know abt work breakdown structure?
can anyone tell me from where i can get the work breakdown structure of any project(like water supply from water tank).
and if anyone have any project on work breakdown structure then plz send me to my mail address.i need it urgently plz
waiting …..
Posted by Dietmar Schoder - 05/07/2009
Dear Fazeel! You find at least a general sample on my homepage: http://www.wbs-tool.net/wbs/Be.....jektEN.gif.
Posted by Daniel Hoang - 05/10/2009
http://www.gantter.com is a great, simple web-based, Gantt WBS tool. Not as intensive as MS Project but simple enough for the use you recommend in your article.
Posted by Elaine - 04/19/2010
Part of the reason some people need this approach for tasks such as uncluttering is that the job as a whole seems so huge. Breaking something down into smaller components often helps crack that barrier of resistance. Whatever works…
Posted by Mark - 04/20/2010
Mycrazyhair:
Have you come across Life Balance “http://www.llamagraphics.com/LB/index.html”? This is a ToDo list that allows you to arrange your actions by Project and Context, and define Critical Paths i.e. what needs to be done first. It gives you a Next Action list that only shows the next possible action; once you tick that off, the subsequent step appears. Loads more useful features; maybe it’s what your looking for?
Comments are closed for this entry.