The wbs subdivides the project work into smaller, more manageable pieces. Risk breakdown structure for construction projects on existing buildings finetuning in order to finetune the newly created risk breakdown structure for construction projects on existing buildings consultations with experts in this field of work were held. The main project tasks have been subdivided separating the new work from the existing installation that needs to be reworked. The wbs also can involve combinations of these formats, for example, process and geography or. Framework for a generic work breakdown structure for. A wbs is not a todo list consisting of everything that needs to be done on the project.
Purpose the purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for the standardisation of the work breakdown structure wbs for building projects. Wbs is a hierarchical and incremental decomposition of the project into phases, deliverables and. Project summary breakdown structure project management. Understand and apply new concepts regarding work breakdown structures the work breakdown structure wbs has emerged as a foundational concept and tool in project management. Its a helpful tool that defines a detailed cost or time estimate and provides guidance for schedule development and control. Now both work breakdown structures for construction projects on new and existing buildings were compared. The project management project summary breakdown structure refers to a project management tool that is used for the purposes of providing the project management team and or the project management team leader with a detailed and designed work breakdown structure for the given project in question.
Add, remove and regroup the notes as you think through your work. A key part of a good construction project plan is the work breakdown structure wbs. A wbs also provides the necessary framework for detailed cost estimating and control along with providing guidance for schedule development and control. A fixture in classic project management methodology and systems engineering, the work breakdown structure wbs is a method that breaks a project down into a hierarchy of deliverables, tasks, and subtasks. It breaksdown the project into lowlevel subtask units of work that will be scheduled, executed and controlled. What is work breakdown structure in project management.
It is useful to create a work breakdown structure to identify and break down the deliverables in the project. It separates the work into individual activities such as purchasing and testing. Developing the work breakdown structure work breakdown structure format the work breakdown structure is usually organized so that it emphasizes the product structure, but sometimes it is organized in terms of process structure life cycle or geography. A brief synopsis, a government designbidbuild work breakdown structure in both word and excel, and a pdf appendix of the government designbidbuild work breakdown structure wbs example. The wbs or work breakdown structure is simply a tool to organize project tasks in a hierarchical way and organize them for estimation for resources, effort, and costs.
The lowest level components in the wbs are your work packages. Most project planners start building their construction schedule by establishing a work breakdown structure. Work breakdown structure wbs, the basic building block. Typically the project summary breakdown structure is only developed to a certain point within the. It is the connecting point for work and cost estimates, schedule information, actual work effortcost expenditures, and accountability. Location is the container for data which relates to the quantum of the project. This office relocation plan document can also be used as a checklist in support of an existing office relocation project. The importance of the wbs experienced project managers know there are many things that can go wrong in projects.
Planning a project using a work breakdown structure and logic. Government designbidbuild work breakdown structure wbs. A work breakdown structure wbs is a chart where the project tasks are illustrated to reflect their relations to each other and the project in general. Building project work breakdown structure jobs, employment.
Each level of the wbs represents an increasingly detailed description of the project work by activity. Get this wrong and you may be looking at poor project performance or simply looking for another job. A brief synopsis, a process plant construction work breakdown structure in both word and excel, and a pdf appendix of the process plant construction work breakdown structure wbs example. Work breakdown structure a project work breakdown structure wbs is a deliverable or product oriented grouping of project work elements shown in graph ical display to organize and subdivide the total work scope of a project. Process plant construction work breakdown structure wbs. Building the work breakdown structure wbs pm certification. Cdc unified process practices guide work breakdown structure up version. Risk breakdown structure for construction projects on. Jun 20, 2012 get the wbs right and you are set for project success. It organizes and defines the total scope of the project.
By kim colenso, managing principal, artemis management systems. It is the connecting point for work and cost estimates, schedule information, actual work effort cost expenditures, and accountability. Created by the three experts who led the development of. It must exist before the project manager can plan these related and vital aspects of the. Visualizing objectives, deliverables, activities, and schedules employs a diagram approach to project planning and scheduling. Work break down structure wbs the work breakdown structure wbs is the breakdown of the project into its component parts in a reasonable and methodical manner. A work breakdown structure showing factory project. The project management institute pmi project management body of knowledge pmbok defines a.
Sep 25, 2017 a work breakdown structure or wbs is a common term in project management. A work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. A work breakdown structure wbs is a decomposition of all the work necessary to complete a project. These resources are presented from the pmi practice standard for work breakdown. The wbs construction projects specifies the work assignment for every crew member, subcontractor, architect, and outside consulting engineer working on the project. A project work breakdown structure wbs is a key component of project management deliverables. Write them down on sticky notes and put them on a whiteboard.
The wbs then is used to put together a project schedule. The structure of the project planning is of utmost importance to keep an overview and to see the relationships between the tasks. Project managers use the work breakdown structure to identify the work that the project team must accomplish and to break it down into individual tasks. This work breakdowns structure was created as a type of a checklist breakdown structure. A work breakdown structure wbs is a project management tool designed to capture project tasks in a visual, organized manner. Applying a work breakdown structure figure 1 shows an example of a wbs that lays out a plan for a generator installation to an existing distribution system. Jul 30, 2009 the first step in doing this is developing the organizational breakdown structure obs for the project. The goal of a wbs is to make a large project more manageable. The wbs should represent the work identified in the approved project scope statement and serves as an early. Figure 1 at the construction stage, a wbs helps manage. Office relocation plan work breakdown structure the project. The wbs organizes and defines the total scope of the project. The first step in doing this is developing the organizational breakdown structure obs for the project. The following discussion will examine the current trends and practice regarding work breakdown structures.
Dec 25, 2017 a project work breakdown structure wbs is a key component of project management deliverables. Today, work breakdown structures are widely used for projects of all types, both business and personal. This article describes how to build and plan the activities by means of a work breakdown structure wbs regarding scope management during project execution. Wbs work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.
Construction project wbs examples to get you started. Just like when constructing a tower or a bridge, its important to start with a solid foundation. The work breakdown structure is the tool used to divide the project work content among individ uals and organizations so that ef ciency and effectiveness will be achieved while ensuring the inte gration of work efforts to produce the project required deliverables. Building a work breakdown structure project management. This approach encourages the sharing of ideas and helps everyone understand the work that. This glossary applies only to the terms used in the ska project execution plan phase 1 work breakdown structure and statement of work mgt001. A work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical outline of the tasks needed to deliver the projects product or service. Project managementwork breakdown structure flashcards.
Process plant construction work breakdown structure wbs example. Planning a project using a work breakdown structure and. Work breakdown structure topdown description of the project functional and physical elements mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive description of the work elements goal. Work breakdown structure wbs in project management teamgantt. This useful tool empowers business professionals to take control of and successfully communicate their projects, ensuring they are completed on time with their targeted impact. Work breakdown structure the work breakdown structure is a tree structure, which shows a subdivision of effort required to achieve an objective of a project. Wbs construction projects project management tools.
The second work breakdown structure was created to accommodate a generic reconstruction, strengthening or retrofitting project for an existing building. This zip file contains the white paper the work breakdown structure. A wbs is arranged in a hierarchy and constructed to allow for clear and logical groupings, either by activities or deliverables. My vision is that the project planning is intended to be a means and not an objective. The purpose of this document is to provide project managers and team members with an overview of the requirements for an office relocation. The rule that states that no single element of a work breakdown structure should be less than 8 hours, or greater than 80 hours. A work breakdown structure element may be a product, data, service, or any combination thereof. Developing and elaborating effective work breakdown structures. A project wbs is used for breaking down a project into easily manageable components, or bites. Nov 07, 20 a work breakdown structure element may be a product, data, service, or any combination thereof. The obs indicates the organizational relationships and is used as the framework for assigning work responsibilities. A logical structure that can be used at any level of analysis related to estimating the cost of a project.
Work breakdown structure wbs in project management. Apply to project manager, project scheduler, it project manager and more. Oct 27, 2016 a work breakdown structure wbs is a chart where the project tasks are illustrated to reflect their relations to each other and the project in general. Here well break down the process for you, making it easy to use these structures in your project planning. Group these items into major categories with common characteristics e.
The work breakdown structure wbs organizes and defines 100% of the scope of project work to be accomplished and displays it in a way that relates work elements to each other and to the projects goals. The work breakdown structure wbs provides a view of your project based on activities. Wbs is a hierarchical model of all the work required to produce the projects outputs. A work breakdown structure wbs in project management is a tool used to define and group a projects discrete work elements or tasks in a way that. Mar 25, 2016 a key part of a good construction project plan is the work breakdown structure wbs. Jun 02, 2014 if you are a project manager and you want to stretch your tasks correctly, then you need to create what is known as a work breakdown structure for your project. This article explains the wbs or work breakdown structure in a practical way. Work breakdown structure wbs, the basic building block for. Use of a work break down structure in project planning. If you are a project manager and you want to stretch your tasks correctly, then you need to create what is known as a work breakdown structure for your project. Work breakdown structures wbs is a term that is used in project management. Get the team together and brainstorm all the deliverables in the project, in no particular order. The work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and control.
Factory project editable work breakdown structure template. Construction phase work breakdown structure construction initiation addenda construction operations construction completion asbuilt plans bids advertisement communications project briefing meeting minutes public outreach meeting minutes construction bidx posting of addenda contractor addenda acknowledgement advertising memo bidx posting goals. Build a work breakdown structure microsoft project. The wbs was originally developed by the us department of defense, which mandated their use across the dod. It also specifies the deliverables the customer will get. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project.
Structure the work based on the work products activityoriented approach structure the work based on development activities and project functions geographical area approach structure the work based on geographical location organizational approach structure the work based on organizational structure. Work breakdown structure relativistic heavy ion collider. It is an important tool which helps in determining all the activities and putting them in a sequence. One work breakdown structure example that will make it clear. The work breakdown structure is the tool used to divide the project work content among individ uals and organizations so that ef ciency and effectiveness will be achieved while ensuring the inte gration of work efforts to produce the projectrequired deliverables. The project schedule shows the dependencies between tasks and is used to produce the actual project timeline. Jan 11, 2009 building a work breakdown structure building a work breakdown structure. One of the biggest mistakes that project managers make when developing a project plan is to not sit down with the team doing the work and guessing for them. The concept is used each time a new project is designed and is created before entering any data into a microsoft project file. After reading it, you will understand the basics of this powerful project management tool.
Take into consideration other responsibilities outside of the project. In wrike, you can build a wbs by creating folders and subfolders, and can even go further to divide individual tasks into subtasks. A work breakdown structure wbs proposes a graphical nature that helps project managers predict results based on various scenarios. View work breakdown structure research papers on academia.
You can edit this work breakdown structure using creately diagramming tool and include in your reportpresentationwebsite. This is based on the premise that buildings in general retain basic elemental options, and that there is a commonality of activities in the procurement of building projects. Building a work breakdown structure the wbs is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team, to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. It is an enabler that ensures clear definition and communication of project scope while performing a critical role as a monitoring and controlling tool. Get the wbs right and you are set for project success. The wbs is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team, to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. This article also contains a downloadable and editable work breakdown structure template. Your work breakdown structure wbs should establish a solid foundation for your construction project schedule. A fundamental requirement for effective project control is that the whole project is systematically decomposed into smaller, manageable units, creating a hierarchical structure generally referred to as the work breakdown structure. Work breakdown structure or wbs is a hierarchical tree structure that outlines your project and breaks it down into smaller, more manageable portions. The process works backward from the work that is required to achieve the project goals.
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