Jasz
VIP Contributor
The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a hierarchical representation of the work to be done in a project. It shows the total work, the major deliverables and the small tasks that make up each deliverable. The WBS is used to organize and manage project activities. It’s also useful for tracking costs and schedules.
The WBS is one of the most important tools for managing projects because it helps you to identify all of the work involved in a project, see how it’s related to other work, and estimate how long it will take to complete each piece of work.
To create a WBS, you need to:
Define a problem or objective that needs to be solved;
Identify all of the major components needed to achieve this objective;
Break each major component down into smaller components until each has been assigned its own manager responsible for overseeing its completion;
A WBS is usually created in outline form with levels of detail that increase as you go down each branch of the tree-like structure. Each level may further be broken down into sub-tasks until you reach the lowest level in which individual activities can be assigned to specific people within your group or organization.
The WBS is one of the most important tools for managing projects because it helps you to identify all of the work involved in a project, see how it’s related to other work, and estimate how long it will take to complete each piece of work.
To create a WBS, you need to:
Define a problem or objective that needs to be solved;
Identify all of the major components needed to achieve this objective;
Break each major component down into smaller components until each has been assigned its own manager responsible for overseeing its completion;
A WBS is usually created in outline form with levels of detail that increase as you go down each branch of the tree-like structure. Each level may further be broken down into sub-tasks until you reach the lowest level in which individual activities can be assigned to specific people within your group or organization.
