Imagine a simple step-by-step guide, a meal recipe for example. To complete the recipe you have a set of ingredients that have to be prepared, mixed or cooked in a specific way. The recipe is your guide and with that recipe you should be able to recreate the dish you desire.
What is WBS
Principles behind the recipe are the same for work breakdown structure. WBS is a tree of steps that you need to do to complete your project. But WBS is more complex than that. Recipes are not telling us obvious things, that we need to go the store to buy the ingredients, kitchen accessories etc.
WBS is a tree of steps that you need to do to complete your project.
In the classic waterfall project we like to identify everything that project consists of. And for that the WBS comes really handy, because WBS is a tree of steps that need to be done in order to complete the project itself (steps are further, parts or components).
How to create WBS
Write down what you know
The difficulty of creating a bulletproof WBS lies in what you actually know about how the final product is being created rather than the process of creating WBS. What do I mean by that is, in order to write down what does the project consist of, you have to know it. This seems so obvious but actually sometimes isn’t.
If you are in a position when you know what you are creating the first step is simple enough. Write everything that you know that leads to a successful completion of the project. If you don’t know what does the project consist of you inevitably have to follow with the next step.
Write everything that you know that leads to a successful completion of the project.
I want to point out here, that the structure doesn’t really matter. The order of steps doesn’t matter too. The finished complete list of steps matters. So, focus on that, write everything you know that leads you to a successful completion of the project first.
Identify what you don’t know
How can one write down what they don’t know? Something can’t emerge from nothing right? It can’t, but the task still stands the same. We have to create a list of steps that leads to the project completion.
How do we help ourselves to complete the list? Well, by doing research or acquiring the knowledge for the project elsewhere. That’s what we are doing here, we are filling the gaps of the previous list to later create our WBS.
For doing so we can use the following:
- Research of similar projects or topics
- Invite experts or generally, people who know more than we do to help us
After we identify what we didn’t know, we write it down to the list of steps we already have. After that the list is as complete as it can be at the moment and we continue to the next step.
Group similar steps together
So far so good, next, items in the list should be grouped into categories that create bigger components. Bigger components then, together, complete the project.
Why bigger components? Firstly, to create more understandable and easier to read structure of the project. Bigger components allows for that. Futhermore, to gain a better control over the project with smaller, more manageable parts. And lastly, to later visualise how the components go one after another chronologically or hierarchically.
Now, for the hierarchy. To visualise the components that have to be done sooner and which later. We can visualise that by moving them up in the hierarchy. Thus, we compose WBS in levels. Lower levels of components are created first, upper levels are created later. Let’s move on and do just that in the next step.
Visualise
WBS also serves the following two purposes. To create readable map of the project and more importantly, to create an understandable, a logically structured roadmap that can be read by others. And that’s what the visualisation step is for. So how do we do it?
We can visualise the list of steps in several ways:
- Hierarchical chart - a tree structure of the project, with later components at the top, and the earlier at the bottom.
- Nods - a mind map-like structure, final product is in the center, later components are closer to it, earlier components are on the branches further from the center.
- Columns - even simple columns can do, later components are at the top and, again, earlier ones are at the bottom.
Structure the Parts for Efficiency
The last step. What does it mean to structure parts for efficiency?
I would say, that it means to put them in such way that the project development will go as smooth as possible, as quickly as it can and that the structure in which we are doing things don’t reduce the quality of outputs. I think, there is no right answer here.
Sheesh. I can imagine that that could be a lot to think about. Let me rephrase. There isn’t a right way to do things. But some ways of doing things are more efficient than others. And that’s a fact. After spending all that energy and effort on making the WBS we might as well think about the most efficient way of completing the project too.
There isn’t a right way of doing things.
WBS is a handy tool for looking into the project and restructure it so that the conditions mentioned above are met. This step is in my opinion optional. If you are a beginner you may or may not do it. Needless to say, this is a mandatory step for an experienced project manager.
How to Overcome Obstacles of Creating WBS
The WBS is Too Complex
Group more steps together. There is a rule called 8/80 which implies that WBS component should be minimum of 8 hours and maximum of 80 hours of work. Try to apply this rule to your WBS and reduce the number of components in it.
The good way of doing this is to use checklists and put this detailed process into the regarding component.
Define the Project Goal
Defining a goal is a very helpful guide for decomposing your project. Unlike the majority I think it is ok to continue without a goal if you are an individual doing your own project and want to discover where the path takes you. For any other occasion, I am recommending setting up the goal of the project clearly and beforehand.
Balance the granularity
Do not be mistaken, WBS is not a list of steps. Try to set the granularity of a decomposition for your project accordingly. Use the 8/80 rule, if components tend to be too small use checklists, if components tend to be larger make sure to use adequate number of levels of WBS.
Tips
Nods or a Mind Map Approach is the Best
I find nods to be the best way to visualise the project but you might not and that’s ok. Use what comes natural to you but remember that if the WBS is not just for you, than visualising the WBS differently might help others, so it’s always good to know different ways.
Useful tools and techniques for creating WBS
- brainstorming - and different brainstorming techniques to get your head tell you what the project should create
- interviews - for getting help from others if needed
- focus groups - for getting help from more people at the same time if needed
- questionaries and surveys - from getting help from more people who don't have time
- benchmarking - for comparing what I came up with what somebody else came up
- mind mapping - the alfa and omega of effective thinking
Smart pants section
Types of WBS
There are two main different types of WBS:
- Phase-based WBS - structures the project with regard to when something should be created
- Deliverables-based WBS - structures the project with regard to what should be created
Preceding processes of a PMI framework
- Plan scope management - we are deciding on the approach towards the scope planning.
- Collect requirements - this is where we conduct intel on what the final product or service should do.
- Define scope - this is basically creating our project task list, we define steps to deliver what was required.
- Create WBS - we are creating a bulletproof WBS.
Vocabulary
What is scope? = Scope is the abstract key word for the size of a project, its depth and its complexity.
What is deliverable? = a physical or abstract good (service) that is a direct product of the project.
What is WBS? = Work Breakdown Structure.
What are project requirements? = definition of features, functions, functionalities, conditions or processes of the final product or service.
What is a work package? = Work package is a group of similar activities that compose a project part (in the text, because it’s more clear = a component).
What is a project component? = it’s another way of saying the work package, imho more understandable, I could be wrong.
What is a decomposition? = an activity that breaks down the project to its parts/components/work packages and further to tasks or activities.