For example, if your project is to build a house, the top layer of the wbs. Separating the task list and work breakdown structure can be appropriate for larger projects. Aug 12, 2016 building a work breakdown structure parkland college building a work breakdown structure risk management website design the work breakdown structure 1. Second, the work breakdown structure is also based on the construction methodology that will be used on the project. This is a work breakdown structure for building a house. The obs indicates the organizational relationships and is used as the framework for assigning work responsibilities. Depending of what the person that asked the question had in mind they can complete the wbs as per their needs. Today, work breakdown structures are widely used for projects of all types, both business and personal. So lets say level one, we have the first work package which lets say we are building a house the house then will be divided into the second hierarchy or the second level of the wbs into smaller packages. New project manager training for developers 52,156 views. What is a work breakdown structure wbs example included. Mar 25, 2016 wbs work breakdown structure main page. If i was to plan to work first at shaft s2, then at s1, followed by s3, i would order my wbs to match this sequence.
Doubleclick in a template row to add a project task to your wbs. The wbs runs from the initial space planning work to site shutdown and computer relocation. Building house editable work breakdown structure template. Office relocation plan work breakdown structure the project. 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. The wbs is designed to help break down a project into manageable chunks that can be effectively estimated and supervised. Learn about the 100% rule when making a work breakdown structure wbs. Aouad3 1 school of the built environment, heriot watt university, uk. The wbs also can involve combinations of these formats, for example, process and geography or. Wbs examples for a software project, construction projects, a conference, finding a job, selling a.
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. Work breakdown structure is a powerful and valuable tool in project management. One project may include several phases, or also smaller subprojects. A wbs is not a todo list consisting of everything that needs to be done on the project. Thinking in detail is critical when planning your project, but you also need to consider the big picture. For example, if your goal is to build a house, you might have the following three broad deliverables at level 2. How to use a work breakdown structure to estimate projects. A work breakdown structure defines all the things a project needs to accomplish, organized into multiple levels, and displayed graphically. Work breakdown structures are used mainly in project management and systems engineering. What is wbs work breakdown structure in project management. You can edit this work breakdown structure using creately diagramming tool and include in your reportpresentationwebsite. Nov 26, 2019 a work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. Mar 15, 2018 a work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical structure of things that the project will make or outcomes that it will deliver this one is far better. First, the house building project is subdivided into three large sections that seem to make.
Project initiation a kickoff meeting will start the initiation phrase of the project. Work breakdown structure designing buildings wiki share your construction industry knowledge. I believe there is nothing wrong with this practice, as there only needs to be one official breakdown of the project work. For example, if your project is to build a house, the top layer of the wbs should be build a house. Aug 03, 2008 the team members must be involved in created the wbs and making sure that all the deliverables are included in it. The importance of the wbs experienced project managers know there are many things that can go wrong in projects. Wbsconstruction of house example wbs dictionary ppt video. Building the work breakdown structure wbs for additional support, please visit the epmo website. Below is an example of the obs for the acme house building project. The most complete project management glossary for professional project managers. Construction project wbs examples to get you started.
How to create a work breakdown structure projectengineer. A work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. The following discussion will examine the current trends and practice regarding work breakdown structures. Oct 29, 2019 the example wbs for a commercial building above provides a good starting outline for a real project. Remember, youre not the only person who will use your schedule.
When youre comfortable with the overall process of creating a work breakdown structure, youll be able to adapt the practice to any projectfrom moving your house to building a complex database with 75 offshore teams. Try to structure your work breakdown structure to match the sequence of work as you plan to execute it. The 100% rule this rule states that exactly 100% of the project scope should be included in the work breakdown structure. In so doing, you gain clarity into the details needed to accomplish every aspect of your project. If you fail to identify a major part of your projects work, you wont have the chance to detail it. A work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections.
This work breakdown structure example shows that all the elements are listed under wbs levels. There are 9 tricks to creating work breakdown structures that will. Company owners and project managers use the work breakdown structure wbs to make complex projects more manageable. Free work breakdown structure templates smartsheet. Wbs creation 10 golden rules work breakdown structure duration. The wbs was originally developed by the us department of defense, which mandated their use across the dod. Creating a work breakdown structure wbs helps you be both comprehensive and specific when managing a project.
Here well break down the process for you, making it easy to use these structures in your project planning. Work packages are described for both the planning and construction phases. Preparing a wbs this wbs structure is designed to control scope by. Work breakdown structure rev e, june 2003 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. Starting with this end objective, wbs determines a hierarchy. View this mind map example, construction of a house, in mindviews mind map library. One work breakdown structure example that will make it clear. Level 3 shows the major deliverables and level 4 is the. Work breakdown structure introduction to project planning. For example, look at the tunneling project wbs example above. How to create a work breakdown structure lucidchart blog.
Developing and elaborating effective work breakdown structures. A work breakdown structure wbs is a project management tool designed to capture project tasks in a visual, organized manner. As we said it is hierarchical levels of work packages. Building a house is one of the classic wbs examples. Wbs dictionary gives a little more detail than the wbs itself. Work breakdown structure for building a house example. Tasks and activities will be grouped under these lowest levels. Work breakdown structure wbs in project management teamgantt. An example is the building of a house which represents the toplevel deliverable. It is widely used in the area of project management to breakdown a project into. As an example, the wbs of a waterfall construction project will be very different from a project that uses a designbuild methodology. The terms work breakdown structure and task list are, in my experience, often used interchangeably. Wbs examples for a software project, construction projects, a conference, finding a job, selling a house, planning.
Here are some key best practices you should follow when creating a work breakdown structure. A project wbs is used for breaking down a project into easily manageable components, or bites. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project. They were first developed by the us defense department in 1957 as part of the development of the polaris missile programme and further developed by nasa in 1962. The pmbok defines wbs as a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team. Dec 25, 2017 a project work breakdown structure wbs is a key component of project management deliverables. Work breakdown structure examples and overview of wbs. How to draw a work breakdown structure in less than. Jul 30, 2009 the first step in doing this is developing the organizational breakdown structure obs for the project. Note that this sample construction building project work breakdown structure has a detailed multilevel section for design work. Example of work breakdown structure for building a house. Work breakdown structure for building a house example checkykey.
Coffee shop, work breakdown structure by philip sexton on. Weve compiled real construction project wbs examples you can use to build your own construction project work breakdown structure. A work breakdown structure, commonly abbreviated wbs, is a key project deliverable that is utilized to organize a project teams work and responsibilities into compact sections that are more manageable. How to draw a work breakdown structure in less than a.
Moreover, there are a lot of aspects that you can learn only the hard way. Nevertheless, i strongly suggest you to try using work breakdown structure on your project to the full extent. The project management body of knowledge defines the work breakdown structure as a deliverable oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team. Budget details costs of each phase of the project, broken down by wbs areas. Thats right, the work breakdown structure will be your friend. Construction project wbs examples to get you started plan. Work breakdown structure or wbs is a method used to decompose a project or large piece of work into smaller manageable chunks of work. Notice how the rules of building a wbs are applied in this example.
First, the house building project is subdivided into three large sections that seem to make sense. Even subprojects can be broken down into smaller bits. This schedule, from a real world project, brings the example to life in traditional project software format. 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 helps organize and define the total. The construction work is broken down first by trade discipline, then by work type or perhaps phase.
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