They often work through several versions of the plan, adjusting assignments. Pdf the lower structure of a steel bridge is one of the essential elements of a whole steel bridge. A work breakdown structure wbs is a project management technique for defining and organizing the total scope of a project, using a hierarchical tree structure. A project work breakdown structure wbs is a key component of project management deliverables. These resources are presented from the pmi practice standard for work breakdown. Work breakdown structure wbs project management docs. The best approach to project work planning combines top down and bottom up methods. Plan development task identification and work breakdown. As an example, the wbs of a waterfall construction project will be very different from a project that uses a designbuild methodology. Aouad3 1 school of the built environment, heriot watt university, uk. Developing and elaborating effective work breakdown structures. Wbs work breakdown structure in ms project 2010 nenad. Hi, according to pmi pmbok 4th edition, wbs or work breakdown structure is.
Iaea nuclear energy series technical reports project management in nuclear power plant construction. Project initiation a kickoff meeting will start the initiation phrase of the project. It is a tool which helps to easily communicate the work and processes involved to execute the project. The most complete project management glossary for professional project managers. There is nothing that 90% of the population of customers love spending their money on than good food. 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. Check the capital project delivery website to ensure this is the current version. This work package includes all work required to generate, administer and implement project control functions and reporting tasks including risk mitigation, scheduling, budgeting, earned value management and reporting for the duration of the project. A work breakdown structure wbs identifies tasks and deliverables associated with a project. A work breakdown structure wbs, in project management and systems engineering, is a deliverable oriented decomposition of a project into smaller components. Construction project wbs examples to get you started.
The wbs is a view into the project that illustrates the work the project encompasses. There are many ways you can present the wbs for your project. Project managers have long relied on work breakdown structures wbs to help them effectively and efficiently plan and implement projects. The project manager and project team use the wbs to develop the project schedule, resource requirements and costs. The project manger and other project leaders look at both the financial and process views and modify the plan to strike a balance. Pdf the paper presents methods of determining the location of cost buffers and. A wbs dictionary contains more detailed information about elements within a work breakdown structure wbs. Second, the work breakdown structure is also based on the construction methodology that will be used on the project. A work breakdown structure element may be a product, data, service, or any combination thereof. 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. Wbs construction projects project management tools. Work breakdown structure element dictionary construction procedures are subject to change without notice.
Project managementadministration project related objective. In those circumstances, wbs enable the performance a summary of the estimated costs for all subsequent project tasks, regardless of whether these relate to salaries, materials, services etc. There are few published studies about the methodologies or tools to develop the appropriate wbs. It is an enabler that ensures clear definition and communication of project scope while performing a critical role as a monitoring and controlling tool. However, formulating a construction project plan is not an easy task. A work breakdown structure wbs is a project management tool designed to capture project tasks in a visual, organized manner. Standard pm wbs template for non infrastructure projects. This zip file contains the white paper the work breakdown structure. As the discipline has matured, project professionals have expanded and matured the wbs concept. The contents of the template are shown below and hints and tips are includes in the template. A project wbs is used for breaking down a project into easily manageable components, or bites.
A project team that has substantial changes to its wbs should reference the projects change management plan for guidance on management of changes to project scope. Many people have mistaken wbs as a list of tasks, a schedule or an organization chart. Today, work breakdown structures are widely used for projects of all types, both business and personal. This folder contains an incoming folder and outgoing folder. This is my example of a typical construction project work. Yet even though the wbs is an important construct to project managers, creating and using a wbs in the project design phase does not occur with the regularity that you might expect.
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. A work breakdown structure wbs can prove to be pivotal to successful project management planning. When you ordered the steel in order to make sure that people knew which particular project and task the steel was for then you might provide the name of the project and the outline number of the. T he wbs can be used to determine the critical path of the project and create the project schedule. The tool can be as detailed as the it project manager wants it to be to help manage the project. The webblender project file type, file format description, and mac, windows, and linux programs listed on this page have been individually researched and verified by the fileinfo team. See a large image and download a visio or pdf of the wbs. Creating the work breakdown structure by kim colenso, managing principal, artemis management systems the work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and control.
Work breakdown structure relativistic heavy ion collider. Project management involves the planning, scheduling, organizing. One of the tools available to aid the project manager in effective project control is the work breakdown structure wbs. Wbs examples for a software project, construction projects, a conference, finding a job, selling a. 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. The template is fully editable with excel and can be converted or changed to suit specific project requirements. We strive for 100% accuracy and only publish information about file formats that we have. The project manager and project team use the wbs to develop the project schedule, resource requirements, and costs. Our goal is to help you understand what a file with a. Pdf development of work breakdown structure wbs dictionary. The commonly accepted definition for work breakdown structure is. Wbs is self explanatory and gives structure of project over 2 pages. Using the techniques described in the training video, create the following work breakdown structure for your new home construction project.
Here well break down the process for you, making it easy to use these structures in your project planning. This paper examines the dimensions that are involved in developing a wbs that can help project teams successfully realize their project goals. Work breakdown structure wbs is an essential component of all types of project management and is of great significance in infrastructure construction. A guide to the project management body of knowledge, 2008. Any of these worksheets can easily be broken out into separate documents. Use the guidelines starting on the next page to decidehow far your wbs must be broken down to ensure that youve defined enough detail for scheduling your project. The work breakdown structure wbs is a view into the project which shows what work the project encompasses.
Pdf application of the work breakdown structure in determining. Wbs dictionary gives a little more detail than the wbs itself. Break the top level of your wbs further into a hierarchical set of activities. The concept is used each time a new project is designed and is best thought out before entering any data into a. Budget details costs of each phase of the project, broken down by wbs areas. The wbs is a useful resource for project management and should be consulted for relevant information on each component of the wbs. In reality, wbs is a simple and easy visual breakdown of deliverables for product, result, or service. A schedule update is an assessment of the project status and prediction of how and when the project will be completed. This image illustrates an objective method of employing the 100% rule during wbs construction. Work breakdown structure element dictionary construction. It is the connecting point for work and cost estimates, schedule information, actual work effortcost expenditures, and accountability. It needs to undergo several processes and it also needs to consider a variety of quality standards and other measures to ensure that calltoactions and strategies fit the requirements of the particular construction project. This is my example of a typical construction project work breakdown structure.
As a project controls trainer myself, im happy to see a training entry in this construction project wbs example. The wbs was originally developed by the us department of defense, which mandated their use across the dod. Prepare preliminary and final design documents including drawings, specifications and other construction documents. Powered by create your own unique website with customizable templates. A work breakdown structure wbs is a deliverableoriented grouping of project components that defines and organizes the total scope of the project. Guidelines and experiences international atomic energy agency vienna isbn 9789201222107. 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. A work breakdown structure wbs proposes a graphical nature that helps project managers predict results based on various scenarios. Most construction contracts for construction projects require periodic schedule updates. Figure 1 wbs construction example the above wbs is from pmis practice standard for work breakdown structures 2nd edition. Proper updating of the work schedule is an integral part of project management and a critical communication tool between the parties. Wbs construction is subject to project management progressive elaboration, and as new information becomes known, the wbs should be revised to reflect that information.
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