Work Breakdown
Structure (WBS)
Farrokh Alemi, Ph.D.
Lee Baliton
Why break up?

Improve work management
Understand resource and time
constraints
 Set milestones for progress


Course on Project Management
See alternative sequencing of
components of work
Definition of WBS

Breaks the project scope
Inter-related
 Discrete tasks


Course on Project Management
Hierarchical tree structure
Definition of WBS

Breaks the project Clear
scopestarts
Inter-related task
 Discrete tasks


Course on Project Management
and ends
Hierarchical tree structure
Definition of WBS
Four possible
relationships
 Breaks the project scope
 Inter-related
 Discrete tasks

Course on Project Management
Hierarchical tree structure
Definition of WBS
Four possible
relationships
 Breaks the project scope
 Inter-related
 Discrete tasks

Hierarchical tree structure
1. Finish to Start: Start second task after first one
is finished
Course on Project Management
Definition of WBS
Four possible
relationships
 Breaks the project scope
 Inter-related
 Discrete tasks

Hierarchical tree structure
1. Finish to Start
2. Start to Start: Start second task same time as
first one
Course on Project Management
Definition of WBS
Four possible
relationships
 Breaks the project scope
 Inter-related
 Discrete tasks

Hierarchical tree structure
1. Finish to Start
2. Start to Start
3. Finish to Finish: Start second task so both
finish at same time
Course on Project Management
Definition of WBS
Four possible
relationships
 Breaks the project scope
 Inter-related
 Discrete tasks

Hierarchical tree structure
1.
2.
3.
4.
Course on Project Management
Finish to Start
Start to Start
Finish to Finish
Start to Finish: Second task cannot finish
before first one starts
Definition of Lower
WBSlevel tasks
inherit the
relationships
 Breaks the project
scope
among higher
 Inter-related task
level tasks
 Discrete tasks

Course on Project Management
Hierarchical tree structure
Hierarchy of Activities
Level 1: The root
of the tree is the
project name
Course on Project Management
A
Hierarchy of Activities
EHR implementation
A
Course on Project Management
Hierarchy of Activities
EHR implementation
A
Level 2:
Components of the
entire project
Course on Project Management
B
C
D
Hierarchy of Activities
EHR implementation
A
Purchase
system
B
C
Configure
system
Course on Project Management
D
Train users
Hierarchy of Activities
EHR implementation
A
Purchase
system
Level 3: Each
level 2 tasks is
broken into its
subcomponents
Course on Project Management
B
C
D
Train users
Configure
system
E
F
Hierarchy of Activities
EHR implementation
A
Purchase
system
B
C
D
Train users
Configure
system
E
Purchase
training
material
Course on Project Management
F
Detail
employees
Hierarchy of Activities
EHR implementation
A
Purchase
system
B
C
D
Train users
Configure
system
F
Detail
employees
E
Purchase
training
material
Course on Project Management
Hierarchy of Activities
EHR implementation
A
Purchase
system
B
C
D
Train users
Configure
system
F
Detail
employees
E
Purchase
training
material
Course on Project Management
Hierarchy of Activities
EHR implementation
A
Train users
Course on Project Management
F
Detail
employees
E
Purchase
training
material
D
Configure
system
C
Purchase
system
B
Approaches to Developing
Work Breakdown




Course on Project Management
Guidelines
Analogy
Bottom up
Mind mapping
Approaches to Developing
Work Breakdown




Course on Project Management
Guidelines
Analogy
Bottom up
Mind mapping
Approaches to Developing
Work Breakdown




Course on Project Management
Guidelines
Analogy
Bottom up
Mind mapping
Hierarchy of Activities
EHR implementation
A
Train users
Course on Project Management
F
Detail
employees
E
Purchase
training
material
D
Configure
system
C
Purchase
system
B
Hierarchy of Activities
EHR implementation
A
Train users
Course on Project Management
D
Configure
system
C
Purchase
system
B
F
Detail
employees
E
Purchase
training
material
Approaches to Developing
Work Breakdown




Course on Project Management
Guidelines
Analogy
Bottom up
Mind mapping
Task


Course on Project Management
Mutually exclusive
Exhaustive
Task


Mutually exclusive
Exhaustive
EHR implementation
A
Purchase of systems
and organizing
training may not be
mutually exclusive if
the purchase
includes training
Course on Project Management
D
Train users
C
Configure
system
B
Purchase
system
Task


Course on Project Management
Mutually exclusive
Exhaustive
Breadth .vs. Depth


Focus on breadth
Let details emerge
Progressive elaboration
 Creativity

Course on Project Management
Breadth .vs. Depth


Focus on breadth
Let details emerge
Progressive elaboration
 Creativity

Course on Project Management
Numbering Convention
EHR implementation
A
Train (detail)
users
Course on Project Management
D
Configure
system
C
Purchase
system
B
E
1.1.2
Purchase
training
material
Numbering Convention
EHR implementation
A
Train (detail)
users
Course on Project Management
D
Configure
system
C
Purchase
system
B
E
1.1.2
Purchase
training
material
Numbering Convention
EHR implementation
A
Train (detail)
users
Course on Project Management
D
Configure
system
C
Purchase
system
B
E
1.1.2
Purchase
training
material
Numbering Convention
EHR implementation
A
Train (detail)
users
Course on Project Management
D
Configure
system
C
Purchase
system
B
E
1.1.2
Purchase
training
material
Work Breakdown Is Not …

Course on Project Management
We need to clarify some
common mistakes …
A Task Is …

Course on Project Management
Not a goal
A Task Is …


Course on Project Management
Not a goal
Not a process
Work Breakdown Is …

Course on Project Management
Not an exhaustive list of work
Work Breakdown Is …


Course on Project Management
Not an exhaustive list of work
Not a chronology
Work Breakdown Is …



Course on Project Management
Not an exhaustive list of work
Not a chronology
Not an organization structure
Work Breakdown Is …




Course on Project Management
Not an exhaustive list of work
Not a chronology
Not an organization structure
Not to be changed often
Good Work Breakdowns





Course on Project Management
Easy to understand
Corresponds to job descriptions
Not too detailed
Preserve the most important
relationships among the tasks
Does not add to length of project
Take Home Message
Think Carefully through Work
Breakdown Structure