Do you know what a WBS is and how to implement this management tool successfully? Don’t despair! Just keep reading this text and we’ll explain everything about the concept.
What are the benefits of implementing a WBS?
In addition to knowing what EAP means, it is essential to understand how it can generate benefits.
In practice, by segmenting your project into different stages, they become manageable and tangible.
This way, the team will know exactly how to achieve the project’s final goal . This tactic brings several benefits to the team that knows how to use it. See some of them below!
Risk analysis
Once the project in question is broken down into several stages, it is easier to have an overview of the obstacles that could hinder the trajectory.
Therefore, by using the WBS, you are unlikely to be caught off guard by any problems along the way.
This way, you will clearly see what could undermine your field of activity. During the execution of the project, you will have the chance to monitor the problems ahead and carry out the appropriate risk management .
Team commitment
Teams with goals that are far from their reality and without a tactical plan to get there usually suffer from internal organization problems.
Furthermore, those on the team may feel unmotivated because they don’t know how to achieve their goals step by step.
Greater control over your team
The manager who uses the WBS has greater control — both from a macro and micro perspective — over a project.
Using this concept, he will know exactly what to charge at each stage of the journey — and, more importantly, who to demand these tasks from.
This way, the person responsible for managing the team will be able to identify difficulties and inefficiencies among their employees and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that they do not happen again.
Avoids rework
Rework is redoing something that has already been done — whether due to changes in the original plan or other issues.
Because the WBS maps out all process developments from the beginning, it is unlikely that team members will have to rethink or go back to any previously completed steps.
Reduced expenses and time
Creating a WBS saves your company time and money. This is because employees will be able to make the most of their workday without having to do retroactive work or even start a project from scratch.
Likewise, the Work Breakdown Structure helps to correctly determine the costs of each stage of the process and of the project as a whole, which saves and optimizes the team’s processes and expenses.
WBS Vs Project schedule
Creating a project schedule is also an alternative for those seeking independence when managing their business.
Although the two concepts are similar — and can often be used interchangeably — there are some crucial differences between creating a Work Breakdown Structure and a Project Schedule.
This is because, unlike WBSs, the Project Schedule only aims to control the time of tasks involving a project.
Made in a table format, it shows the activities that need to be carried out at each stage of the project — and when they should be completed.
With it, it is even easier to identify possible errors or issues that may occur throughout the process, and correct them accordingly.
In addition to the list of activities that must be carried out in each stage, a Project Schedule also includes the start and end dates for each of them, as well as the status and the person responsible for each of these steps.
In contrast, the WBS does not include this point-by-point breakdown of activities, only a subdivision into stages to achieve an objective. Unlike the Schedule, it is done in a schematic or graphical form, which makes it easier to view and understand.
Therefore, the ideal is for both strategies to be used together. This way, it is possible to outline a strategic plan that takes into account all the project’s needs.
How to create a WBS?
Now that you know the benefits of creating a WBS and the differences between this concept and the Project Schedule, the next step is to learn how to create an effective Project Breakdown Structure.
A good WBS can be made in four different ways. After thoroughly defining the scope, the project manager must decide which course of action is best.
Project phase-oriented WBS
As the name suggests, this type of breakdown structure organizes the project by the phases of its life cycle .
Thus, tasks are managed based on the concepts of:
- initiation;
- planning;
- execution;
- closure.
This provides a chronological view of each stage of the project, which makes it easier to manage.
Deliverable-oriented EAP
This type of WBS is organized based on the product deliveries that must be made. In this way, the decomposition technique is used to create the so-called work packages. This work package refers to the activities related to each delivery.
When driven by deliverables, the Work Breakdown Structure demonstrates in detail all the parts that make up what must be achieved.
This, in turn, makes it easy to identify errors and difficulties that may arise along the way.
Subproject-oriented WBS
Just like the previous concept, this Project Breakdown Structure is guided by the subdivisions of the project into small parts.
Therefore, a kind of “mini-project” is created within the main objective and criteria are established for each delivery.
Hybrid EAP
A hybrid WBS is one that takes into account different aspects of the project on the same front.
Therefore, it takes into account all the concepts above — by phases, by deliveries and by subprojects — to create its own strategy.
How to develop the WBS step by step?
Once you have decided how your analytical framework will be guided, you need to move forward with the process.
Even though each WBS is guided by different aspects, some steps for it to be done are common to all. After defining how it will be guided, the project manager must take charge and follow the steps described below. Check it out!
1. Name your project
The first step to making your project happen is to name it! Give your project a succinct name that you can identify right away and present to the end client.
Although it is a routine step, it is extremely necessary. Don’t forget that the name of the project will be documented in the Work Breakdown Structure.
2. Map requirements
It’s time to create the so-called “Delivery Packages” — which are nothing more than all the project deliveries. It’s essential to think about all types of deliveries, both initial and final.
If these notions are not yet clear in the project, the manager must use some tricks — such as interviews with team members, meetings with the team, questionnaires or workshops — to clearly understand the requirements.
This step is essential for the project’s analytical structure (and its delivery) to be successful.
So don’t be afraid to invest a little extra time in this step. Trust me, you’ll be rewarded in the end!
3. Prepare the Project Opening Term
With the scope and requirements of the project already well defined, it is now time to prepare the Project Charter. But what is this?
This term is a (short) document that will be used as a basis for preparing the WBS.
It must include: justification for the project, its purpose, its objectives and stakeholders, in addition to the description .
In addition to these concepts, the criteria for deliveries, time and cost estimates for each process to be completed, what is outside the scope of the project and what its assumptions are must also be highlighted.
4. Discern the parts of the project
At this point in the process, the manager must make a hierarchical breakdown of all the parts involved in the project .
Confused about how to do this? The good news is that it’s not a particularly difficult task!
The secret is to know how to transform large deliveries into smaller parts. This way, you will naturally create a form of hierarchy between them — in which some are subordinate to others.
Please note : creating work packages by decomposing tasks does not mean that you should create lists with each activity to be done — that is the role of the Project Schedule!
To make a good breakdown of deliveries, there are two rules that can be used.
The first is the so-called “100% Rule”. Getting straight to the point, this type of guidance establishes that the sum of the mini-projects established in the decomposition must be equivalent to the entire final project .
According to the “100% Rule”, it is essential to determine the exact amount — no more, no less — of work involved in each step.
Another rule option that can be used to break down deliveries is the so-called “8 or 80 Rule” — which, in some cases, can also be “4 or 40”.
With it, a range of hours that a data package can have is established: at least 8, at most 80 hours (or, in parallel, at least 4 and at most 40 hours).
Many people choose this second option because they have control over how long it will take for each task to be completed.
5. Parent elements and child elements
Another aspect to keep in mind when mapping tasks are the so-called parent and child elements.
As the name suggests, child elements are subordinate to the parent — which, in turn, is a subitem of the final goal.
6. Insert a numeric code to organize task levels
It is necessary to list the project tasks numerically. As a rule, the number 1 is used for the highest level of importance.
The items subordinate to this must be specified as 1.1, 1.2, etc. For the subitems within each of the subordinate items, the code 1.1.1 is used.
All these conventions must be set out in the WBS dictionary, which must also be created.
7. Standardize project levels
After decomposing the tasks, the project is divided into levels. Here, the project objective is placed at level 0, and broken down into other deliverables and sub-deliverables.
We would then be left with:
Level 0: PROJECT NAME;
Level 1: 1. Delivery/Product 1;
Level 2: 1.1 Work Packages and
Level 3: 1.1.1 Work package subdivision.
8. Build a Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary
Last but not least, you need to create a dictionary for your WBS. This is nothing more than a table that shows the description of each work package, also indicating who is responsible for each stage, their delivery criteria, materials used, costs and participants.
