The benefits of WBS

The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of the work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables (PMI 2013). To create the WBS, the following deliverables must be complete (PMI 2013):

 Scope management plan

 Project scope

 Project requirements

 Enterprise Environmental factors

 Organization process assets

WBS by its own nature can have multiple levels as well as places within each level for dividing work. Additionally, each piece in the structure can be detailed with the responsibility, budget, and schedule Meredith (2012). Therefore, it is essential to come up with an optimum structure so that each piece is manageable whilst representing the outcomes of the project. One way to achieve an optimal structure is to create phases within the next level in the WBS after the project. For each phase the next level could represent deliverables. Finally, for each deliverable the next level could be represented as work packages. However, the definition of the levels within the structure should be in correlation with the organizational process assets and this can be different from organization to organization.

Once the WBS is defined the next two process within scope management are the validation and control according to PMI (2012). In this context WBS can be seen as a verification of scope. Hans (2013) concluded that a deliverable-oriented WBS provides project managers with a scope verification tool to ease the challenge of scope verification. So the benefit of creating a WBS for a project is to verify the inputs that are listed above.

Gantt chart is the most common graphical representation of WBS that will allow project managers to monitor the progress of the project. As each piece in WBS represents a work item, there are considerable detail that can be attached to that work item, some of which are:

     Duration of the work

     Actual/Scheduled start and finish dates of the work

     Amount of effort needed to complete the work

     Assigned resources to perform the work

     The relationship of the work with other work

These kind of information most likely need to be updated at least on a weekly basis. Especially the scheduled dates for the work that did not start but were due to start at the current week will need to be shifted to at least next week. This will require constant attention from the project managers. As the information is updated and monitored, the projects success chance will increase. Chua (2006) concluded that a company using the WBS for the management of an MRT project demonstrated that the WBS matrix can be used for improving interface management.

In conclusion, WBS is a very important activity that can only be created once the initial scope and the requirements are well defined. In terms of its benefits, project managers will be able to plan cost and schedule as well as verify scope. Additionally, the success chance of the project increases as WBS requires constant monitoring.

References

Chua, D. & Godinot, M. (2006) ‘Use of a WBS matrix to improve interface management in projects’. Journal of Construction Engineering Management, 132(1), pp.67-79.

Hans, R.T. (2013) ‘Work breakdown structure: a tool for software project scope verification’. International Journal of Software Engineering & Applications, 4(4).

Meredith, J.R. & Mantel, S.J. (2012) Project management: a managerial approach. 8th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.