Bumaat, Japhet T.

BSCE – 4

A. WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

1. What is work breakdown structure (WBS)?
- A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchical outline of the tasks required to complete a project. The
WBS “breaks down” the structure of a project into manageable deliverables. Each deliverable is assigned a
task, or series of tasks that can be further broken down into subtasks to meet the needs of the project
2. How to construct WBS?
- a. Determine and describe the project statement
b. Highlight all the necessary phases of the project
c. Create and list the deliverables (as well as how success will be measured)
d. Divide the deliverables into manageable tasks
3. What are the advantages of using WBS in project management
- it defines and organizes the work required
- it facilitates the quick development of a schedule by allocating effort estimates to specific sections of the WBS
- it can be used to identify potential scope risks if it has a branch that is not well defined
- it provides a visual of entire scope
- it can be used to identify communication points
- it provides a visual of impacts when deliverables are falling behind
- it can be used to show and assign accountabilities and responsibilities
 - it can show control points and milestones
- it provides a way to estimates project costs
- it ensures no important deliverables are forgotten
- it can assist with resource allocation
- it provides a proven and repeatable approach to planning projects
- it provides a tool for team brainstorming and collaboration
- it provides an opportunity to engage the team and make them feel invested in the planning

B. Gant Chart and S-curve

1. What is S-curve in Project Management?
- In project management, an s-curve is a mathematical graph that depicts relevant cumulative data for a
project—such as cost or man-hours—plotted against time. The reason it’s called an s-curve is because the
shape of the graph typically forms a loose, shallow “S.” (The shape, however, depends on the type of project,
so other formations are possible.)An s-curve in project management is typically used to track the progress of a
project. In today’s fast-paced business climate, ensuring that a project is on schedule and on budget is
paramount to its success.

2. Uses of S-curve in project management.

- An s-curve is helpful in monitoring project success because the real-time cumulative data of various project
elements on it can be compared with projected data. You can examine the degree of alignment between two
graphs to reveal the progress or lack thereof of whichever element is being studied.
 3. Create a Gantt chart for table 1:

Activity Duration (weeks) Predecessors Weeks

A 3.00 -
B 3.00 -
C 3.00 B
D 4.00 A, C
E 8.00 D
F 2.00 C
G 4.00 F
H 2.00 F
I 5.00 B
J 3.00 H, E, G
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20