Project: Proposed old, semi-furnished house Renovation John Constance MSc in Project Management, University of Liverpool Abstract A Project

is a temporary undertaking to deliver a unique service, result or product. The service, result or product delivered must meet a targeted quality, be completed within a particular time, using defined resources at a specified cost. The project scope, cost, time and quality must be accepted by the project owner or client and delivered by the contractor. This means the contractor will make project status reports to the client on a regular basis. The report provides updated information on works started/not started, ongoing, completed, and issues with certain task, or activity or worker. The best way to make this report is breakdown the works into as many small works as possibly reasonable to the time, cost, quality limitations of the project, and identify the sequence and dependencies between tasks and resources and efforts. The report should use the WBS or work breakdown structure as the tool for communication to project stakeholders. This paper will try to support the use of the WBS in every project irrespective of the scope. Work experience in three different organizations and countries will be used to explain advantages and disadvantages in the not-use and use of the WBS. Introduction According to Sanghera pp. 96 (2010) a WBS organises the scope of the project in a deliverable-oriented hierarchical structure that details the work specified in the project scope statement. The WBS defragments project deliverables into smaller deliverables that enables the schedule, cost estimating and monitoring and control to be as effective enough to not only deliver the finished product but having it done with the understanding and acceptance of all stakeholders. Also, the project management methodology company Method123 described the WBS much simpler the WBS lists all the phases, activities and tasks required to undertake the project. The WBS gives the project team and stakeholders the ability to look at the project task, time, and person or equipment responsible to do the task and the cost to do works. It is single document that shows the project phases, activities, tasks, milestone, resources and efforts. It also shows task sequence, dependencies, and duration. To not use the WBS would be to construct a building without drawings or drawings without designing. The project team working without a WBS may get the works done within the planned constraints. However, there will be several changes as new works are discovered. The WBS Working experiences from Africa and Asia. These experiences give account of the advantages and disadvantages of the use of WBS. In Liberia, the WBS is not a required practice. However, organizations do request from contractors estimates worksheets that describes project deliverables according to phases or

activities and tasks or works. This sheet is used to monitor and control the project deliverables and measure budget versus actual. However, to monitor progress, would require site visits and there is no way to verify or manage tasks dependencies and impact. This makes projects miss deadlines, go through dozens of change orders and budget modifications. In South Sudan project management is practiced amongst the international community and very less in the public or private sector. Part of the WBS is displayed in work schedules decomposed from phases to tasks and works. However, projects are also delayed by additional works not captured in the initial work schedule. In Indonesia the WBS is a key document in project management. The document provides all the necessary information stakeholders, clients, and project team need for updates and decision making. And the document serves as reference during disputes but is actually the tool that settles the need for disputes. In Afghanistan, the project type is the basis for the use of the WBS. Rural reconstruction projects are planned using activity productivity norms and duration. More complex of new projects demands WBS for proper review and analysis before approvals and during status meetings. Conclusion The WBS must be used irrespective of the project type or scope. The Discussion Question about the renovation of the old, semi-furnished house should also undergo the creation of a WBS. This will help define the various project phases, activities and tasks and identify their dependencies, impacts and required resources and efforts. The recognition and management of the project becomes simpler to follow when there is a detailed WBS to manage dependencies, assumptions and constraints. In project management best practices, planning the work is the key to project communication, change and other issues, or be it just a living room with furniture and paintings as major deliverables. This is important because if the team is not ware of dependencies and its impact on other tasks the project duration will keep being extended which also means increase in resources and scope changes. Every project manager must ensure the WBS is created and shared with all project stakeholders and team members. The WBS must be visited every day and become a part of the teams day to day review board.

Bibliography
Sanghera, P. (2010) PMP in depth: project management professional study guide for the PMP exam. 2nd ed. Boston: Course Technology/Cengage Learning. Method123 Project Management Methodology Professional Software