Z26 Project Management

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Graham Collins, UCL

graham.collins@ucl.ac.uk
Why Plan?

•Control and optimize processes

•Process forces thinking about tasks and dependencies
•Scheduling of scarce resources
•Plan allows divergence to be tracked
•Properly thought through plan is a defence against unreasonable requests
•Breaking down a project into tasks allows effective delegation
•Individual tasks allow people to focus
•Plan becomes a communication tool
•Without a plan, things will be forgotten, started late, or allocated to
several people.

based on Nokes et al, The Definitive Guide to Project Management

SMART Objectives

Specific
Measurable
Agreed upon
Realistic
Time (cost) limited
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) example

Lecture 4

1.Introduction 2.WBS 3.Scope

1.1 Revision 1.2 Your 1.3 Why

points answers plan?

3.1 3.2 Scope 3.3 Case

1.2.1 1.2.1 Splitting Explanation Creep Study
Workshops problem down

3.2.1 Issue log 3.2.2 Scope

management
WBS concepts

 Select a suitable category (work, product or other relevant

structure)
 is not constrained by sequence
 final box is a product or deliverable which is measurable
and definable
 lowest level indicate work packages, which can be used
for estimates, schedule monitoring and control
 Entire project team should be involved
Work Breakdown Structure

A hierarchical breakdown of the work

necessary to complete the project
Presented in an easy to navigate form
A Task Directory may be included here
Definitions

 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) The level at

which a piece of work within a project is broken down
for programming, cost planning, monitoring and
control purposes, to be performed by a specific
person.
 Work Package A group of related tasks that are
defined at the same level within a work breakdown
structure.

Sources: BS6079 APMP Syllabus

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) - Exercise

You are a specialist consultancy that provides

business intelligence software. Your service
includes understanding your clients needs and
tailoring the software appropriately. A supermarket
has had a previous client attempt this, however the
software has been abandoned and the popularity of
the stores are slowly declining.
In groups:
1. Develop an appropriate WBS for a typical project
2. Show clearly defined phases for this process
3. Transfer your finished WBS onto a transparency
for class discussion
Multi-tasking

A B C
10 10 10

A B C A B C
20

20

20

Multi-tasking concept discussed in Critical Chain -Goldratt

Book Slot

Eliyahu M. Goldratt
Critical Chain
The North River Press
1997
ISBN: 0-88427-153-6
Scope creep

It would be foolish not to make things better

wouldn’t it?
Change

Accepted Rejected

Not in plan, plan Loss of opportunity

incompatible with
Potential loss of
new objectives
income
Cost/time overrun
Ineffective business
compromised processes may be
technical quality retained
Scope Management Process
information that implies that the actual project is different from the planned project
should trigger the following process:

 Is it a change in scope?
 Description of change
 Consequences of accepting or rejecting change
 Discuss results
 Programme board compare revised document with
business pay-offs
 Change accepted, project relaunched. New
objectives and plan communicated to all relevant
stakeholders
Kotter’s Eight-Stage Process of Creating Major Change

1. Establishing a sense of urgency

2. Creating the guiding coalition
3. Developing a vision and strategy
4. Communicating the change vision
5. Empowering broad-based action
6. Generating short-term wins
7. Consolidating gains and producing more change
8. Anchoring new approaches in the culture.

John Kotter (1996) Leading Change, Harvard Business School Press ISBN
0-87584-747-1