ENGINEERING

PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
OTM-455
DR IQRA ASGHAR
FALL-2021
LECTURE 9 & 10

• Project breakdown structure (WBS)

• WBS approaches
• WBS formats
WORK BREAK DOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)

Just tell me
what I have
to do!
 WHAT IS WBS?

• The WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried

out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required
deliverables.

• WBS is a foundation document that provides the basis for planning and managing
project schedules, costs, resources, and changes.
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

• Decomposition is subdividing project deliverables into smaller pieces

• A work package is a task at the lowest level of the WBS.

• Tasks on a WBS represent work that needs to be done to complete the

project.
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

• The project scope statement and project management plan are the
primary inputs for creating a WBS.

• The outputs include the WBS itself, the WBS dictionary, a scope baseline
and updates to the project scope statement and scope management plan.

• The WBS is often depicted as a task-oriented family tree of activities.

 IN A NUTSHELL

• The WBS defines:

• the project’s work in terms of activities that create deliverables.
• the project’s life-cycle process, in terms of process steps appropriate to that project and
organization.
• And is the basis for establishing:
• All of the effort/cost to be expended to create the deliverables and supporting processes.
• The assigned responsibility for accomplishing and coordinating the work.
 f1:Function
p:Project
f2:Function

a1:Activity a2:Activity a3:Activity

a2.1:Activity a2.2:Activity a2.3:Activity

t1:Task t2:Task t3:Task t4:Task

 TASK

• Smallest unit of work subject to management

• Small enough for adequate planning and tracking
• Large enough to avoid micro management
• Finding the appropriate task size is problematic
• Tasks must be decomposed into sizes that allow monitoring
 ACTIVITY

Major unit of work with precise dates

Consists of smaller activities or tasks

Culminates in project milestone

 WORK PACKAGE

It is a bottom-level or “atomic” activity in the WBS

Represents a task or group of tasks whose costs will be tracked

and estimated together
 DELIVERABLE & MILESTONE

Deliverables
Tangible, verifiable work products
Reports, presentations, prototypes, etc.

Milestones
Significant events or achievements
Acceptance of deliverables or phase completion
Cruxes (proof of concepts)
Quality control
Keeps team focused
WHY NEED A WBS ?
To document all work that must be done to develop & deliver the system in a satisfactory manner

WBS
WBS
IS IT NECESSARY?

• WBS serves to consolidate information from many sources

into one place and into an organized Format

A
A“Table
“Table of
of Contents”
Contents” for
for the
the Project
Project
 WBS DISCTIONARY

A supplement to the WBS that provides additional detail for

each WBS activity

Typical contents for a given activity:

Inputs, Outputs, Performance Goals & Reviews
Exit or Completion criteria
Sub-activities that make up this activity
Detailed description (if a work package)
Other contents are derived from the process
WBS DEVELOPMENT APPROACHES

• Using Guidelines: Some organizations provide guidelines for preparing WBSs

• The Analogy Approach: Review WBSs of similar projects and tailor to your project
• The Top-down Approach: Start with the largest items of the project and break them
down
• The Bottom-up Approach: Start with the detailed tasks and roll them up
• Mind-mapping Approach: Write down tasks in a non-linear format and then create the
WBS structure
 FORMATS OF WBS

Mind-Mapping

Bubble Format

Outline method

Tree Diagram/Org-Chart Format

Cycling Format
MIND MAPPING FORMAT
 BUBBLE FORMAT

Effective for supporting the

brainstorming process
Review
Final Report
Review Not so good for displaying work
Draft Report Prepare breakdown structures to audiences
Report
Report who are not familiar with the project
Review Write Print
Draft Report Final Report Final Use bubble format to develop the
Final Report
Report
WBS, then turn it into Org-Chart or
outline format
ORGANIZATIONAL METHOD

• Often good for a

“bird view” of the
project (executive
summaries)

• Less effective for

displaying large
numbers of activities
 OUTLINE APPROACH

 1.0 Concept • 1.6 Brief Web development team

• 1.1 Evaluate current systems  2.0 Web Site Design
• 1.2 Define Requirements
 3.0 Web Site Development
1.2.1 Define user requirements
 4.0 Roll Out
1.2.2 Define content requirements

1.2.3 Define system requirements

 5.0 Support

1.2.4 Define server owner requirements

• 1.3 Define specific functionality

• 1.4 Define risks and risk management approach

• 1.5 Develop project plan

COMBINED METHOD

• In Large Projects:

• Use a combination of org-chart and outline formats

 Display activities in org-chart format

 Display sub-activities and tasks in outline format

CYCLING FORMAT

• A cycling format is utilized on research projects that are performed in phases.

• Although WBS elements are usually thought of as representing unique, one time events,
research projects present a different approach.

• In this case, a cycling WBS is recommended because as tasks are executed, new
information may create need to repeat tasks at a new level of detail