The Government Manager's Guide to the Work Breakdown Structure

Gregory T. Haugan

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781567264326
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Marketing
• Index: Business

The Government Manager's Guide to the Work Breakdown Structure The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a cornerstone of managing any project. Every government manager should understand how to construct a WBS in the project or program lifecycle. This quick reference presents the fundamental WBS principles, pragmatic steps for the government manager to follow in developing a project WBS, and a checklist for the project manager to use in reviewing a WBS. In addition, DOD recommendations for avoiding pitfalls in constructing a WBS are highlighted.

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION TO THE WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

The work breakdown structure (WBS) plays a critical role in the project management process. To fully grasp the concept and application of the WBS—and why a work breakdown is so important—a basic understanding of project management terms and definitions is essential. A brief history of the evolution of the WBS will also help the government manager understand how the WBS fits into the overall project management process and appreciate the role of the WBS in public and private-sector projects.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

Project management as a field of study has a set of acknowledged terms and definitions. The following are the key terms commonly used in the project management field. Selected terms are presented in Figure 1-1.

Activity: A defined unit of work performed during the course of a project that is described using a verb. An activity normally has a work description, expected duration, expected cost, and expected resource requirements. Activity and task are terms that are often used interchangeably.

Control account (CA): A specific WBS work element and functional organizational responsibility where the work in a work package is assigned and actual direct labor, material, and other direct cost data can be collected; formerly known as a cost account in earned value management systems.

Cross-cutting element: A WBS element that relates to work performed in other branches of the WBS. For example, the work performed in project management relates to other work in the project yet has its own unique identity.

Deliverable: Any tangible, verifiable product, service, or result that must be produced to complete a project or part of a project. The term is often used narrowly to refer to hardware or equipment, a report, software, data, or other items that are subject to approval by the project sponsor or customer.

End items: A general term that represents the hardware, services, equipment, facilities, and data that are deliverable to the customer or that constitute a commitment on the part of the project manager to the customer.

Organizational breakdown structure (OBS): A graphic representation of the work of a project in terms of organizational units.

Portfolio: A collection of related projects or programs and other work that groups projects or programs to support effective management of the total work effort in a way that meets strategic business or organizational objectives.

Program: A long-term undertaking consisting of a group of related projects that are managed in a harmonized way. Programs often include an element of ongoing work or work related to the program deliverables.

Project: A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

Project element: A component of the work to be performed in a project derived from the logical decomposition of the total work (top down) or synthesis of a logical grouping of required activities or work elements (bottom up).

Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM): A graphic structure that correlates the work outlined in a WBS element to the organizational division that is responsible for the effort. A RAM is created by intersecting the WBS with the OBS. The control account is established at the intersection.

Risk breakdown structure (RBS): A hierarchical arrangement of the risks that have been identified in a project or a hierarchical framework presenting possible sources of risk, either generic or project specific.

Subproject: A logical major component of a project. A subproject is usually a WBS element that can be managed as a semi-independent component of the project and is the responsibility of one person or organization.

Task: A generic term for a defined unit of effort on a project; often used interchangeably with activity, but could be a further breakdown of an activity. A task, like an activity, has an action component and is defined using a verb.

Work breakdown structure (WBS): A product-oriented, service-oriented, or result-oriented family tree or grouping of project elements that organizes and defines the total work scope of the project. Each descending parent/child level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work.

WBS dictionary: A document that describes in brief narrative format what work is performed in each WBS element.

WBS element: An entry in the WBS that can be at any level and is described by a noun or a noun and an adjective.

WBS level: The relative rank of a WBS element in a WBS hierarchy. Customarily the top rank, the total project, is Level 1 and the top element in a program is Level 0.

Work element: Same as WBS element.

Work package: The lowest-level element in each branch of the WBS. A work package provides a logical basis for defining activities or assigning responsibility to a specific person or organization. Also, the work required to complete a specific job or process such as a report, a design, a documentation requirement or portion thereof, a piece of hardware, or a service.¹

100 percent rule: The requirement in a WBS that the sum of the work effort of a series of child elements add up to 100 percent of the work effort of the parent element.

FIGURE 1-1
Generic Work Breakdown Structure to Level 3

THE PROJECT PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

Starting a new project is like starting to write a report—you have an idea of what you want to do but are not sure how to start. Many writers, like many project planners and managers, find that outlining is the most effective first step in writing.

An outline is a method for organizing material as well as a plan for the report itself. But when you start outlining a report, especially an extensive report (e.g. based on doing research by collecting data on the subject), you realize there are many ways to do it. In general, you need to plan your research or data-gathering; decide what goes in each chapter, including appendices; and take into account the time it will take to draft chapters, get reviews, and carry out the other steps involved in reviewing proofs and publishing the document. In the government, a significant amount of time needs to be scheduled for internal reviews and rewrites. Of course, many projects are much more complex than writing a report.

So where do you start? A frequently used analogy for any large project is the old question, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer is, “One bite at a time.” Let’s look a project where we “eat” an elephant. The first step in preparing an outline or planning a project is to start defining and categorizing the “bites” (activities). The bites are important because they are where the useful work is accomplished. For a project, brainstorming can help define the bites from the bottom up. Alternatively, a process of decomposition can be used, subdividing the project (in this case, the elephant) into major sections starting from the top and working down, as shown in Figure 1-2. In either approach, the objective is to develop a structure of the work that needs to be done for your project.

FIGURE 1-2
Elephant Breakdown Structure—Top Level

The parts of the elephant can clearly be broken down (or subdivided) further. For example, the head is made up of a face, ears, tusks, and trunk; the four legs can be individually identified; other body parts can also be identified, as can the tail and tuft. A WBS for a project is an outline of the work; it is not the work itself. The work itself is the sum of the many activities that make up the project.

Manager Alert

The WBS is the outline of the work, not the work itself.

A WBS can be started as an informal list of activities, or it can be highly structured, depending on the project and its constraints as well as the planner’s skills. It can end at whatever level of detail the planner wants it to end. The goal is to have a useful framework that helps define and organize the work.

In developing an outline for a report, for example, some things happen almost automatically, growing out of the discipline of the...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• Dedication
• CONTENTS
• PREFACE
• CHAPTER 1: Introduction to the Work Breakdown Structure
• CHAPTER 2: Work Breakdown Structure Fundamentals
• CHAPTER 3: WBS Details
• CHAPTER 4: Use of the WBS in Managing Government Projects
• CHAPTER 5: Lifecycle Planning: Programs and Phases
• CHAPTER 6: WBS Principles, Steps, and Checklist
• ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
• REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
• INDEX