Page 210 - DMGT521_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Neha Tikoo, Lovely Professional University
Unit 12: Work Break Down Structure

Unit 12: Work Break Down Structure Notes

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction

12.1 Need and Importance of Work Break Down Structure
12.1.1 Purpose
12.1.2 Process

12.1.3 Pitfalls
12.2 Other Factors Affecting the Optimal Capital Budget
12.3 Summary
12.4 Keywords
12.5 Review Questions

12.6 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Define work break down structure
 Discuss about project execution plan
Introduction

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), in project management and systems engineering, is a
deliverable oriented decomposition of a project into smaller components. It defines and groups
a project’s discrete work elements in a way that helps organize and define the total work scope
of the project.

A work breakdown structure element may be a product, data, a service, or any combination. A
WBS also provides the necessary framework for detailed cost estimating and control along with
providing guidance for schedule development and control.
12.1 Need and Importance of Work Break Down Structure

In this we are going to look at what many project managers and project management professionals
refer to as the “foundation” of the project, or at least the foundation of project planning. The
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is defined by A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
3rd Edition (PMBOK Guide) as:

“A deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish
the project objectives and create the required deliverables.”
It is not nearly as daunting as it sounds. Creating a quality WBS will require a substantial
amount of energy, time, and people, but in the end is not rocket science. However, before we get
too deep into how to actually create a WBS let’s first look at its purpose.

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