Page 213 - DMGT521_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Project Management

Notes

Notes Many projects will also find it necessary to create a WBS Dictionary to accompany
their WBS. The WBS Dictionary is simply a document that describes each component in the
WBS.

12.1.3 Pitfalls

Lastly let’s look at five common pitfalls to creating a WBS. If you can keep these few possible
issues in mind when you are creating your WBS, you and your team will be much more successful
at creating a useful and accurate Work Breakdown Structure.
1. Level of Work Package Detail: When deciding how specific and detailed to make your
work packages, you must be careful to not get too detailed. This will lead to the project
manager to have to micromanage the project and eventually slow down project progress.
On the other hand, work packages whose details are too broad or large become impossible
for the project manager to manage as a whole.

2. Deliverables Not Activities or Tasks: The WBS should contain a list of broken down
deliverables. In other words, what the customer/stakeholder will get when the project is
complete. It is NOT a list of specific activities and tasks used to accomplish the deliverables.
How the work is completed (tasks and activities) can vary and change throughout the
project, but deliverables cannot without a change request, so you do not want to list
activities and tasks in the WBS.
3. WBS is not a Plan or Schedule: The WBS cannot be used as a replacement for the project
plan or schedule. A WBS is not required to be created in any type of order or sequence. It
is simply a visual breakdown of deliverables.

4. WBS Updates Require Change Control: The WBS is a formal project document, and any
changes to it require the use of the project change control process. Any changes to the WBS
change the deliverables and, therefore, the scope of the project. This is an important point
to help control scope creep.
5. WBS is not an Organisational Hierarchy: The WBS and Organisational Hierarchy chart
are never the same thing. Although often similar in appearance, these two documents are
very different. The Organisational Hierarchy shows things like chain of command and
lines of communication, but the WBS is restricted simply to a project and shows only the
deliverables and scope of that project.

We hope that this article has helped you better understand the Work Breakdown Structure’s
purpose, process, and common pitfalls. The WBS is an extremely valuable tool to the project
management methodology. It can make or break a project. It sets the foundation for the rest of
the project planning. A solid WBS helps ensure proper project baselines, estimating, resource
use, scheduling, risk analysis, and procurement.

!
Caution The WBS should contain a list of broken down deliverables. In other words, what
the customer/stakeholder will get when the project is complete.

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