Improving Your Project Management Skills, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 4Creating a Work Breakdown Structure

THE WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS) describes the work needed to create the project deliverables that will meet the previously determined requirements. The WBS defines and organizes the total scope of a project in a hierarchical breakdown of activities and end products. It is an essential tool for effective project planning, scheduling, and controlling. If defining the project’s goal is the heart of project management, then the WBS is the skeleton, musculature, connective tissue, and central nervous system. The WBS provides both structure (for stability) and articulation (for movement) to the project plan.

Creating the WBS is simple, but not always easy. The underlying concept is clear. A WBS describes, ...