Microsoft Project 2013: The Missing Manual

Breaking Down Work into Manageable Chunks

Knowing the high-level tasks that make up your project is important, but it’s tough to estimate hours, line up resources, schedule work, or track progress when all you have are huge chunks like Build Bridge, Raise Money, and Hold Fundraising Race. You need to get much more specific about the work your project is going to take.

The point of a WBS is to break down the work into small enough pieces (called work packages) so that you can do the following:

• Improve estimates. Smaller tasks are not only less intimidating than big tasks, but they also make it much easier to figure out the type (and number) of people you need to perform each portion of work, how long it’ll take, and how much it’ll cost.

• Keep the team focused. Because the WBS spells out exactly what’s needed to achieve the project’s objectives, it acts as a checklist for the work on the project team’s plate. It also gently guides team members away from doing things outside the project’s scope.

• Assign work to resources. When work is broken down into discrete tasks, it’s easier to identify the skills needed to complete the assignments, so the project manager can clearly determine who’s responsible for what. Also, team members are more likely to understand their individual assignments, which makes them more productive and helps keep the project on track.

  On the other hand, don’t go overboard by dissecting work into minuscule assignments. Productivity drops when team members keep switching ...