The HBR Guides Collection (8 Books) (HBR Guide Series)

Overview

8

Determine scope, resources,

and major tasks

Many projects fail either because they bite off more than

they can chew and thus grossly underestimate time and

money or because a signifi cant part of the work has been

overlooked. One tool that can help you avoid these prob-

lems is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which

aids in the process of determining scope and tasks and

developing estimates. (See the sample later in this chap-

ter.) The underlying concept is to subdivide complex ac-

tivities into their most manageable units.

To create a WBS:

• Ask, “What will have to be done in order to ac-

complish X?”

• Continue to ask this question until your answer is

broken down into tasks that cannot be subdivided

further.

• Estimate how long it ...