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In this assignment students will design a work breakdown structure (WBS). The work breakdown structure is defined as a deliverable oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team (PMBOK Guide). The work breakdown structure visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that a project team can understand, as each level of the work breakdown structure provides further definition and detail. The planned work is contained within the lowest level of WBS components, which are called work packages. A work package can be used to group the tasks (activities) where work is scheduled and estimated, monitored, and controlled. The work packages are further decomposed into activities which are used to develop the project schedule. Building a WBS helps to: provide a detailed illustration of project scope, monitor progress, create accurate cost and schedule estimates, and build project teams. For this assignment, students are required to design a WBS with a minimum of 3 levels. In a WBS, every level item has a unique assigned number so that work can be identified and tracked over time (PMBOK Guide). Below is the convention for how tasks are decomposed:
• Level 1 – designated by 1.0. This level is the top level of the WBS and is usually the project name. All other levels are subordinate to this level. • Level 2 – designated by 1.X (e.g., 1.1, 1.2). This level is the summary level. • Level 3 – designated by 1.X.X (e.g., 1.1.1, 1.1.2). This level illustrates the work package level. The work packages are the lowest-level WBS element will eventually contain the set of activities or tasks that need to be performed to accomplish the achievement identified by the work package. Required Resources* Verzuh, E. (2011). The fast forward MBA in project management (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. (ISBN: 9781118073773) |
