Application development project work breakdown structure. One project may include several phases, or also smaller subprojects. Work breakdown structure in project management with kanban. A clearly defined work breakdown structure allows you to make sure every detail and phase of a project is accounted for before you begin. Unfortunately, developing a wbs can be a painstaking process because it is not easy, time consuming and requires efforts. While work breakdown structures are and should be flexible and tailored to each project, these tips will help project managers and organizations create the most useful wbs. Work breakdown structure project management community. Work breakdown structure rev e, june 2003 work breakdown structure a project work breakdown structure wbs is a deliverable or product oriented grouping of project work elements shown in graph ical display to organize and subdivide the total work scope of a project. Another common source of confusion for beginners is the difference between the work breakdown structure, project schedule, and project plan. Work breakdown structure wbs sample skeleton wbs for softwarehardware system development. A work breakdown structure wbs is a method well known in project management for getting a complex multistep project done.
The work breakdown structure wbs has long served as a valuable tool in helping project managers plan deliverables and detail project scope. Work breakdown structure an introduction to software project. An important point to remember is that in design decomposition, only the lower. The work breakdown structure wbs is the decomposition of a software project into low level work tasks. Decomposing your project means identifying deliverables and breaking each deliverable down into its component tasks.
A work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. The work breakdown structure approach helps cater to both of these mindsets all the way along the project planning process and development phase. Software engineering work breakdown structure geeksforgeeks. Software release life cycle wbs projectconnections. Many people have mistaken wbs as a list of tasks, a schedule or an organization chart. Work breakdown structure wbs is the process of decomposing the project scope into manageable pieces of work.
Detailed planning is essential for successful deployment of custom software. A work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. To download the above as a 20k zip file in msproject 2002. It varies based on organization and the project you are working on. The main idea of the wbs is to decompose the necessary implementation process into smaller, manageable and auditable pieces of project work that can. Even subprojects can be broken down into smaller bits. Work breakdown structure wbs software project management. While these three things often describe the same thing what is to be achieved in the project they vary greatly in scope and details. The work breakdown structure provides a common framework for the natural development of the overall planning and control of a contract and is the basis for dividing work into definable increments from which the statement of work can be developed and technical. In software development, qa can contribute to high level risks list during initiating, as do all stakeholders, but their real work begins during the planning process. Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing. Taking a software development project as an example, the wbs shown in figure 1 is what is expected to represent the lifecycle and scope of the project wbs in its initial structure for illustration purposes. Project management what is work breakdown structure in.
All about work breakdown structures wbs smartsheet. This means if there is not a product in the project, and a service will be delivered instead, phases of the project can be broken down further as well. According to project management body of knowledge fourth edition a work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. Work breakdown structure wbs breaks down the work based on either phases or deliverables in a typical project. With the help of the graphical nature of wbs, project managers can predict outcomes based on various. The starting point for this is to develop a work breakdown structure wbs. Wbs hierarchical list of projects work activities t wo formats outline indented format graphical tree organizational chart uses a decimal numbering system ex. The wbs consists of 4 named levels of work decomposition. Applying work breakdown structure to project lifecycle.
For each phase it lists the deliverables called out in the software release life cycle overview to show when they get accomplished in the phase. Pdf the work breakdown structure in software project. Through this wbs of software development, viewers can get a comprehensive understanding about this process. Introduction to work breakdown structure software testing in the pmi world, the processes or phases of a project are. This sdlc handbook is organized around a standard work breakdown structure wbs has been developed to describe the typical work conducted during a systems development project. What are the 4 aspects of work breakdown structure wbs. Thinking in detail is critical when planning your project, but you also need to consider the big picture. A work breakdown structure is a resultsoriented family tree that captures all the work of a project in an organized way. Unfortunately, the business pressures driving projects have often prevented project managers from developing a comprehensive wbs. Without a full and complete schedule, the project manager will be. Featuredriven software projects may use a similar technique which is to employ a feature breakdown structure. A work breakdown structure wbs proposes a graphical nature that helps project managers predict results based on various scenarios. The costs of these tasks are clear and easy to estimate.
What is a work breakdown structure in project management. One work breakdown structure example that will make it clear. Information technology engineers can use a work breakdown structure as a roadmap for their program development, for example, software development, remote projects, database system development and more. The goal is to integrate the wbs, the schedule, and the budget into a written plan. Work breakdown structures that subdivide work by project phases e. Wbs for a traditional waterfall approach to software development. How to create a work breakdown structure projectengineer. It visually communicates the big picture, and helps everyone stay on the same page throughout the entire project when all of your deliverables are broken down into smaller tasks, its easier to establish dependencies and create an accurate project timeline. The work breakdown structure wbs is a graphic family tree that captures all of the work of a project in an organized way. Ms excel, ms powerpoint or special software such as wbschart pro or graneda dynamic. The project schedule should reflect all of the work associated with delivering the project on time. Work breakdown structure is a result of a common understanding of all the work required to deliver a project.
In software development, qa can contribute to high level risks list during initiating, as do all stakeholders, but their real work begins during the. Work breakdown structure for software testing brighthub. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project management lifecycle. Development, management, and project support tasks. Project management is actually a phase in the wbs that has its own deliverables, subdeliverables, and work packages. We strongly suggest that you start by creating a wbs and use that as the basis for creating your schedule. Applying work breakdown structure to project lifecycle pmi. The project management body of knowledge, an internationally recognized collection of processes and knowledge areas accepted as best practice for the project management profession, defines the work breakdown structure as a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. In reality, wbs is a simple and easy visual breakdown of deliverables for product, result, or service. It does not elaborate about individual tasks or the order of execution in detail. In the start phase, the work breakdown structure divides each project into. Free work breakdown structure templates smartsheet. Work breakdown structure example template attached.
Though software development is a very analytical area, it is also an. According to the project management body of knowledge pmbok, a work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. Before you begin to create your work breakdown structure in excel, you should first decompose your project. It is an input for many processes like cost estimation, schedule development, risk identification. It may look like a hierarchical tree chart that outlines a project and breaks it down into smaller and manageable parts. A workbreakdown structure wbs in project management and systems engineering, is a. Software project management cs615 the list of activities is often called a work breakdown structure wbs. Instead, wbs provides useful inputs for cost estimating and budgeting, scope control, activity definition, and more. In so doing, you gain clarity into the details needed to accomplish every aspect of your project. This is an example of a work breakdown structure wbs for a traditional waterfall approach to software development.
Construction project leaders can use a work breakdown structure to track utility work and follow up environmental approvals. It helps to avoid scope creep and gold plating the proper numbering system in wbs gives to define how many hours or if someone purchases something, then we can trackback that code to understand where the money has been spent. Creating a work breakdown structure wbs helps you be both comprehensive and specific when managing a project. You wont find the problem if you cant isolate the defective part, and you cant fix the problem if the defective part is not separated from the main engine a work breakdown structure wbs represents this division of a project into constituent tasks. By creating a work breakdown structure wbs, any project, no matter how. The work breakdown structure gives a clear and efficient format to define the volume of project work necessary for producing every deliverable and to track the progress of project implementation. What is wbs work breakdown structure in project management. A work breakdown structure is a scope management process that is. According to pmi, a work breakdown structure wbs is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be. A work breakdown structure in every project management and system engineering is an effective tool that is used for defining and group the discrete elements of work in any project so that it can help the organization, build it in some way and boost the work scope of the whole project. Before you enter tasks in project 2007, you need to decide what your project tasks are. A free customizable wbs of software development template is provided to download and print. Project management is like fixing a car you must break it down into parts. A work breakdown structure wbs is a chart where the project tasks are illustrated to reflect their relations to each other and the project in general.
This is an example of a work breakdown structure wbs for. It is often portrayed graphically as a hierarchical tree, however, it can also be a tabular list of element categories and tasks or the indented task list. When a project provides professional services, a common technique is to capture all planned deliverables to create a deliverableoriented wbs. The work breakdown structure wbs is a vehicle for breaking an engineering project down into subproject, tasks, subtasks, work packages, and so on. This document provides project managers with a work breakdown structure wbs, which defines all of the application development projects critical deliverables. You will keep doing this until you get to the smallest work tasks possible. Rational unified process, rational software corporation 1987 2001. Work breakdown structure vs project schedule vs project plan. Wbs can be organized by phases or major deliverables. Because it is a visual form of planning, it easily communicates the complete project with all assigned team members. It is the connecting point for work and cost estimates, schedule information, actual work effortcost expenditures, and accountability. Quickly get a headstart when creating your own wbs diagram.
The items at the lowest level of a branch are known as work packages. In 6 steps to the work breakdown structure dieprojektmanager. A subsea field development project can be organized and comprehended in a visual manner by breaking the tasks into progressively smaller pieces until they are a collection of defined tasks, as shown in figure 69. The primary purpose of wbs is to see how other stakeholders of. Work breakdown structures wbs for software development. It is a tabular or graphical representation of the tasks.
The project schedule is the tool that communicates what work needs to be performed, which resources of the organization will perform the work and the timeframes in which that work needs to be performed. For instance, analysis, development, testing, integration etc. The work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and control. A work breakdown structure includes dividing a large and complex project into. Organize a brainstorming session among the various departments involved with the project. In the next step, you can break these phases into subtasks and individual work packages which can then be estimated and assigned to project members.
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