Work Breakdown Structure
The purpose of the work breakdown structure (WBS) is to subdivide the scope of work into manageable work packages that can be estimated, planned and assigned to a responsible person or department for completion. The breakdown should group similar work together to improve productive efficiency, built method and executive strategy. The WBS was originally developed in the 1960’s as part of the drive towards improved project definition and it soon became the backbone of the planning and control system. The WBS is an excellent tool for quantifying the scope of work as a list of work packages and is an essential tool for ensuring the estimate or quotation includes the complete scope of work. The WBS can also be considered as a hierarchical form of mind map that helps to break complexity down into simple manageable components. Turner defines the WBS as: ‘ a cascade of deliverables, in which the overall product or objective of the project is broken into sub products, assemblages and components.’ The main components of the WBS that will be discussed in this chapter are: • Structure • Methods of subdivision • Numbering or coding system • Level of detail • Number of WBS levels • Roll-up • Integrating the WBS/OBS to assign responsibility.
Work Package: In this chapter the work packages are shown with short description and later with a number. On your projects you may consider also including the following:
• Specifications • Quality requirements • Estimate (manhours) • Budgets
• Duration • Procurement • Resources Equipment requirements
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