CHAPTER 5

PHASE II - PLANNING
THE PROJECT
PROJECT
Part 1: WBS MANAGEMENT
PHASES

1
 2

PROJECT PLANNING BASICS

 PLANNING REDUCES UNCERTAINTY, INCREASES UNDERSTANDING AND IMPROVES
EFFICIENCY.

 THE PROJECT PLAN – WHICH IS THE LOGICAL CONSEQUENCE OF PROJECT PLANNING

– WILL STATE THE ACTIVITIES AND TASKS THAT ARE NEEDED TO BE DONE, WHY THEY
ARE NECESSARY, WHEN THEY ARE TO BE COMPLETED, WHO WILL DO WHAT, WHAT
RESOURCES WILL BE NEEDED AND WHAT CRITERIA MUST BE MET IN ORDER FOR THE
PROJECT TO BE DECLARED COMPLETE AND SUCCESSFUL.

 PROJECT PLANNING MAY CONSTITUTE AN EXERCISE FOR JUST ONE OR A FEW

INDIVIDUALS IF THE PROJECT IS SIMPLE. IF THE PROJECT IS “COMPLEX”, THEN PROJECT
PLANNING IS FREQUENTLY UNDERTAKEN IN PLANNING SESSIONS BY A GROUP OF
EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS, AND WHICH INCLUDES PARTICIPATION BY KEY PROJECT
STAKEHOLDERS, SUCH AS THE PROJECT CUSTOMERS.

 PROJECT PLANS MUST BE UPDATED AS AND WHEN NEW INFORMATION SUBSEQUENTLY

BECOMES AVAILABLE WHICH NECESSITATES A CHANGE.
 3

THE WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

1. THE WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS) IS A HIERARCHICAL DESCRIPTION /
SYMBOLIZATION OF ALL THE WORK THAT MUST BE DONE IN ORDER TO COMPLETE
THE PROJECT AS DEFINED IN THE PROJECT SCOPE STATEMENT.

2. THE WBS IS A MEANS FOR DIVIDING A PROJECT INTO EASILY MANAGED

INCREMENTS, HELPING ENSURE THE COMPLETENESS, COMPATIBILITY AND
CONTINUITY OF WORK THAT IS REQUIRED FOR THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF
THE PROJECT.

3. WBS HAS A QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE IMPACT ON THE PROJECT. IT

SHOULD BE CAREFULLY REVIEWED AND DOCUMENTED.

4. WBS HELPS IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS.

 4

GENERIC AND SIMPLIFIED GRAPHIC VISUALIZATION OF A

WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE
THE WBS DIVIDES THE
WHOLE
PROJECT INTO WORK
PROJECT GOAL ELEMENTS
THAT REPRESENT
SINGULAR WORK UNITS,
ASSIGNED EITHER TO THE
ORGANIZATION OR TO AN
WORK ELEMENT WORK ELEMENT WORK ELEMENT LEVEL 1 OUT-SIDE AGENCY, SUCH
AS, A CONTRACTOR OR
PROJECT PARTNER

WORK ELEMENT WORK ELEMENT WORK ELEMENT LEVEL 2 THE UNDERLYING

PHILOSOPHY OF
THE WBS IS TO DIVIDE THE
PROJECT INTO
ASSIGNABLE
“WORK PACKAGES” FOR
WORK ELEMENT WHICH ACCOUNTABILITY
LEVEL N CAN BE EXPECTED
PROJECTS ARE PLANNED,
ORGANIZED AND
WORK PACKAGES CONTROLLED AROUND THE
LOWESTLEVEL OF THE
WBS, i.e., THE WORK
PACKAGES
 5

DECOMPOSITION
 DECOMPOSITION IS THE DIVISION OF PROJECT DELIVERABLES INTO SMALLER,
MORE MANAGEABLE COMPONENTS UNTIL THE DELIVERABLES ARE DEFINED TO THE
WORK PACKAGE LEVEL. AT THE WORK PACKAGE LEVEL, THE COST AND SCHEDULE
CAN BE RELIABLY ESTIMATED.

 DIFFERENT PROJECT DELIVERABLES CAN HAVE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF

DECOMPOSITION. TO ARRIVE AT THE SMALLEST DESIRABLE LEVEL OF DECOMPOSITION
– THE WORK PACKAGE LEVEL – SOME PROJECT DELIVERABLES REQUIRE ONLY ONE OR
TWO DECOMPOSITIONAL LEVELS, WHILE OTHERS MAY REQUIRE SEVERAL
DECOMPOSITIONAL LEVELS

 MORE COMPLEX, RESOURCE-CONSUMING AND LONGER-TERM PROJECTS

WOULD USUALLY BE EXPECTED TO HAVE MORE DECOMPOSITION THAN PROJECTS
WHICH ARE SIMPLER, LESS RESOURCE-CONSUMING AND OF SHORTER DURATION
 6

THE WORK PACKAGE

WORK PACKAGES ARE THE LOWEST LEVELS OF THE WBS. CHARACTERISTICS OF
WORK PACKAGES ARE:

 THEY DEFINE PIECES OF PROJECT-RELATED WORK

 THEY HAVE A SPECIFIED TIME-SPAN (USUALLY SHORT DURATION, DEFINITE START
AND STOP POINT)
 THEY CONSUME RESOURCES
 THEY INDUCE COST
 THEY HAVE A PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND CONTROL FUNCTION
 THEY ARE (IDEALLY) INDEPENDENT FROM OTHER WORK PACKAGES IN THE WBS
 THEY ARE MANAGED BY A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL – “WORK PACKAGE MANAGER”,
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE WORK PACKAGE IN TERMS
OF TECHNICAL TARGETS, SCHEDULE AND COST
 7

APPROACHES FOR BUILDING A WORK BREAKDOWN

STRUCTURE:
ACCORDING TO WYSOCKI / BECK / CRANE (PP. 148 – 151), THERE ARE THREE
BASIC APPROACHES TO BUILDING A WBS:

 PHYSICAL / FUNCTIONAL DECOMPOSITION – USED ESPECIALLY IN PROJECTS OF

A “BUILDING TYPE” NATURE, E.G. ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION AND
TANGIBLE PRODUCTS.
 DESIGN-BUILD-TEST-IMPLEMENT – USED COMMONLY IN PROCESS-ORIENTED
PROJECTS SUCH AS APPLICATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT OR IT PROJECTS.
 GEOGRAPHIC / DEPARTMENTAL / BUSINESS – USED RESPECTIVELY FOR PROJECT
WORK THAT IS GEOGRAPHICALLY DISPERSED (E.G. THE US SPACE PROGRAMME),
FOR PROJECT WORK THAT IS UNDERTAKEN BY DIFFERENT BY THE DEPARTMENTS IN
AN ORGANIZATION AND FOR PROJECT WORK THAT RELATES TO A BUSINESS
PROCESS.
 8

WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE: EXAMPLE 1

PC Prototype
More Items

Vendor, Mouse, Disk

L1 Microprocessor
Software Keyboard, Storage
Units
Applications Voice Units

L2 Floppy Optical Hard

L3 Circuit Chassis Read / Write

Motor
Lowest Board Frame Head
Manageable WP–1M WP-1CB WP-1CF WP-1RWH
Sub deliverables WP-2CB WP-2CF WP-2RWH Work
WP-3CB WP-3CF WP-3RWH Packages
WP-4CB WP-4RWH
WP-5CB
 9

WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE: EXAMPLE 2

1. SITE PREPARATION
1.1 Layout
1.2 Grading
1.3 Excavation

2. FOUNDATION
2.1 Erect Forms
2.2 Pour Concrete
2.3 Remove Forms
WORK BREAKDOWN
3. FRAMING STRUCTURE
3.1 Floor Joists – “INDENTED FORM” –
3.1.1 Install First-Floor Joists FOR
3.1.2 Install Second-Floor Joists HOUSE CONSTRUCTION
3.2 Sub flooring (PARTIAL)
3.2.1 Install First-Floor Sub flooring
3.2.2 Install Second-Floor Sub flooring
3.3 Stud Walls
3.3.1 Install First-Floor Stud Walls
3.3.2 Install Second-Floor Sub flooring
3.4 Frame the Roof
 10

WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE: EXAMPLE 3

 11

WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE: EXAMPLE 4

Software Development Project

L1 Analysis Design Construct Test Rollout

Define User Develop Tech- Establish Quality Develop Detailed

L2 Interface nical Design Requirements Design

Define Application Define Processing Design Logical Design System

L3 Architecture Flow Database Structure Interfaces

Design Phase Deliverables

OUTPUTS
Design Document, End User Interface Design, Application
Architecture Workflow Diagram, Application Flow, Database Design
 12

GENERATING A WBS; THE TOP-DOWN APPROACH:

THIS BEGINS AT THE PROJECT GOAL LEVEL AND SUCCESSIVELY PARTITIONS PROJECT
WORK DOWN TO THE LOWER LEVELS OF DEFINITION UNTIL THE PROJECT MANAGER
AND TEAM ARE SATISFIED THAT THE WORK HAS BEEN SUFFICIENTLY DEFINED. AFTER THE
PROJECT WORK HAVE BEEN DEFINED, THE ACTIVITIES MUST BE FINE-TUNED TO
PROVIDE DETAIL TO ALLOW ESTIMATION OF THEIR COST, TIME AND RESOURCE
REQUIREMENTS.

THERE ARE 2 VARIATIONS OF THE TOP-DOWN APPROACH:

 TEAM APPROACH – THE ENTIRE TEAM WORKS ON ALL PARTS OF THE WBS. SPECIALISTS
WORK ON THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS OF THE PROJECT AND, DURING DEVELOPMENT
AND ON COMPLETION OF THE WBS, IT’S REVIEWED BY THE ENTIRE PLANNING TEAM.

 THE SUBTEAM APPROACH – USED USUALLY WHEN TIME IS A CONSTRAINING FACTOR.

THE PROJECT PLANNING TEAM IS FIRST DIVIDED INTO SUBTEAMS, THE NUMBER OF
WHICH IS EQUAL TO THE NUMBER OF DELIVERABLES AT LEVEL 1 OF THE WBS …
 13

… THE COMBINED PLANNING TEAM AGREES ON THE APPROACH TO BUILDING

LEVEL 1 OF THE WBS. THEN, A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS LEADS A SUBTEAM FOR
FURTHER DECOMPOSITION IN HIS OR HER AREA RESPECTIVE OF EXPERTISE; THE
SUBTEAM PROPOSES ITS DECOMPOSITION IDEAS TO THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
UNTIL ALL RESULTING WORK PACKAGES MEET THE REQUIRED COMPLETION
CRITERIA. IF THE SUBTEAM LACKS THE EXPERTISE, OUTSIDE HELP MAY BE
BROUGHT IN, AS AND WHEN SUCH HELP MAY BE NEEDED.

WHEN USING THE SUBTEAM APPROACH, CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT
THE WBS IS COMPLETE AND NEITHER INCLUDES UNNECESSARY WORK, NOR
MISSES ANY IMPORTANT WORK. THE WBS MUST BE SYNCHRONIZED WITH THE
PROJECT SCOPE DEFINITION AND, IF THIS IS NOT THE CASE, THE WBS HAS TO BE
REFINED OR THE PROJECT SCOPE ALTERED.
 14

The Work Breakdown Structure

Dictionary
 THE WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE DICTIONARY IS A COMPANION DOCUMENT
TO THE WBS. FOR EACH WBS ELEMENT, THE DICTIONARY INCLUDES A STATEMENT
OF WORK, A LIST OF ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES AND A LIST OF MILESTONES.

 OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE DICTIONARY INCLUDES THE

RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATIONAL UNITS, THE START AND END DATES, THE
RESOURCES REQUIRED, THE COST ESTIMATE, CONTRACT INFORMATION, QUALITY
REQUIREMENT, AND TECHNICAL REFERENCES TO FACILITATE THE
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE WORK.

 EACH WBS ELEMENT SHOULD BE CROSS-REFERENCED, WHERE APPROPRIATE TO

OTHER WBS ELEMENTS.