The Government Manager's Guide to the Work Breakdown Structure
5/5
()
About this ebook
The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a cornerstone of managing any project. Every government manager should understand how to construct a WBS in the project or program lifecycle. This quick reference presents the fundamental WBS principles, pragmatic steps for the government manager to follow in developing a project WBS, and a checklist for the project manager to use in reviewing a WBS. In addition, DOD recommendations for avoiding pitfalls in constructing a WBS are highlighted.
Gregory T. Haugan PhD, PMP
Gregory T. Haugan, PhD, PMP, is vice president of GLH Incorporated, which specializes in project management consulting and training. He has more than 40 years of experience as a government sector official and a private sector consultant in the planning, scheduling, management, and operation of projects of all sizes and in the development and implementation of project management and information systems.
Read more from Gregory T. Haugan Ph D, Pmp
Project Planning and Scheduling Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Effective Work Breakdown Structures Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Work Breakdown Structures for Projects, Programs, and Enterprises Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Government Manager's Guide to the Work Breakdown Structure
Related ebooks
Project Planning Techniques Book Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Triple Constraints in Project Management Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMiddle Managers in Program and Project Portfolio Management Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProject Management Casebook: Instructor's Manual Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGovernance Frameworks for Public Project Development and Estimation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Government Manager's Guide to Earned Value Management Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProject Manager Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Government Manager's Guide to Project Management Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChallenges and Best Practices of Managing Government Projects and Programs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings9 Habits of Project Leaders: Experience- and Data-Driven Practical Advice in Project Execution Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Is Project Controls Overrated as a Discipline? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsManaging Project Integration Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnearthing Business Requirements: Elicitation Tools and Techniques Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTime-Cost Optimization of Building Projects Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHuman Side of Project Management: Leadership Skills Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProject Management for a Functional World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSuccessful Project Management: A Step-by-Step Approach with Practical Examples Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImproving Your Project Management Skills Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsManaging Project Teams: Shortcuts to success Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIntegrated Project Planning and Construction Based on Results Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGovernance of Portfolios, Programs, and Projects: A Practice Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Project Management Casebook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Project Estimating and Cost Management Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fundamentals of Project Management Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFundamentals of Program Management: Strategic Program Bootstrapping for Business Innovation and Change Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Analyst to Leader: Elevating the Role of the Business Analyst Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsManaging Project Budgets: Shortcuts to success Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMindset for Creating Project Value Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Business For You
Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, Third Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Emotional Intelligence: Exploring the Most Powerful Intelligence Ever Discovered Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Intelligent Investor, Rev. Ed: The Definitive Book on Value Investing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don’t Agree with or Like or Trust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Guide To Being A Paralegal: Winning Secrets to a Successful Career! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Richest Man in Babylon: The most inspiring book on wealth ever written Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Robert's Rules Of Order Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier for Less Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Summary of J.L. Collins's The Simple Path to Wealth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Limited Liability Companies For Dummies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Get Ideas Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tools Of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Set for Life: An All-Out Approach to Early Financial Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, 3rd Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Write a Grant: Become a Grant Writing Unicorn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Company Rules: Or Everything I Know About Business I Learned from the CIA Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Government Manager's Guide to the Work Breakdown Structure
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
The Government Manager's Guide to the Work Breakdown Structure - Gregory T. Haugan PhD, PMP
INDEX
PREFACE
The basic concept and use of the work breakdown structure (WBS) is a fundamental component of the discipline of project management. When Effective Work Breakdown Structures was published in 2002 as part of the Project Management Essential Library series, that book received wide acclaim for its clear and logical explanation of the WBS concept and the seminal role of the WBS in application of the project management methodology. The 100 percent rule
(that the sum of the work effort of child elements must add up to 100 percent of the work effort of the parent element), as first postulated and explained in the 2002 book, has been widely adopted by project management practitioners and is now included as a key component of the latest revision of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures.¹
The 2008 book, Work Breakdown Structures for Projects, Programs, and Enterprises, clarifies some of the advanced WBS concepts and addresses the unique concerns of the private sector. The book offers numerous examples, and it takes into account the latest materials published on the WBS by PMI and DoD.
This book focuses on government managers and their technical support and is simplified and streamlined to provide easy reading and an invaluable resource at the same time. It is important for contracting officers and other government personnel to understand the WBS concept and its application both within the government and by contractors and others.
The book is also useful to the private sector in understanding the federal government’s project management practices and expectations. It illustrates that the basic principles of project management and the use of the WBS are applied identically regardless of the employment of the user or customer for the project.
For a quick overview and summary of the contents of this book, see Chapter 6, WBS Principles, Steps, and Checklist.
—Gregory T. Haugan
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE
The work breakdown structure (WBS) plays a critical role in the project management process. To fully grasp the concept and application of the WBS—and why a work breakdown is so important—a basic understanding of project management terms and definitions is essential. A brief history of the evolution of the WBS will also help the government manager understand how the WBS fits into the overall project management process and appreciate the role of the WBS in public and private-sector projects.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
Project management as a field of study has a set of acknowledged terms and definitions. The following are the key terms commonly used in the project management field. Selected terms are presented in Figure 1-1.
Activity: A defined unit of work performed during the course of a project that is described using a verb. An activity normally has a work description, expected duration, expected cost, and expected resource requirements. Activity and task are terms that are often used interchangeably.
Control account (CA): A specific WBS work element and functional organizational responsibility where the work in a work package is assigned and actual direct labor, material, and other direct cost data can be collected; formerly known as a cost account in earned value management systems.
Cross-cutting element: A WBS element that relates to work performed in other branches of the WBS. For example, the work performed in project management relates to other work in the project yet has its own unique identity.
Deliverable: Any tangible, verifiable product, service, or result that must be produced to complete a project or part of a project. The term is often used narrowly to refer to hardware or equipment, a report, software, data, or other items that are subject to approval by the project sponsor or customer.
End items: A general term that represents the hardware, services, equipment, facilities, and data that are deliverable to the customer or that constitute a commitment on the part of the project manager to the customer.
Organizational breakdown structure (OBS): A graphic representation of the work of a project in terms of organizational units.
Portfolio: A collection of related projects or programs and other work that groups projects or programs to support effective management of the total work effort in a way that meets strategic business or organizational objectives.
Program: A long-term undertaking consisting of a group of related projects that are managed in a harmonized way. Programs often include an element of ongoing work or work related to the program deliverables.
Project: A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.
Project element: A component of the work to be performed in a project derived from the logical decomposition of the total work (top down) or synthesis of a logical grouping of required activities or work elements (bottom up).
Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM): A graphic structure that correlates the work outlined in a WBS element to the organizational division that is responsible for the effort. A RAM is created by intersecting the WBS with the OBS. The control account is established at the intersection.
Risk breakdown structure (RBS): A hierarchical arrangement of the risks that have been identified in a project or a hierarchical framework presenting possible sources of risk, either generic or project specific.
Subproject: A logical major component of a project. A subproject is usually a WBS element that can be managed as a semi-independent component of the project and is the responsibility of one person or organization.
Task: A generic term for a defined unit of effort on a project; often used interchangeably with activity, but could be a further breakdown of an activity. A task, like an activity, has an action component and is defined using a verb.
Work breakdown structure (WBS): A product-oriented, service-oriented, or result-oriented family tree or grouping of project elements that organizes and defines the total work scope of the project. Each descending parent/child level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work.
WBS dictionary: A document that describes in brief narrative format what work is performed in each WBS element.
WBS element: An entry in the WBS that can be at any level and is described by a noun or a noun and an adjective.
WBS level: The relative rank of a WBS element in a WBS hierarchy. Customarily the top rank, the total project, is Level 1 and the top element in a program is Level 0.
Work element: Same as WBS element.
Work package: The lowest-level element in each branch of the WBS. A work package provides a logical basis for defining activities or assigning responsibility to a specific person or organization. Also, the work required to complete a specific job or process such as a report, a design, a documentation requirement or portion thereof, a piece of hardware, or a service.¹
100 percent rule: The requirement in a WBS that the sum of the work effort of a series of child elements add up to 100 percent of the work effort of the parent element.
FIGURE 1-1
Generic Work Breakdown Structure to Level 3
THE PROJECT PROBLEM AND SOLUTION
Starting a new project is like starting to write a report—you have an idea of what you want to do but are not sure how to start. Many writers, like many project planners and managers, find that outlining is the most effective first step in writing.
An outline is a method for organizing material as well as a plan for the report itself. But when you start outlining a report, especially an extensive report (e.g. based on doing research by collecting data on the subject), you realize there are many