Work breakdown structure (WBS)

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a hierarchic decomposition or breakdown of a project or major activity into successive levels in which each level is a finer breakdown of the preceding one.

Major features of WBS: The major features of WBS is shown below:-

(1) Structure

   • WBS diagram is drawn like the organization chart.

   • Different desktop applications offer functionalities to easily create this kind of diagram.

(2) Classifications

There are two main classifications: (a) Product Hierarchy (b) Process Hierarchy

 (a) Product Hierarchy: It identifies the product components and indicates the manner in which the components are interconnected.

(b) Process Hierarchy: It identifies the work activities and the relationship between them.

(3) Description

• Each WBS element should be described with a title.

• The meaning of each title should be clear.

(4) Coding

• One of the main features of WBS is the ability to uniquely code the different elements of the work.

• The coding system can be alphabetic, numeric or alphanumeric.

(5) Depth

• The recommended depth of a WBS diagram is three to four levels.

                                                                                                              

Use of WBS: The potential uses of WBS include:-

• For dividing the project into phases.

• For dividing the project into responsibility areas within the organization.

• For dividing the schedule of the project into sub-schedule whose interrelation are known.

• For giving hierarchical outlining and coding for the work to be done.

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