This example is from a real world software project. If the project has phases or subprojects, these are listed at the second level, with deliverables listed at the third level. Hence, this study will address benefits of wbs, wbs process and common pitfalls. Creating a work breakdown structure wbs by tony jacowski the successful implementation of any six sigma project depends on the ability of six sigma professionals such as black belts to break down a large project into smaller manageable sub projects.
Determine the major deliverables or products to be produced. Add key information such as description, owner, due date, status. A work breakdown structure is especially useful for bigger projects that involve many elements. Project management using work breakdown structure wbs. Collaboration features to do the breakdown as a team. The work breakdown structure in software project management robert c. Free wbs template free project management templates. The wbs methodology often involves preplanning and requires multiple tasks be worked on at the same time. Wbs examples for a software project, construction projects, a conference.
It will also try to demonstrate on how to develop a simple and easy wbs to implement for software development projects. The key activities that constitute an erp implementation project. The work breakdown structure wbs is the decomposition of a software project into low level work tasks. A work breakdown structure wbs for short is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project. Wbs 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. Manage the work breakdown structure wbs in sharepoint. You can see a clearly defined wbs for a project involving the development of the computer at the following image. The main idea of the wbs is to decompose the necessary implementation process into smaller, manageable and auditable pieces of project work that. The 5step proven process in an effective project controls. Additionally, i have another vision of wbs benefit. Jun 08, 2017 learn how to develop work breakdown structure wbs to represent the work that must be done to complete the deliverables of a project. Wbs major steps wbs implementation high level wbs tasks. Each level of the wbs is a level of detail created by decomposition. Creating a work breakdown structure wbs project smart.
An example of a project implementation plan may have the following columns. Id wbs task name 1 1 sample software development project 2 1. This is an example of a work breakdown structure wbs for a traditional waterfall approach to software development. A work breakdown structure for implementing and costing an erp project.
As we learned in last post that work breakdown structure wbs is a decomposition of project deliverable and work into smaller manageable pieces in a hierarchical manner. Innate resistance to change, lack of involvement in the implementation process, lack of management support, poor technical quality which makes the system appear unfriendly, and the lack of interaction between the designers and usersall of which will contribute to the demise of a software project its a fact. But before we talk in detail about how to create your wbs from scratch, its important to note the ease of doing it via good, and often free, project management and team management software. When creating your task list in sharepoint, you can.
View on online or download for free in pdf or visio format. Divide each of these major deliverables into its component deliverables in the same manner. If you fail to identify a major part of your projects work, you wont have the chance to detail it. Thinking in detail is critical when planning your project, but you also need to consider the big picture. You can use the wbs to keep track of costs by adding figures for budget and actual as outlined above. The project management body of knowledge pmbok 5 defines the workbreakdown structure a. The wbs is usually divided into levels with the 1st level being the project itself, the 2nd level the project s major deliverables and the 3rd level the project s supporting deliverables. If you fail to identify a major part of your project s work, you wont have the chance to detail it. Always make sure that the work figure on the root branch is 100%. Systems upgrade project planning documents, including wbs structure. A work breakdown structure for implementing and costing an erp project communications of the ibima volume 6, 2008 98 fig 1b. The work breakdown structure in software project management. Wbs guidelines should be easy to understand some companies have corporate standards for these schemes some toplevel items, like project management, are in wbs for each project others vary by project what often hurts most is whats missing break down until you can generate accurate time and cost estimates.
The second level of the wbs represents major project deliverables, project phases, or subprojects. It is an important planning tool which links objectives with resources and activities in a logical framework. The work breakdown structure wbs is a vehicle for breaking an engineering project down into subproject, tasks, subtasks, work packages, and so on. This zip file contains the white paper the work breakdown structure. May 14, 2015 the distinction is small but it is important to remember when developing the wbs. In the similar vein, the level of the detail will vary, but one the option. Planning a project using a work breakdown structure and.
It helps you to plan your own select and implement bi project. This work breakdown structure wbs provides a standard list of project tasks, the sequence of executing those tasks, and interdependence of the tasks. A workbreakdown structure wbs in project management and systems engineering, is a deliverableoriented breakdown of a project into smaller components. Pdf the work breakdown structure in software project. A work breakdown structure for implementing and costing. Wbs for erp implementation table 1 below illustrates the various levels of project activity in the wbs structures above. The wbs project management template provides the structural view in the project. Project management institute names the absence of a work breakdown structure the most common reason for project failure. Divide each of these work pieces into its component parts. Call center software project requirements definition. Using work breakdown structure wbs for effective project estimation written by ambadapudi sridhara murthy thinking about projects and project execution, the competition in this world has become so huge and intense that organizations hardly want to take any risks that might place their projects within the zone of penalty and negative.
One work breakdown structure example that will make it clear. A work breakdown structure is a project management tool. The following chart is a part of a sample web project. See how the guidethrough process can help you get your it. Use the wbs to define the work for the project and to develop project schedule. We also learned that the wbs of a project is the foundation of planning and therefore it is should be carefully prepared. Earlier in my career as an erp functional consultant, i would watch the project manager explain to clients our proven methodology for a successful erp implementation. Software project management cs615 a wbs is a deliverableoriented grouping of project components that organizes and defines the total scope. The number of the levels required for the wbs project management template xls will be depend on the characteristics of the project, but the levels must be sufficient to meet the project managers needs for the accurate estimating and the effective project monitoring. Software implementation work breakdown structure wbs. Consequently, many such implementations have been difficult, lengthy and over. By allocating time and cost estimates to specific sections of the work breakdown structure, a project schedule and budget can be quickly developed. As seen in the pmp training, work breakdown structure of a project shows the hierarchy of the project work and deliverables in a project. Each organization uses its own terminology for classifying.
Each activity illustrates the tasks required to fulfill each part of a project. This is an example of a work breakdown structure wbs for a. Creating a work breakdown structure in ms project pmwares. Work breakdown structure gives you a structured way to deliver value. Crm deployment work breakdown structure the project diva. This paper advocates and summarizes the use of the wbs in software implementation projects. It is useful to create a work breakdown structure to identify and break down the deliverables in the project. May 22, 2015 the wbs a key to erp implementation success part 2 of 3 the author of this entry, brian sakamoto, is a senior erp strategy consultant with qstrat. A work breakdown structure wbs proposes a graphical nature that helps project managers predict results based on various scenarios. Creating a work breakdown structure wbs helps you be both comprehensive and specific when managing a project. I often hear people use project plan, work breakdown structure wbs and project schedule interchangeably. Xmind also includes gantt capabilities so you can use that if youre so inclined. Point of sale implementation work breakdown structure. The implementation project plan is a grid made up of columns and rows.
In part 2 of the series, i offer my thoughts how to conduct an effective work breakdown structure wbs workshop to ensure your erp implementation success. The key activities that constitute an erp implementation project are discerned in detail, each in its entirety. It organizes and defines the total scope of the project. Get quick and easy access to relevant, topofmind projects and projects most recently worked on. This web page explains how to create a work breakdown structure wbs using mindviews wbs software. You can think each wbs box as a deliverable big or small one, with the biggest deliverable being the project itself. This is an example of a work breakdown structure wbs for. Some wbs methodology tasks, while important, are not critical to the outcome of a wbs methodology project. Work breakdown structure for a software project includes testing, content creation, data import, training and solution configuration. It is widely used in the area of project management to breakdown a project into smaller tasks. Bi implementation work breakdown structure template info. Mar, 2018 ms project 20 work breakdown structure wbs watch more videos at lecture by. Oct 03, 2018 you can see a clearly defined wbs for a project involving the development of the computer at the following image.
Mar 04, 2014 point of sale implementation work breakdown structure. A work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. The ability to easily create and share a wellcrafted wbs with intuitive software helps you better tackle anything from small projects to large initiatives with easytouse features like. Editable work breakdown structure template to plan your work. In the tree structure of a wbs, project deliverables and activities are broken down into manageable parts, making it easier to estimate required resources and costs, create a realistic schedule, and control each stage of a project. Using the ootb tasks web part, you can easily add a task list to your sharepoint site. The story of an enterprise software implementation.
The work breakdown structure wbs is a view into the project which shows what work the project encompasses. Pdf the work breakdown structure in software project management. Software implementation work breakdown structure wbs example by project management institute this zip file contains the white paper the work breakdown structure. Check other wbs examples at bright hub pm and expert project management. Implementing a wbs the main purpose of a wbs is to keep track of the projects scope, so you will need to add or remove elements as and when the scope of the project changes. 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. It is a tool which helps to easily communicate the work and processes involved to execute the project. Therefore, there are lots of benefits of using wbs project management. This is an example of a work breakdown structure wbs for a traditional waterfall approach to software development this is an example of a work breakdown structure wbs for a traditional waterfall approach to software development. A work breakdown structure for implementing and costing an. Work breakdown structure an introduction to software project. It is the very essential tool for the planning and to executing the project.
The first level of the wbs is the project name, in this case abc software implementation. The work breakdown structure wbs is a vehicle for breaking an engineering. A brief synopsis, a software implementation work breakdown structure in both word and excel, and a pdf appendix of the software implementation work breakdown structure wbs example. To get started, youd develop a wbs for this project as follows. This paper advocates and summarizes the use of the. It also iden tifies some of the problems people have had. Tausworthe jet propulsion laboratory the work breakdown structure wbs is a vehicle for breaking an engineering project down into subproject, tasks, subtasks, work packages, and so on. Point of sale implementation work breakdown structure the.
Given the emphasis on a solid wbs it surprises me that its actually so hard to find a decent bit of software aligned with the need. Decomposition is the process of breaking down the work into smaller, more manageable components. Its creation process is the 4th process of scope management, coming after create scope management plan process, collect requirements process and. The project plan serves as the master blueprint, whereas the work breakdown structure wbs and project schedule nail down the details of specific tasks within the project plan. The larger the project scopes the larger and more complex the wbs will be. The wbs requires continual refinement throughout the development. Id wbs task name tw f 1 1 sample software development project. Need a work breakdown structure for a software project. Edit this wbs template online using our tool and easily visualize your project work.
It can be applied to a range of different software development projects by suitable customization, especially at the lower levels. Systems development project definition design implementation state objectives define requirements choose sdm get approval functional. An important point to remember is that in design decomposition, only the lower. A project budget can be allocated to the top levels of the work breakdown structure, and department budgets can be quickly calculated based on the each project s work breakdown structure. Get the team together and brainstorm all the deliverables in the project, in no particular order. Software implementation work breakdown structure wbs example. However, each serves a different purpose, and each plays an important role in successfully getting a project to the end zone. Download a microsoft project schedule for a software implementation project. Work breakdown structure or wbs is a method used to decompose a project or large piece of work into smaller manageable chunks of work. Work breakdown structure wbs software project management. Oct 27, 2016 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. Assume that your project finishes in a day or a week abruptly. Free wbs example provided by quantumpm software implementation work breakdown structure wbs example this template depicts a generic wbs built using quantumpms wbs director software package. It is defined as an enumeration of all work activities in hierarchic refinement of detail which organizes work to be done into short.
Ms project 20 work breakdown structure wbs youtube. Free 30day wbs software trial work breakdown structure wbs a work breakdown structure wbs is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. A guide to the project management book of knowledge, 4 th edition. How to create a well thought out, detailed project plan using a work breakdown structure and logic network while building a committed high performing team. These resources are presented from the pmi practice standard for work breakdown structures. This paper presents a work breakdown structure wbs for a phased implementation of an enterprise resource planning erp solution. Systems upgrade work breakdown structure the project diva. Free work breakdown structure templates smartsheet. Feel free to ask any questions about work breakdown structure for it projects below.
The pmbok defines wbs as a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team. The wbs a key to erp implementation success part 2 of 3. 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. The project manager and project team use the wbs to develop the project schedule, resource requirements and costs. Implementation plan example components and structure. Wbs major steps, wbs implementation, high level wbs tasks software project management computer science software engineering.
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