Podcast episode 051: is the wbs just… bs?
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Way back in Episode 004, I discussed one of the key building blocks of a successful project, known as the Work Breakdown Structure or WBS. However, it is pretty evident that there is still a lot of confusion in Project Management on whether we truly need a WBS on our projects, how to structure a WBS, and how to use it throughout a project’s lifecycle. In this episode I welcome back to the show pmstudent.com blogger and WBS expert Josh Nankivel as we dive deeper into the topic of the Work Breakdown Structure.
Josh has recently published a set of training tools called the WBS coach to help those of us that need to know how to create a WBS or those of us that just need a refresher on WBS development. So is the WBS just… BS? Josh and I talk about why more PMs don’t use the WBS, we discuss whether it really helps in project planning, and finally we talk about the right and wrong ways of developing a WBS.
So what the heck is a WBS?
The WBS is a special kind of outline for your project. It is deliverables-based, focused on project results, and usually includes a graphic hierarchy and a WBS dictionary. Basically, it is a representation of your project scope.
However, the WBS is not a task list, organizational chart, and it shouldn’t be time phased.
Why should teams use Work Breakdown Structures?
A lot of project managers don’t use a WBS as a tool on their project, or they see it as just another piece of paperwork. But the WBS is the representation of scope on your project. All deliverables, services, outcomes of your project should be covered by your project WBS.
The WBS also provides clear definition of what the project will be producing. It provides a common language and helps to structure reporting so that there is a common understanding with stakeholders. It also provides a strong foundation for your project.
The WBS also helps with clear change control. The WBS provides traceability if anything changes to help team members and stakeholders understand how changes impact the project.
Parts of the Work Breakdown Structure
The “WBS Graphic” includes some kind visual hierarchy of the scope and how the deliverables are related. There are a lot of tools that can create a WBS hierarchy – mindmaps, Visio, and even Microsoft Word.
The “WBS Dictionary” goes into detail on each deliverable of the WBS. The key to the WBS dictionary is to first define what is included and then create the details of what that deliverable is. Many teams also create an “exclusions list” that specifies what is not included in the project scope in order to provide additional clarity to what the team is planning on delivering.
“Deliverables” can be defined as anything that is results-oriented (e.g. a system, a sub-system, etc.)
Josh differs from the PMI on the definition of “activities.” Josh sees activities as a special kind of deliverable that are service-oriented (e.g. “project management,” “configuration management,” etc.)
The “work package” is the lowest level of your WBS after decomposition. You will later want to use your work packages to do activity definition, duration estimations, cost estimations, etc.
“Control accounts” track your costs and progress on a particular piece of the WBS. However, again, tasks are not part of the Work Breakdown Structure.
So, why is there so much confusion around the WBS?
One reason is because the WBS is typically understated in many PM textbooks and PM classes. Whenever it is mentioned, it is usually just presented as a basic overview rather than providing details on how to create and manage a WBS. Also, there is quite a bit of disagreement on how to create and use the WBS. Unfortunately, many people try to include tasks into their WBS which complicates things. Another reason is that since most project teams are under a time crunch in planning their project, team members don’t take the time to effectively create and discuss the project deliverables and put it into a graphical form.
However, as a result of not creating a WBS upfront, many teams end up later suffering through “churn” during project planning as they try to manage their tasks, costs, and scope without the structure of a WBS. Also, frequently project managers try to “dictate” a WBS rather than collaborating with team members to make sure every deliverable is accounted for. This often causes deliverables to be missed and results in managers having bad experiences with following a project WBS.
It really is critical that the project manager includes team input and discussion during the WBS development. Creating a detailed and effective WBS can be done quickly – taking as little as an hour depending on the complexity of the project. This is time well spent! Once you and your team create your first WBS, you will be able to create them quicker and more efficiently the next time.
When do you stop decomposing deliverables?
You stop decomposing individual work packages once you hit activities and deliverables that you would expect to take less than 80 work hours to deliver. This is in line with the 8/80 rule discussed in Episode 045 on the student syndrome. The exception would be service activities, like Project management activities. You can probably keep this as a higher level work package without further decomposition.
The WBS is more than just a planning tool!
The WBS is something that should be initially created while planning a project, but it should be used throughout the project lifecycle as a monitoring and control tool. Any change to the project scope during development should be documented as changes to the WBS graphic and dictionary. The WBS is a living document. The WBS should be updated and detailed further as the project progresses.
Yeah, but should the WBS be used with Agile and Rolling Wave development?
Absolutely!
As your project definition is further refined, your initial WBS should reflect those deliverable details. Also, you shouldn’t plan to check the WBS only at regular intervals like every three months. Rather, you should set key milestones within the project to review the WBS as well as whenever there is a change to project scope.
Should you include project phases as high-level deliverables in your WBS?
Josh recommends not creating your WBS with project phases as high-level deliverables since you should separate time-phasing from project deliverables. In your Gantt chart, you can represent milestones ending a particular phase, but your deliverables should not be sequenced in time as high-level deliverables on your WBS.
If you are focused on time-phasing your WBS you are more likely to overlook your complete set of deliverables.
Although this makes a lot of sense to Josh and me, the PMI and PMBOK do show examples of organizing WBS by phase, so be aware that the PMBOK shows this as acceptable if you are studying for the PMP exam!
Josh conducted surveys on pmstudent.com and found that a lot of people are confused about the WBS. As a result, he created a really great training course to help those of us that need some help in creating good work breakdown structures.
The WBS Coach is a self-paced downloadable 4.5-hour course that includes a 70-page ebook as well as multiple audio and video tutorials. Rather than just being a “lecture,” the approach of the WBS Coach is more of an opportunity to see how a WBS is developed with examples, tips, and tricks.
Also included with the download is a lot of Bonus Material, including extra Q&A sessions, additional video tutorials, an excellent WBS checklist, and expanded lessons.
Even better, the WBS Coach qualifies you for 4 PDUs through PMI and a step-by-step guide to claim your PDUs is provided in the download.
As you can tell, both Josh and I feel that the WBS is a critical tool to insure the success of your project, no matter how small your project is. So, download the WBS Coach today to help you start your next project off on the right foot!
Full Disclosure: The pm411.org Project Management Podcast is an affiliate of the WBS Coach and we do earn a referral commission in exchange for actively testing and promoting this beneficial project management tool to our readers and listeners. The commission earned helps to offset our hosting, equipment, and publishing costs and allows us to continue to provide our readers and listeners with valuable free content.
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