The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Abstract

Traditionally, the project management metrics of time, cost, scope, and quality have been the most important factors in defining the success of a project. More recently, practitioners and scholars have determined that project success should also be measured with consideration toward achievement of the project objectives.

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is an effective technique based on decomposing a project into hierarchical deliverables. Each one of the deliverables corresponds to a specific outcome that must be accomplished to complete the project. Therefore, the WBS provides a clear view of the project’s scope, by schematically showing all the objectives that englobe it and the relation between them.

The following article has been created in order to provide all the information needed to create the WBS of a given project. The article contains a detailed description of the WBS, to give a wide view of the technique. Afterwards, the principles it is based on are presented, simultaneously with the specifications it must fulfil. The article also includes the necessary information of how and when to apply this technique. Following this, it is stated the benefits the WBS provides to a project during the totality of its life cycle. Consequently, it is explained how doing the WBS for a project enhances the likelihood of its success. Moreover, the typical mistakes committed when designing the WBS are specified to anticipate the user and avoid him from making them.