The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in Project Management

Abstract

The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a guiding vehicle for many activities in the planning stage of a project.

Big idea

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History

The history of work breakdown structure (WBS) goes back to the 1960s where the WBS concept is developed with the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). In June 1962, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), published a document called "DoD and NASA Guide, PERT/COST System Design" which discusses the WBS approach even though it is not directly used the technical term, “work breakdown structure”. However, this was intended to use in defense organizations. In order to use this concept also in non-defense organizations, the Project Management Institute (PMI) documented a further expansion of the WBS concept in the 1980s. The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide provides a full overview of the WBS concept, techniques, and best practices which are intended for more general applications.

Definition

• WBS: “hierarchical decomposition framework for presenting the work that needs to be completed in order to achieve the project objectives” (ISO 21500 Standard, p. 18)

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Applications

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Limitations

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Annotated bibliography

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