...BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS) IS A DECOMPOSITION OF ALL THE WORK NECESSARY TO COMPLETE A PROJECT. A WBS IS ARRANGED IN A HIERARCHY AND CONSTRUCTED TO ALLOW FOR CLEAR AND LOGICAL GROUPINGS, EITHER BY ACTIVITIES OR DELIVERABLES. THE WBS SHOULD REPRESENT THE WORK IDENTIFIED IN THE APPROVED PROJECT SCOPE STATEMENT AND SERVES AS AN EARLY FOUNDATION FOR EFFECTIVE SCHEDULE DEVELOPMENT AND COST ESTIMATING. PROJECT MANAGERS TYPICALLY WILL DEVELOP A WBS AS A PRECURSOR TO A DETAILED PROJECT SCHEDULE. THE WBS SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY A WBS DICTIONARY, WHICH LISTS AND DEFINES WBS ELEMENTS. The goals of developing a WBS and WBS Dictionary are 1) for the project team to proactively and logically plan out the project to completion, 2) to collect the information about work that needs to be done for a project, and 3) to organize activities into manageable components that will achieve project objectives. The WBS and WBS Dictionary are not the schedule, but rather the building blocks to it. The progression of WBS and WBS Dictionary development is as follows: [pic] The WBS and WBS Dictionary should not be static documents. WBS construction is subject to project management progressive elaboration, and as new information becomes known, the WBS should be revised to reflect that information. A Project Team that has substantial changes to its WBS should reference the project’s Change Management Plan for guidance on management of changes to project scope. Example Below is a simplified WBS example with a...
Words: 1882 - Pages: 8
...Introduction The key to a good WBS and WBS Dictionary is the engagement of project team members to comprehensively identify and discuss activities for the project. A Project Manager must ensure that all the work that needs to be accomplished for the project is contained within the WBS Dictionary and is understood by team members. All work should have clearly defined duration, resources, dependencies, and level of effort (Cleland, 1990). A Project Manager should elicit feedback from all team members to ensure that the WBS and WBS Dictionary are valid and comprehensive prior to developing the detailed schedule. The project manager, has been asked to plan the wedding for his niece. Explain why you chose to organize your WBS in the manner you did. There are three reasons why the WBS is setup in the manner it is for this wedding project. The first is that is helps more accurately and specifically define and organize the scope of the total project. The most common way this is done is by using a hierarchical tree structure. See figure 1 below for a graphical representation of the WBS. The figure shows two level due to size of the project. Appendix A contains the WBS showing all three levels in a tabular format as a requisite for this assignment. Each level of this structure breaks the project deliverables or objectives down to more specific and measurable chunks. The second reason for using a WBS in your projects is to help with assigning responsibilities, resource allocation...
Words: 1322 - Pages: 6
...I will provide the Scope Management Plan for VisionTec’s new Vision System project. This plan will document the scope management approach; roles and responsibilities as they pertain to project scope; scope definition; verification and control measures; scope change control; and the project’s work breakdown structure. This project will be to organize the product development process for your new product. This new technology uses a high resolution camera to inspect drug labels to insure they contain the proper information that is required by government standards.I will develop a Work Breakdown Structure for this new product. The will identify all the deliverables of the project programming, and testing a new camera which will be used to track the company’s finances and improve various financial processes. This includes design of the software, all programming and coding, and testing/validation of the software. No external resources or outsourcing are anticipated for this project. INTRODUCTION Scope Management is the collection of processes which ensure that the project includes all the work required to complete it while excluding all work which is not necessary to complete it. The Scope Management Plan details how the project scope will be defined, developed, and verified. It clearly defines who is responsible for managing the projects’ scope and acts as a guide for managing and controlling the scope. Project Scope Management follows a five step process; Collect Requirements...
Words: 2066 - Pages: 9
...Guide—Chapter 5: Work Breakdown Structure Posted on March 19, 2013 by Jerome Rowley 1. Introduction The Work Breakdown Structure is a fundamental tool of project management which is formed as an output of the process 5.3 Create WBS. It is one of the three elements of the scope baseline. Table 1. Three Elements of the Scope Baseline | Element Name | Process | 1. | Project Scope Statement | Output of 5.3 Define Scope | 2. | WBS | Output of 5.4 Create WBS | 3. | WBS dictionary | Output of 5.4 Create WBS | The work breakdown structure can be pictured like an organizational chart, with the highest level being the project itself, and the various levels under that consisting of increasingly more detailed breakdowns of the scope of the project. For example: Although it can take the form of an organizational chart, it does not show who does the work, but simply displays the hierarchy of the various levels of decomposition of the scope. 2. Decomposition technique The techniques of decomposition means subdividing the project scope and project deliverables into smaller, more manageable components to the level of work packages. Here’s how the project is broken down through the decomposition process. Figure 1. Work Breakdown Structure Levels (from program to deliverables) a. Programs are groups of related projects. b. Projects can sometimes be broken down into distinct phases. c. Major deliverables are first identified within each phase. d. That work which can be outsourced...
Words: 748 - Pages: 3
...Project management techniques and tools are applied to manage Project Orion so as to make it a success. A project could be defined as a set of temporary activities and efforts that have a clear-cut duration and objectives. Project Management Institute (2013) has developed a complete set of processes and tools for managing projects, and A Guide to the Project management body of knowledge developed by Project Management Institute has been accepted by as US national standards for managing projects. This standard is widely adopted in other countries. The core objectives of project management is to achieve project success within give constraints in time, quality, cost and risk, and to attain the expectations and satisfaction of core stakeholders (Kerzner, 2009). This section specifies how Project Orion should management along with the rationale for launching it, on the basis of project management knowledge and theories. Special attention is given to project time management, project cost management, project quality management, project risk management, and stakeholder management. In detail, Project Orion is managed with four major phases, as shown in Appendix 1, namely Project Initiation, Project Planning, Project Execution and Project Closure. Each of these phases is addressed with details below. Usually a project involves various stakeholders, and they have different interests in the project. Support from stakeholders is usually important for achieving project success and stakeholder...
Words: 607 - Pages: 3
...Information Systems Project Management Unit 3 Assignment 1 Kaplan University IT511 Professor Chad McAllister February 16, 2013 1. Explain project scope management in terms of its processes. Scope management is the process of defining and controlling the work that is or is not included in the project (Schwalbe, 2012). This outlines to the team and stakeholders the product that will be produced and the processes that will be used to produce that product. The project scope management consists of five processes: * Collect requirements- This process defines the specific details of a product’s functions and features. Defining the processes for creating the products is defined in this process and results in the following outputs: stakeholders’ requirements documentation, a requirements management plan and a requirements traceability matrix. * Define the scope- The project charter, requirements documents and organization process assets are the inputs that are needed to determine the project scope. This process has two outputs the project scope statement and updates to the project documents. * Create the WBS- This process involves decomposing the major deliverable on the project into manageable elements resulting in the WBS and dictionary, a scope baseline and updates to the project documents. * Verify the scope- This is the formalized acceptance of the scope statement by the stakeholders, customers and the project sponsor. If the scope statement is...
Words: 2413 - Pages: 10
...preparepm.com Tutorial - Project Scope Management This chapter covers key concepts related to Project Scope Management. 1. The knowledge area of Project Scope Management consists of the following processes - Scope Management Processes Process Project Group Key Deliverables Collect Requirements planning Requirements document Define Scope planning project scope statement Create WBS planning WBS, WBS dictionary Verify Scope Monitoring and Controlling Acceptance deliverables Control Scope Monitoring and Controlling Change Requests 2. The knowledge area of Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work, and only all the work required to complete the project successfully. It is primarily concerned with controlling what is and what is not in the scope. 3. Project Portfolio Management is the process of project selection. It involves making a decision about which project an organization should execute. 4. There are two types of project selection methods. These are o Benefits Measurement o Constrained Optimization 5. Benefits Measurement project selection methods involve comparing the values of one project against another. There are the following type of Benefit Measurement project selection techniques - o Murder Boards - This involves a committee asking tough questions from each project o Scoring Models - Different projects are given scores based...
Words: 942 - Pages: 4
...Project scope is the parameter of the project. It defines what are the deliverables, requirements and expectations for the project and provides a baseline to exclude unrelated works. The project manager’s job is to ensure all necessary works for the project success are included. And this process is referring to as the project scope management. Project scope management involves six processes, which are planning scope management, collecting requirements, defining scope, creating WBS, validating scope and controlling scope. These six interrelated steps provide an agreement between the stakeholders and project team to clarify expectation and requirements. The six processes also allow the team to understand how and what they should do in order to deliver the project within the deadline and without exceeding limited resources. 1. Planning scope management: This process answers the question “how will the team manage and maintain the scope” and “how to prepare required documents”. The team will review the project description from the project charter and project management plan to develop scope management plan and requirements management plan. The scope management plan defines how to prepare, maintain and control all management documents such as project scope statement, WBS and change requests. This step set the foundation for the scope management, as the team and manager will choose the most efficient way in controlling the process. 2. Collecting requirements: After defining the...
Words: 797 - Pages: 4
...responsibilities for a Project Manager is to refine the WBS into further detail developing the baseline schedule and define the Schedule Management Plan. The initial WBS, developed during the Concept Development Phase, will define specific work activities; activities sequence, estimate resources, and estimate duration that will need to complete the project. The refined WBS will be used to develop an initial, baseline schedule. The Schedule Management Plan establishes the specific procedures for how the project schedule will be managed and controlled and is as detailed as necessary to control the schedule through the life cycle based on the size, risk profile, and complexity of the project. The Project Manager should consider the six schedule management processes described below in the development of the schedule baseline and the Schedule Management Plan. The development of the schedule baseline will involve activity definition, activity sequencing, activity resource estimation, and activity duration estimation. The Schedule Management Plan should be focused on the methods for controlling the schedule. Define Activities – identification of the specific work activities that need to be performed to complete the project. Although preliminary activity definition begins in the Concept Development Phase, this definition is further refined during the Planning Phase to ensure that all activities are defined in detail. The Planning Team creates a more detailed WBS, develops an initial...
Words: 437 - Pages: 2
...Activity Assessment – Project Work Breakdown Structure • Group Project Phase II • Due Date: October 28 • Points Possible: 100 • Activity Description: Based on the project selected as a group (from your individual assignments) and the scope statement developed in Phase I of the group project, you will now document the work of the project scope in a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). From your examination of the course material, compose a paper that is no less than 4 pages and no more than 6 pages in length (not including title page and references page). An Abstract is not required for this paper. Refer to the grading criteria to ensure you have included all of the elements in your paper. You must complete and submit your paper no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 28, 2011. Submit your completed paper using the course e-mail address provided (MGT4501.E1@eCmail.Amberton.edu). [pic] Project Work Breakdown Structure 1. Introduction to the project 2. Discussion of the process “Create WBS” and what method your project management team used to create the WBS for this project 3. Summary statement of the work (see scope statement) 4. Graphical illustration of the WBS or text outline method (must be at least 3 levels – see PMBOK page 119 for an example) [pic] Grading Criteria |Criteria |Points |Points Achieved | | ...
Words: 1606 - Pages: 7
...Introduction 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this cost management plan is to define the methodology by which costs associated with the Building Expansion Project will be managed. This is necessary to ensure the successful completion of the project within the allotted budget constraints. There are several cost components associated with this project as well as many metrics, cost variance considerations, and reporting which this plan will outline. To complete this project successfully, all key project members and stakeholders must adhere to and work within this cost management plan and the overall project plan it supports. The Project Manager will be responsible for managing and reporting on the project’s cost throughout the duration of the project. During the monthly project status meeting, the Project Manager will meet with management to present and review the project’s cost performance for the preceding month. Performance will be measured using earned value. The Project Manager is responsible for accounting for cost deviations and presenting the Project Sponsor with options for getting the project back on budget. The Project Sponsor has the authority to make changes to the project to bring it back within budget. 1.2 Scope This section describes what will be included in the cost management plan for this particular project. Project costs may consist of many internal and external components or unique items depending on the nature of the project. It is important to define the scope of what...
Words: 1666 - Pages: 7
...WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS) Remote Control Rotary Mower YVONNE MILES 06-166 PROJECT MANAGEMENT 627-6 NOVEMBER 15, 2015 INTRODUCTION The WBS is a view into the project which shows what work the project encompasses. It is a tool which helps to easily communicate the work and processes involved to execute the project. The Project Manager and project team use the WBS to develop the project schedule, resource requirements and costs. There are many ways you can present the WBS for your project; this template provides many of the most popular layouts from which you can choose. Depending on where in the Project Plan you're putting the WBS a different layout may be more suitable for you. For instance many Project Managers include a high level WBS within the project plan, then a detailed version as an appendix to the plan. You may find that you prefer one layout for a high level WBS and a different one for a detailed WBS. In order to save space in this template we only developed the WBS examples down to the third level. In your project you will want to develop them down to a much more detailed level using the 8 to 80 rule (where the WBS is broken down to where a work package contains between 8 and 80 hours of work to complete). The Work Breakdown Structure presented here represents all the work required to complete this project. OUTLINE VIEW The outline view presents an easy to view and understand layout for the WBS. It is also a good layout...
Words: 2124 - Pages: 9
...permission of Michael D. Taylor, Systems Management Services (http://www.projectmgt.com). Page |3 WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURES “A Work Breakdown Structure is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.” 1 A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a fundamental project management technique for defining and organizing the total scope of a project, using a hierarchical tree structure. The first two levels of the WBS (the root node and Level 2) define a set of planned outcomes that collectively and exclusively represent 100% of the project scope. At each subsequent level, the children of a parent node collectively and exclusively represent 100% of the scope of their parent node. A well-designed WBS describes planned outcomes instead of planned actions. Outcomes are the desired ends of the project, such as a product, result, or service, and can be predicted accurately. Actions, on the other hand, may be difficult to predict accurately. A well-designed WBS makes it easy to assign any project activity to one and only one terminal element of the WBS. TYPES OF WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURES Even though the term “Work Breakdown Structure” has been used as a label for all project scope hierarchical diagrams, there are, in practice, many types other than “deliverable” oriented structures. 1 A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (Newton Square,...
Words: 2802 - Pages: 12
...covers key concepts related to Project Scope Management. 1. The knowledge area of Project Scope Management consists of the following processes - Scope Management Processes Process | Project Group | Key Deliverables | Plan Scope Management | Planning | | Collect Requirements | Planning | Requirements document | Define Scope | planning | project scope statement | Create WBS | planning | WBS, WBS dictionary | Validate Scope | Monitoring and Controlling | Acceptance deliverables | Control Scope | Monitoring and Controlling | Change Requests | 2. The knowledge area of Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work, and only all the work required to complete the project successfully. It is primarily concerned with controlling what is and what is not in the scope. 3. Project Portfolio Management is the process of project selection. It involves making a decision about which project an organization should execute. 4. There are two types of project selection methods. These are * Benefits Measurement * Constrained Optimization 5. Benefits Measurement project selection methods involve comparing the values of one project against another. There are the following type of Benefit Measurement project selection techniques - * Murder Boards - This involves a committee asking tough questions from each project * Scoring Models - Different projects are given scores based on certain...
Words: 909 - Pages: 4
...Explain the content of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and discuss its role in project management and the connection to the organisation. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a tool that is used to define the work elements of a project and identify its entire scope. It is the map of the project which identifies all elements of the project and allows managers to keep track and control of it. It is made of a hierarchy which facilitates the evaluation of cost, time and performance at all levels of the project life-cycle and organization. The structure illustrates the smaller units and allows for adaptation and quick communication if there a problems which need to be addressed. Definitions of each task should be clear and avoid overlapping in assignments. Defining the project scope The scope of a project is the end result, the deliverable or project end item. This is what will be basically used for planning and measuring the project. Defining the project scope is a definition of the outcome of the projects end result. It can be a product or service or even an event. The project scope is between managers and customers it is a necessity of what has to be delivered in order to satisfy the needs from the customer’s demands. The project scope is basically to be used for planning and measuring the project. Project Scope Checklist * Project objective The project scope is to define the general obejctive goal and purpose that will meet the customers needs. E.g. (What) A fashion...
Words: 1250 - Pages: 5
