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Preventing Scope Creep:The Work Breakdown Structureand WBS Dictionary 9
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Goals of This ChapterUpon completion o this chapter, you should be able to:
Explain how to create a work breakdown structure (WBS)
Describe the business value o using a WBS
Understand common problems with the WBS
Dene the elements that make up a WBS dictionary
Identiy the ways a WBS dictionary is used
We dont manage a project. We manage the small pieces. Te work breakdownstructure is the oundation o everything we do to organize the project. It iscreated during the beginning o the planning process. It ia also used throughoutthe project, whenever the scope o the project needs to be reevaluated.
Te WBS may look like an organizational chart, but that is where the similarityends. Te WBS is created with the project team rom the top o the chart downto the bottom, and serves many purposes:
By making the project deliverables more precise, the project team knowsexactly what has to be accomplished.
Te WBS aids in assigning responsibilities, resource allocation, andmonitoring and controlling the project.
Te precision o the WBS aids in improved cost, risk, and time estimates.
Te WBS ofers an additional opportunity to conrm with the stakeholders
the projects requirements and objectives.
NOE: Te WBS is not the same document as the nal schedule.
WorkBreak
Struc(WBS
A delivehierarcho workorganizegraphicathe totabe accomto achieproject o
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Te gure below is an example o a WBS:
How to Create a WBSo create a WBS, start at the top by breaking your project into logical, majorcomponents which completely dene the project. For example, a systemdevelopment project could break the work into research, conceptual, planning,denition, and evaluation. In addition, most projects add a project managementcomponent which includes work that spans all areas o the project.
A WBS ocuses on project deliverables (the results o work that needs to be done onthe project).
Using the Project Life Cycle ApproachTe best way to create the rst level is to break the project down by its lie cycle.
aking the lie cycle approach in building the WBS provides a oundation orreusing the upper parts o the WBS or other similar projects. Standardized WBSso similar projects within an organization can aid the tracking o historical trendsspanning multiple projects.
Below is an example o the top levels o a WBS or a system development project:
IS/IT project
Research Planning Definition EvaluationConceptual
Obtain required
background dataDefine
feasibility
Define scope of
project and gain
agreement from
client
Identify the most
effective strategy
to accomplish
objectives
Document user
requirements and
model current
system to clearly
identify objectives of
the new system
How did the
project go?
Create lessons
learned
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Once the rst level o the WBS is created and deemed complete, each o the boxesis tested to see i it needs to be broken down urther. Questions like, Is the workdiscrete and measurable? are key. I the answers to these questions are yes, then nourther division is necessary. I not, the work is broken down urther into two ormore smaller pieces. Te lowest level o a WBS is called a work package.
Here is an example o breaking down the top level o the WBS, starting with the boxidentied as Denition in the previous WBS example.
Definition
Pre-AnalysisHigh-LevelAnalysis
IntermediateAnalysis
DetailedAnalysis
Outcome ofRequirements
Definition
Identify
customers
Resolve conflicts
among customer
priorities
Capture and
prioritize customers
high-level wants,
needs and tastes
Prioritize which
customers should
decide feature and
functionality
requirements
Consider prioritizing
customer
requirements by
customer area
Work Package Sizing
Just how ar should a project manager decompose a project in a WBS? Whatamount o efort should the work package represent? Tat depends on the size o theproject. Recall rom Chapter 5 the concept o incrementalization. Te objective oincrementalization is to make projects executable as quickly as possible to build ROIbased on project success. Small, ast projects are also much less likely to run intoissues with waning interest or departing executive sponsors. By decomposing largemulti-year I projects into smaller increments, the big picture business objectives aresubstantially more likely to succeed.
Te project manager must decide to what level to control the project.Micromanagement is rarely a good idea, but neither is a laissez fairemanagementstyle. Te work package size decision is up to the project manager and contingent onthe size o the total project. Here are a ew rules regarding the work package size:
Can be realistically and condently estimated
Cannot be logically subdivided urther
Is measurable and discrete
Has about 8 to 80 hours worth o efort (or whatever makes sense or the sizeand complexity o the project)
Work
Te lowWBS
It contao workthat canto an inexecutio
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Has a meaningul conclusion and deliverable
Can be completed without the need or more inormation
May be outsourced or contracted
Te size o work packages also relates to more precise reporting and project control.Instead o asking the nebulous question o What percent complete are you? theproject manager can ask, Are these specic work packages completed yet?
o gain the benets o added control on the project, determine in advancehow ar of the schedule you can be and still make it up. Ten make the workpackages on your project no larger than that. In other words, i you haveplanned in exibility that you can make up a two-week delay, make the average
work package no more than 80 hours. Ten you can ocus on Are you doneyet? and produce clear and accurate reports on the status o your project.
Research and Evaluation
Research is the rst step in the project lie cycle. It includes the process o reviewingthe available data rom previous similar projects (the historical inormation wediscussed in Chapter 6) as well as any available data specic to the current project.Perorming this activity makes the rest o the project work aster and easier. Iteliminates reinventing activities that have already been tried and proven.
Evaluation o how things went and the creation o lessons learned ater the projectis completed are hugely valuable in improving uture projects. Tereore, evaluationmust be included somewhere in every WBS.
When a project is done, it may not really be done. Tere needs to be some technicaltransition o the project to those who will perorm the ongoing management o theproduct o the project. Tis transition is oten orgotten in project lie cycles.
Tricks for Creating the WBS
Te best method to create a WBS is to use sticky notes with the team to breakthe project down (decompose the project) into smaller, more manageable pieces.
Te WBS is created with the team, but it may also be done with otherstakeholders or the sponsor present. Tis trick is especially helpul i the
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sponsor does not understand the work that needs to be done, or thinks itwill take only a short amount o time. Having the sponsor present (but notcontributing) during the WBS creation will help explain, in detail, why a
project will take longer than the sponsor or stakeholders desire.
Tough the entire project team may not be identied at this stage, it is bestto create a WBS with as close as possible to the nal team, as a group. At aminimum, this improves buy-in and project quality, and decreases project risk.
Te project manager should create the top levels o the WBS beore meetingwith the team. It will give the team direction, let them see what a WBS is, andprevent wasted eforts.
Add only work that is needed to complete the project deliverables. Do notinclude extra activities.
o break each level down urther, ask What work do we need to do or thisitem in the WBS?
Keep in mind that each level o the WBS is a smaller segment o the level above, andthat the entire project is the aggregation o the highest levels o the WBS.
All o the work should be included in the WBS. I it is not in the WBS, it is not parto the project.
You will see that team members, managers, sponsorseveryonegets really excitedwhen they see a work breakdown structure or they help create one.
From a project managers point o view, you get a chance to double check: Are youon the right track? Do you understand what is expected o you? Does the teamunderstand what it will take to accomplish the work o the project?
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Enabling Future Use of the WBS as Historical Information
When the WBS is completed, code numbers are assigned to help acilitate trackingo each work package later in the project, and in historical records long ater the
project is complete. Tis numbering scheme is also part o the WBS dictionary,covered later in this chapter. Tere are many diferent numbering schemes one canuse, but generally they look like this:
1.2.21.2.11.1.21.1.1
1.21.1
2.2.22.2.12.1.22.1.1
2.22.1
21
Project Name
Project Life Cycle
Smaller Pieces
Work Packages
Business Value of the WBS
Estimates or a project at the smallest (work package) level improve accuracy. Tis isa key benet o the WBSthe level o detail helps in creating the estimates, as wellas sta ng the project and proving how many people are needed. Risks on the project(what can go right and wrong) are also identied by work package.
Quality
Management
Scheduling
NetworkDiagram
WBSRisk
ManagementStaffing
Budgeting
Estimating
Activity
ListProjectControl
Additional business benets to creating a WBS include:
Forces you to think through all aspects o the project
Helps prevent work rom slipping through the cracks
Helps stakeholders get their minds around the project, its complexity,requirements, and constraints
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Provides the team members with an understanding o where their pieces t intothe overall project management plan and gives them an indication o the impacto their work on other activities o the project, as well as the project as a whole
Facilitates communication and cooperation between and among the projectteam and other stakeholders
Helps manage and control scope changes
Focuses the team on what needs to be done, resulting in higher quality and aproject that is easier to manage
Provides a basis or estimating staf, cost, and time
Provides validated evidence o the need or staf, budget, and time
Can be reused or other projects
A WBS is so valuable that it should be done even or the smallest project. o gainthe ull benet rom the WBS, consider employing the ollowing activities:
Involve the entire team in creating and approving the WBS
Work to pull out the teams ideas during WBS creation
Include all the work
Obtain approvals or sign-ofs o the WBS rom the project stakeholders
Publish and distribute the WBS
Common Problems with Creating a WBSDifficulty with Breaking Down WBS Elements I you are new to using the WBS, itis possible you will run into di culties breaking down some parts o the diagram.Te most likely cause o that di culty is lack o scope clarity. ake the opportunityto ask the stakeholders clariying questions and obtain the inormation needed toproceed with the WBS. As you do this, realize that this problem is saving you largeamounts o time and money that you would have had to spend i this problem wasnot uncovered until later.
The Project Is More Than One Project When developing the WBS, i the projectteam cannot determine the next actions in one branch until other activities aredened in a separate branch, there are most likely multiple projects rolled into one.
Too Much Detail in the Work Package Remember the 8/80 rule: each work packageshould generally include work that will take between 8 and 80 hours. Tis makesmanaging the project easier in the long run.
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The WBS Is Not the Schedule Te WBS work packages are used to develop theproject schedule, but the WBS is not the schedule itsel. Te schedule is created inthe time management process, by breaking down the work packages to the activitylevel. Tat process also includes application o dates and deadlines to the activities.
WBS Is Developed by Functional Area Te WBS is project specic. Some projectscross all o an organizations unctional areas, and others will only impact a particulardepartment. A WBS should never be developed by business unit. Tis method
wastes time, adds costs, replicates activities, and is a poor way to organize a project.
Throughout the ProjectTe WBS will continue to provide value throughout the lie o the project. Te
WBS can be used any time the project manager needs to reevaluate the scope o theproject. For example:
When there is a scope change to the project
o evaluate any impacts o other changes on scope
As a way to control scope creep by reminding everyone what work is to be done
As a communications tool
o help new team members see their roles
Te WBS may be changed and updated throughout the project, and can be used tohelp stakeholders understand how their pieces t into the whole project. On verysmall projects, where a detailed schedule has not been created, work packages in a
WBS could be crossed of to show progress.
Contributed by: Rhonda N. AllenAtlanta, GA
o minimize re-engineering, which oten leads to many changes in the projectand greatly afects the overall cost o the project, I like to play the what-i game during design review. I develop a WBS and a process owchart
or diferent phases o construction to identiy any potential gaps in theplan. I then ask the designer to explain how the design would change i acomplication arises in each activity. A clear understanding o the techniquesand alternatives available reduces the number o changes in execution. Tisincreases the owners or sponsors condence in the expected product and laysthe groundwork or successul negotiations, should change become necessary.
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The WBS DictionaryTe WBS dictionary could possibly be better termed work package description. Itsunction is to provide the person completing the work package with a description othe work included in the work package. In addition to the work package description,the dictionary also should include any types o control such as sign-ofs needed, costand time estimates or the work package, and the acceptance criteria or the package.Most electronic project management tools readily enable both the WBS and thenumbering scheme, making development o the documents ast and easy.
It may seem like overkill to have a WBS dictionary or small projects, but even thesmallest project can end up with dozens or even hundreds o work packages. Inaddition, the inormation included in the dictionary adds value to the historical
records, enabling more accurate project estimates or similar projects.
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Following is a WBS dictionary orm illustrating the inormation that should beincluded. An explanation o each eld in the orm ollows.
WBS Dictionary
Work Package Name/# Date of Update Responsible Organization/ Individual
Work Package Description
Work Package Product
Acceptance Criteria (How to know if the work is acceptable)
Deliverables
Assumptions
Resources Assigned
Duration
Schedule Milestones
Cost
Due Date
Interdependencies
Interdependencies
Before this work package
After this work package
Approved byProject Manager
Date
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Work Package Name and Number Te number helps to keep track o work packages,mapping to the WBS numbering schematic discussed earlier. By taking advantage o
the same high-level WBS structures, a seasoned project manager will be able to quicklytell rom the number with what piece o the project the work package is associated.
Date of Update Work packages, like the rest o the project, can change over time.Document control and conguration management activities require the projectmanager to make sure everyone has the correct version o any project document.Putting a date on it can help.
Responsible Organization/Individual In order to have accountability, each workpackage should be assigned to one person on the project team who will own the
work. Tat person might need to orm a small team to complete the work package,but the project manager would only need to interact with the person assigned the
work package.
Work Package Description Tis section o the dictionary is best created with thehelp o the person assigned the work package or many reasons:
Te project manager is not required to know how to do all the work on theproject, just how to manage it. Te responsible person can provide the detailsnecessary to complete the activities o the work package.
Quality is much improved when the person who knows how to do the workcompletes the description.
Commitment to actually completing the work on time is greatly improved i theperson doing the work creates the description o the work. Te work packagebecomes his or her work package, rather than the project managers work package.
Te project manager will get a chance to look or scope creep in the descriptiono the work package. Te description also helps prevent scope creep later, as the
work package is being completed.
Work Package Product Describing the end result o the work package helps theproject manager be assured that the complete scope o the work package will bedone. Te product description also helps decrease the possibility o scope creep.
Acceptance Criteria Te person completing the work should review his or her ownwork to make sure it is acceptable beore providing it to the project manager. Havingmeasures o success or the work package determined in advance will save time andimprove quality.
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Assumptions Assumptions made and ound later to be incorrect can change theentire design o the project. Tereore, it is wise to document any assumptions madeor each work package so the project manager can review the assumptions to check
validity later on in the project.
Resources Assigned Te project manager might assign resources to assist theperson completing the work package. Tese resources can be people, equipment, orsupplies, and should be described in the WBS dictionary.
Duration When compiling the WBS dictionary, it is important to estimate durationand cost at the same time. Te concept o duration will be described in more detailin Chapter 10.
Schedule Milestones Te creation o milestones or the project is another way orthe project manager to control the project and to know how the project is doing
while the work is underway. I a milestone date is met, the project may be on trackDepending on the project, it might be useul or the person completing a workpackage to know to which milestone the work package belongs
Cost Cost estimates need to be captured or comparison to actual costs. Accuratecost estimates or each project help project managers who use historical inormationto be increasingly more accurate in their pricing models. Cost estimating will be
discussed urther in Chapter 10.
Due Date Once the project management plan is completed, each work package willhave a date by which it must be completed without delaying the project. Such a dateis listed in the WBS dictionary in order to keep ocus on the date and prevent delay.
Interdependencies It is helpul to know what work comes beore and ater the workpackage. Sometimes knowing this will prevent the work package rom being delayedbecause the efect becomes more widely known by the project team.
Approved by the Project Manager Approval implies authorization. Withoutapproval, there can be no control.
lestone
gnicant event orckpoint within theect schedule
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Throughout the ProjectTe WBS dictionary is used:
As a level o control or the project (e.g., Is the work being done on a workpackage level as described in the WBS dictionary?)
o determine i a requested change is within the scope o the project
o prevent scope creep
o increase understanding o what needs to be done
o increase buy-in to what needs to be done
o send to unctional managers or resource owners to inorm them about whatwork their people are doing or the project
As a reporting tool rom those assigned the work package to the project manager
As the high-level basis or the scope o work or any work to be outsourcedor contracted
In the real world o project management, scope creep and lack o buy-in aresignicant problems that can cost the project a huge amount o time, money, andheadaches. Project management is about preventing problems rather than dealing
with them. Te WBS dictionary is a key tool in the ght to manage and controlprojects.
Keep in mind that each WBS dictionary should be created by or with the personresponsible or the work package. Tis aids in the responsible person takingownership o the work package. Tereore, the project managers work may not takemuch more time than reviewing and approving each work package, looking or addedscope or misunderstanding o scope, and making sure the estimates are reasonable.
It is important to note that the WBS dictionary may be iterated as new inormationbecomes available.
Here are some tricks to making the WBS dictionary work or you.
When approved, a nal copy o each WBS dictionary is provided to those whowill complete the work package work. As the work is being done, team membersuse the WBS and WBS dictionary to conrm the work they are assigned.
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Te WBS dictionary can also orm the basis or any work package level reporting.For example, team member status reports can be ormatted to answer the questionso how they are doing in meeting deliverables, cost and time estimates, andacceptance criteria.
I you think you will not have enough time, why not use this trickjust createWBS dictionaries or higher levels in the WBS rather than the work packagelevel. Tis will create larger pieces, but still provide some level o control andbuy-in.
Team Memberseam members can be involved in the work breakdown structure and WBSdictionary. Tey may:
Help to break the rst level o the WBS down to work packages
Create, or assist the project manager in creating, WBS dictionaries or workassigned to them
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Chapter SummaryKey Concepts
A WBS is:
A hierarchical way to break a project into smaller, more manageablecomponents or work packages
A major precursor to budgeting, scheduling, communicating, allocatingresponsibility, and controlling the project
Te business value o using a WBS:
Improves the accuracy o project estimates Helps prevent work rom slipping through the cracks
Provides the team members with an understanding o where their pieces tinto the overall project management plan
Facilitates communication and cooperation between and among the projectteam and other stakeholders
Helps prevent scope changes
Focuses the team on what needs to be done, resulting in higher quality and aproject that is easier to manage
Te business value o using a WBS dictionary:
Provides a description o the work package product
Provides inormation needed to control the work
Provides an accurate and precise scope denition, thereby preventing scope creep
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Questions for DiscussionHow do the WBS and WBS dictionary help the project manager? How do they help
the team?
Why should project management activities be included in the WBS?
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Action Plan1. What will you do diferently in your real-world project management as a result
o reading this chapter?2. Add new items to your personal ricks list in Chapter 2.
What
Action?
Why? By When? Who Will Be
Involved?
Who Will Be
Affected?
Status
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