CHAPTER 2
Work Breakdown Structure Fundamentals

The work breakdown structure (WBS) represents a logical decomposition of the work to be performed that focuses on how the product, service, or result is naturally subdivided. It is an outline of the specific work to be performed.

Development of a WBS requires knowledge of how the output or deliverable components will be assembled or integrated to form the final product as well as knowledge of the major areas of work. This knowledge is required for every type of project imaginable—reports, airplanes, buildings, electronic systems, computer programs, weddings, conferences, culture changes, or any other output product from a project. It is necessary to know about the work that is to be done or to have access to subject-matter expertise. This is why the project team and other stakeholders need to be involved in the development of the WBS. These fundamentals apply universally and are independent of the customer, industry, country, culture, or geography.

It may seem daunting at first that there is a requirement to be knowledgeable about the output product before you start the project, but your organization would not have the project if it didn’t know something about the product to begin with. For research projects, where the final product may be very unclear or indeterminate, the WBS is structured around the work to be performed—the process, not the product. For other projects—those where the final product is a service that is being performed, such as putting on a conference or wedding—the requirement is that the planner have a good understanding of the major tasks to be performed. If you are in research, you have a work plan and certain steps to be performed; based on intermediate results, the succeeding work plan may change, but the same is true of most projects.

In all cases, it is possible to find knowledgeable subject-matter experts to assist in the development of the WBS, and such experts frequently can be found within the organization.

In this chapter, different algorithms for breaking down or subdividing project work are discussed. First, however, it is necessary to state an important rule that applies to all levels of all WBSs: the 100 percent rule.