WBS ELEMENT DESCRIPTIONS

The classical approach to the WBS generally identifies the elements in the WBS as being described by nouns and modifiers. The WBS element descriptors can be thought of as the response to the question: “What has to be accomplished in this piece of the project?” The network diagram developed from the definition and relationships of activities answers the question, “How will it be accomplished?”; and the schedule resulting from the network calculations responds to, “When will it be accomplished?”

Some planners incorporate activity-like descriptions in their WBS, which would then include verbs. However, the basic, traditional approach of noun and adjective only is sound and proven, and it provides a discipline. The use of activity-like descriptions in a WBS should be limited to those cultures in which any other approach is unworkable. Activities, by definition, are action entities and include verbs in their descriptors. The activities more appropriately occur within the work packages, which are the lowest level of the WBS.

This book follows the philosophy that the WBS must be related to the objectives of the project and therefore must produce the unique product, service, or results according to the principles discussed earlier. The WBS must be oriented toward the end items or deliverables, and the WBS is preferably composed of elements that can be described by nouns modified by adjectives as necessary for clarity. This type of description is preferred because it requires the discipline of focusing on the output products, which are usually described by nouns. Using verbs implies action, which is ideally performed at the activity level, below the lowest level of the WBS. For the WBS to be fully understandable to people other than the planner, a separate document defining the content of each element is often needed. Such a document is called a WBS dictionary and is discussed in the next section. However, by using longer phrases that often include verbs in the element descriptors, the work content of the WBS element can sometimes be described sufficiently so as to bypass the need for a formal WBS dictionary.

The project environment and the project itself should determine the nature of the descriptors used for the elements of the WBS. It is necessary to have a set of WBS descriptors that help stakeholders understand the work represented by each element.

One of the primary purposes of the WBS is communication, so it is important to have a format with which the audience can identify. So it is possible for activities—verb statements—to be included in the WBS if that is the way your organization works. It is better to have a poorly described WBS than to not have one at all.

However, it is important that the WBS be based on the deliverables—the output products of the project—regardless of how the elements are described. Work packages and activities, and their relationship, are discussed in detail later in this chapter.