Work Breakdown Structures: The Foundation for Project Management Excellence

Understand and apply new concepts regarding Work Breakdown Structures The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) has emerged as a foundational concept and tool in Project Management. It is an enabler that ensures clear definition and communication of project scope while performing a critical role as a monitoring and controlling tool. Created by the three experts who led the development of PMI®'s Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures, Second Edition, this much-needed text expands on what the standard covers and describes how to go about successfully implementing the WBS within the project life cycle, from initiation and planning through project closeout. Filling the gap in the literature on the WBS, Work Breakdown Structures: The Foundation for Project Management Excellence gives the reader an understanding of: The background and key concepts of the WBS WBS core characteristics, decomposition, representations, and tools Project initiation and the WBS, including contracts, agreements, and Statements of Work (SOW) Deliverable-based and activity-based management Using the WBS as a basis for procurement and financial planning Quality, risk, resource, and communication planning with the WBS The WBS in the executing, monitoring, and controlling phases New concepts regarding the representation of project and program scope Verifying project closeout with the WBS Using a real-life project as an example throughout the book, the authors show how the WBS first serves to document and collect information during the initiating and planning phases of a project. Then, during the executing phase, the authors demonstrate how the WBS transitions to an active role of project decision-support, serving as a reference and a source for control and measurement. (PMI is a registered mark of Project Management Institute, Inc.)

Table of Contents:
Contents Preface vii Foreword xv Part I Introduction To WBS Concepts 1 1 Background and Key Concepts 3 Chapter Overview 3 Work Breakdown Structures 4 Defining Work Breakdown Structures 5 Importance of the WBS 7 WBS Lesson Learned: A Brief Illustration 8 WBS Concepts 12 Describing the WBS 12 The House Metaphor–A Consistent Example 14 Chapter Summary 15 2 Applying WBS Attributes and Concepts 19 Chapter Overview 19 WBS Attributes 19 WBS Core Characteristics 20 WBS Use-Related Characteristics 25 WBS Decomposition 28 WBS in Projects, Programs, Portfolios, and the Enterprise 30 WBS Representations 32 WBS Tools 36 Chapter Summary 38 Part II WBS Application In Projects 41 3 Project Initiation and the WBS 43 Chapter Overview 43 Project Charter 44 Preliminary Project Scope Statement 46 Contracts, Agreements, Statements of Work (SOW) 49 Chapter Summary 50 4 Defining Scope through the WBS 53 Chapter Overview 53 Product Scope Description 53 Project Scope Statement (Scope Definition) 54 Work Breakdown Structure 55 Beginning with the Elaborated WBS 60 Use-Related Characteristics 62 WBS Dictionary 65 Deliverable-Based Management 67 Activity-Based Management 67 Scope Baseline 68 Acceptance Criteria 68 Chapter Summary 70 5 The WBS in Procurement and Financial Planning 75 Chapter Overview 75 Build versus Buy Decisions 75 Cost Estimating 77 Cost Budgeting 79 Cost Breakdown Structure 80 Chapter Summary 81 6 Quality, Risk, Resource and Communication Planning with the WBS 85 Chapter Overview 85 Approaching Quality, Resource and Risk Planning 87 Using Existing Templates and Processes 89 Creating Processes to Support the Project 92 Utilizing the WBS as a Basis for Process Development 92 Employing the WBS and WBS Dictionary 94 The Whole is not Greater than the Sum of its Parts— it Developing the Communications Plan 101 The Communications Matrix 102 The Hierarchy of Information 103 The Meeting Matrix 107 Chapter Summary 109 7 The WBS as a Starting Point for Schedule Development 111 Chapter Overview 111 Demystifying the Transition from the WBS to the Project Schedule 113 Putting These Concepts to Work 117 The WBS in Hierarchical Outline Form 118 Identifying Dependencies between Scope Elements 119 Representing Scope Sequence and Dependency 119 Creating a High-Level Scope Sequence Representation 120 The Concept of Inclusion 121 The Scope Relationship Diagram 125 Creating a Scope Dependency Plan 129 Chapter Summary 132 8 The WBS in Action 137 Chapter Overview 137 Acquiring the Project Team 138 Directing and Managing Project Execution and Integrated Change Management 140 Performing Scope Management 141 Scope Management and the Triple Constraint 142 Reviewing the Relationship with Other Project Management Processes 143 Performing Quality Assurance 144 Performing Scope Verification 144 Chapter Summary 145 9 Ensuring Success through the WBS 147 Chapter Overview 147 Project Performance Management 148 Scope 149 Schedule 149 Cost 150 Planned versus Actual 151 Stakeholder Management 152 Chapter Summary 153 10 Verifying Project Closeout with the WBS 155 Chapter Overview 155 Project Closeout 155 Acceptance / Turnover / Support / Maintenance 156 Contract Closure 156 Project Closeout 157 Chapter Summary 157 Part III WBS For Project Management Decomposition 159 11 A Project Management WBS 161 Chapter Overview 161 Organization Options for a Project Management WBS 162 Project Management WBS Components Aligned with the PMBOK Guide—Third Edition 165 Project Management WBS Lite 168 Chapter Summary 170 A Final Word 170 Appendix A Project Charter Example 173 Appendix B Project Scope Statement Example 179 Appendix C Project Management WBS Examples 187 Appendix D Answers to Chapter Questions 253 Index 275