The two main types of project work breakdown structures wbs. It can be adopted and modified to suit your project scope and requirements. Building restaurant editable work breakdown structure. Construction project wbs examples to get you started plan. The work breakdown structure is used for project control and management purposes such as planning, scheduling, reporting, cost control, etc. Used to identify the project deliverables, the wbs starts at a high level and decomposes the project deliverables to. A work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. Wbs for construction work information because those systems work separately from the information. The wbs is a view into the project that illustrates the work the project encompasses. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for the standardisation of the work breakdown structure wbs for building projects. Example of work breakdown structure for building a house.
The most complete project management glossary for professional project managers. The wbs is a hierarchical reflection of all the work in the project in terms of deliverables. Work breakdown structure for construction project checkykey. Typically we hire a prime consultant to prepare contract documents for us then go to pubilc tender to get the projects built. A work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. Work breakdown structure wbs examples for building. Framework for a generic work breakdown structure for building. This discusses the work breakdown structure dictionary clarifies the concept and analyzes a work breakdown structure example for construction. The course concludes with professor odeh discussing the importance of project planning and scheduling and an opportunity to develop a work breakdown structure. A work breakdown structure wbs describes and orders the tasks or activities for a process or project plan. Read the blog post with more information on construction wbs and examples.
Construction project work breakdown structure template work. Wbs samples of construction of a building free pdf file. Free work breakdown structure templates smartsheet. Nov 05, 2019 hell take you through real construction wbs examples that can you use to get started. Example of ultimate project deliverables in a construction project may include concrete structures, structural steels, building facade, and a. Work breakdown structure designing buildings wiki share your construction industry knowledge. Wbs dictionary gives a little more detail than the wbs itself. Nov 26, 2019 a work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. Click here to build your own work breakdown structure. A key part of a good construction project plan is the work breakdown structure wbs. By allocating time and cost estimates to specific sections of. A work breakdown structure element may be a product, data, service, or any combination thereof. In order to produce these deliverables, work must be performed. The wbs is a hierarchical reflection of all the work in the project in terms of.
The work breakdown structure is a fundamental part of defining project scope. I work in the public sector and cannot find an example of a wbs for a building construction project. Wbs examples for a software project, construction projects, a conference. Dejahang, bsc ceng, bsc hons construction mgmt, msc. Project managers have long relied on work breakdown structures wbs to help them effectively and efficiently plan and implement projects.
A work breakdown structure wbs is a deliverableoriented grouping of project. A work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical structure of things that the project will make or outcomes that it will deliver this one is far better. A work breakdown structure wbs in project management is a tool used to define and group a projects discrete work elements or tasks in a way that helps organize and define the total work scope of the project. Creating a work breakdown structure wbs helps you be both comprehensive and specific when managing a project. Work breakdown structure for construction of a house. If you fail to identify a major part of your projects work, you wont have the chance to detail it. A work breakdown structure wbs is a project management tool designed to capture project tasks in a visual, organized manner. A creately work breakdown structure can be quickly shared with the rest of your team with a secure share link once shared, you can collaborate on it in realtime. The two main types of project work breakdown structures.
A work breakdown structure, commonly abbreviated wbs, is a key project deliverable that is utilized to organize a project teams work and responsibilities into compact sections that are more manageable. Today, work breakdown structures are widely used for projects of all types, both business and personal. What is a work breakdown structure wbs example included. The project manager and project team use the wbs to develop the project schedule, resource requirements, and costs. Pdf building a project work breakdown structure dawei wu. What is wbs work breakdown structure in project management. Aug 26, 2011 the work breakdown structure is a fundamental part of defining project scope. Even subprojects can be broken down into smaller bits. The development of work breakdown starts immediately after the projects scope is more or less finalized. A work breakdown structure element may be a product, data, a service, or any combination. The project management body of knowledge defines the work breakdown structure as a deliverable oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team. This paper examines the dimensions that are involved in developing a wbs that can help project teams successfully realize their project goals.
The work breakdown structure has a number of benefits in addition to defining and organizing the project work. Construction project managers often make mistakes when building the work breakdown structure. Project work breakdown structures can also be used to identify potential risks in a given project. The wbs construction projects specifies the work assignment for every crew member, subcontractor, architect, and outside consulting engineer working on the project. Work break structure wbs the building blocks of a project start with a work breakdown structure wbs. Aouad3 1 school of the built environment, heriot watt university, uk. One of the mistakes is trying to list every small task that has to. It also specifies the deliverables the customer will get. Mar 25, 2016 a key part of a good construction project plan is the work breakdown structure wbs.
The most common method for defining a wbs is the outlining method in which tasks are defined using a hierarchical structure and numbered using common outlining such as 1, 1. As an example, consider a construction repair project. Just like when constructing a tower or a bridge, its important to start with a solid foundation. Mar 15, 2018 a work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical structure of things that the project will make or outcomes that it will deliver this one is far better.
Show work, select the work you want to open, then choose work and resource management as your action. The process of breaking down the scope into a wbs should continue until the entire project scope is decomposed in adequate details matching the level of control that the project read more. Work breakdown structures a work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. One project may include several phases, or also smaller subprojects. The pd is to structure the project work into wbs elements work packages. Work breakdown structure for building construction project. Wbs work breakdown structure is a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. It organizes and defines the total scope of the project.
Wbs is a hierarchical and incremental decomposition of. As the discipline has matured, project professionals have expanded and matured the wbs concept. Work breakdown structure an overview sciencedirect topics. One of the tools available to aid the project manager in effective project control is the work breakdown structure wbs. A work breakdown structure starts with the project as the top level deliverable and is further decomposed into subdeliverables using the.
A wbs is a critical tool for organizing work, building realistic schedules and cost estimates. The work and resource management tool opens in a new window. Developing and elaborating effective work breakdown structures. Used to identify the project deliverables, the wbs starts at a high level and decomposes the project deliverables to a. Construction project wbs examples to get you started youtube.
Creately diagrams can be exported and added to word, ppt powerpoint, excel, visio or any other document. Technological advances, such as building information modeling, will be introduced with real world examples of the uses of bim during the lifecycle of the project. Dec 25, 2017 project work breakdown structures can also be used to identify potential risks in a given project. A wbs is not a todo list consisting of everything that needs to be done on the project. But to confront the challenges of working in todays volatile economic environment, project managers are increasingly using.
Oct 29, 2019 most project planners start building their construction schedule by establishing a work breakdown structure. A project budget can be allocated to the top levels of the work breakdown structure, and department budgets can be quickly calculated. Building the work breakdown structure wbs for additional support, please visit the epmo website. If you fail to identify a major part of your projects work. This document contains a the wbs item number, b the wbs item name, and c a description of the wbs item. Using the work breakdown structure, you can break the project into. The work breakdown structure wbs has long served as a valuable tool in helping project managers plan deliverables and detail project scope. Work breakdown structures are used mainly in project management and systems engineering. The building blocks of a schedule start with a work breakdown structure wbs.
Applying the 100% rule, the top level of a work breakdown structure is the totality of the project, and lower levels categorize greater detail in a topdown structure. A project budget can be allocated to the top levels of the work breakdown structure, and department budgets can be quickly calculated based on each projects work breakdown structure. How to create a work breakdown structure a stepbystep. Department of defense dod systems from the late 1950s and early 1960s organizations like nasa and the u. A subsea field development project can be organized and comprehended in a visual manner by breaking the tasks into progressively smaller pieces until they are a collection of defined tasks, as shown in figure 69. Procurement projectyou can edit this template and create your own diagram. Thinking in detail is critical when planning your project, but you also need to consider the big picture. Work breakdown structure information, software and wbs samples. Work breakdown structure wbs examples for building construction. In so doing, you gain clarity into the details needed to accomplish every aspect of your project. Applying work breakdown structure to project lifecycle. One work breakdown structure example that will make it clear.
In short a work breakdown system provides a mirror for determining and examining all aspects of a project before digging in and finding your blind spots as you stumble into them. Construction phase work breakdown structure construction initiation addenda construction operations construction completion asbuilt plans bids advertisement communications. Budget details costs of each phase of the project, broken down by wbs areas. Your work breakdown structure wbs should establish a solid foundation for your construction project schedule. To do this, lets look at building a wbs for the construction of a single family home. The work breakdown structure visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that a project team can. This document also includes a description of each of the tasks in the work breakdown structure wbs for sustainable residential apartment complex.
Work breakdown structure rev e, june 2003 work breakdown structure a project work breakdown structure wbs is a deliverable or product oriented grouping of project work elements shown in graph ical display to organize and subdivide the total work scope of a project. It is applicable to all projects among all industries. Nov, 2015 i work in the public sector and cannot find an example of a wbs for a building construction project. Work breakdown structure templates work breakdown structure for construction construction work breakdown structure click on the template to edit it online. A work breakdown structure defines all the things a project needs to accomplish, organized into multiple levels, and displayed graphically. A work breakdown structure wbs provides a hierarchical or a breakdown structure that decomposes the project scope into more discrete and manageable work components 1. Work breakdown structure introduction to project planning. Hell take you through real construction wbs examples that can you use to get started. Use of product breakdown structures and work breakdown. A project budget can be allocated to the top levels of the work breakdown structure, and department budgets can be quickly calculated based on the each projects work breakdown structure. The wbs was originally developed by the us department of defense, which mandated their use across the dod. Weve compiled real construction project wbs examples you can use to build your own construction project work breakdown structure. Construction project work breakdown structure template.
Smart leaders understand the underlying wisdom of the wbs work breakdown structuresystem. Building house editable work breakdown structure template. A theoretical framework for facilitating the automatic development of wbs from a building model is then. They were first developed by the us defense department in 1957 as part of the development of the polaris missile programme and further developed by nasa in 1962. The costs of these tasks are clear and easy to estimate. Framework for a generic work breakdown structure for. Development and implementation phases of an engineering project to build a solar. Build a house from the project dropdown menu at the top menu. Todays work breakdown systems can be traced back to u. Work breakdown structure relativistic heavy ion collider.
Sample wbs for electrical construction work the wbs work breakdown structure for electrical construction work for a petrochemical project is broken down as below. The work breakdown structure wbs is a graphic family tree that captures all of the work of a project in an organized way. Construction project wbs examples to get you started. A work breakdown structure wbs, in project management and systems engineering, is a deliverable oriented decomposition of a project into smaller components. Unfortunately, the business pressures driving projects have often prevented project managers from developing a comprehensive wbs.
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