Free work breakdown structure templates smartsheet. The work breakdown structure wbs is a powerful tool for project management. The wbs is an important tool which helps you keep an overview of the project. Free download edraw max to explore more builtin diagram resources. Neutral work breakdown structure that can be used more than once and serves as a template for creating operative work breakdown structures. In drafting this edition, i am grateful for the assistance of my colleagues cosmas kamasho, ian pegg and david perestrelo. The work breakdown structure provides a common framework for the natural development of the overall planning and control of a contract and is the basis for dividing work into definable increments from which the statement of work can be developed and technical, schedule, cost, and labor hour reporting can be established a work breakdown structure permits summing of subordinate costs for tasks. In this article, weve rounded up the most common wbs templates, all of which are fully customizable and free to download.
Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definitiondivision of a project component. With a work breakdown structure, you can stay focused on what you need to accomplish as you move toward the project deadline. The work breakdown structure wbs has emerged as a foundational concept and tool in project management. This will make it easier to identify the way in which work needs to progress, time required for that level, and necessities that an unusually task requires. A work breakdown structure wbs is a visual tool for defining and tracking a project deliverable and all the small components needed to create it. It is important to remember this coding system when wondering how to create a work breakdown structure. In so doing, you gain clarity into the details needed to accomplish every aspect of your project.
Level 2 define a set of planned outcomes that collectively and exclusively. Many people have mistaken wbs as a list of tasks, a schedule or an organization chart. Even subprojects can be broken down into smaller bits. Work breakdown structure wbs checklist click the pdf icon below download this checklist. Work breakdown structures wbs are a guide for defining work as it relates to a specific projects objectives. Project management work breakdown structure wbs tmr. Appendix phorizontal tree structure format wbs example. The pmbok describes the work breakdown structure as a deliverableoriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the team. The outline view presents an easy to view and understand layout for the wbs. What is work breakdown structure in project management. The contents of the template are shown below and hints and tips are includes in the template. All about work breakdown structures wbs smartsheet. To save you time and facilitate the process of creating a work breakdown structure, you can use a prebuilt wbs template. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project.
This standard offers uniformity in definition and consistency of approach for developing all levels of the wbs. Breaking down the work is the first stage of project planning and essential for managing project scope. Work breakdown structure relativistic heavy ion collider. The wbs dictionary is a key project definition tool that defines indepth the scope for each work. This is a way of describing the work so that the team knows exactly what work is needed in order to meet the goals of the project.
This document is a great source of analyzing the way of work through different parts of project. All the work contained within the wbs is to be identified. To be more specific, wbs is a structural schematic diagram that decomposes tasks layer by layer according to an internal. A work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. It can be created either sequentially, in other words after the work breakdown structure or alongside the work. A work breakdown structure is especially useful for bigger projects that involve many elements.
In wrike, you can build a wbs by creating folders and subfolders, and can even go further to divide individual tasks into subtasks. What is wbs work breakdown structure in project management. Customize your work breakdown structure template and include every level and sublevel. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view download pdf for offline viewing. Here is a work breakdown structure example that shows the task details of an integrated management information system. Work breakdown structure dictionary was controlled and tracked. A pm wbs includes phases, activities and tasks which organise, define and graphically display the total work to be accomplished, in order to. The following discussion will examine the current trends and practice regarding work breakdown structures. One project may include several phases, or also smaller subprojects. Doe office of management, budget and evaluation work breakdown structure project management practices guide, revision e dated june 2003.
In reality, wbs is a simple and easy visual breakdown of deliverables for product, result, or service. How to do a wbs work breakdown structure with projectlibre. A work breakdown structure wbs provides a consistent and visible framework for defense materiel items and contracts within a program. This work breakdown structure template provides a simple tree. A work breakdown structure wbs is a model of the work to be performed in a project organized in a hierarchical structure.
For future projects with the same structure, you can use standardized work breakdown structures as a template to create operative work breakdown. The pm wbs template for infrastructure projects types 1, 2 and 3 has already been finalised, handed over to the business owners for. T he work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical breakdown of the complete project scope. Software scope verification, scope definition, user requirements, wbs, inspectio n. Work breakdown structure abbreviated as wbs is the core step in project management. It forms the basis for organization and coordination in the project. The importance of the wbs experienced project managers know there are many things that can go wrong in projects. To save the time and to facilitate of process for creating the work breakdown structure, we have compiled the several templates that are free to download. Pdf the work breakdown structure wbs is a vehicle for breaking an. Work breakdown structure brief history the work breakdown structure theory originally came from the united states department of defense dod. How to do a wbs work breakdown structure with projectlibre in a simple way. 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.
Work breakdown structure wbs template free visio excel. Page includes various formats of work breakdown structure template for pdf, word and excel. Use the table below to provide the version number, the author implementing the version, the date of the version, the name of the person approving the version, the date that particular version was approved, and a brief description of the reason for creating the revised version. It is the connecting point for work and cost estimates, schedule information, actual work effortcost expenditures, and accountability. As a hierarchical decomposition of the project work, each descending level of the wbs is increasingly detailed. A work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. Creating the work breakdown structure by kim colenso, managing principal, artemis management systems the work breakdown structure wbs is the foundation for project planning and control. Creating the work breakdown structure wbs once the scope and deliverables have been identified, the work of the project can be subdivided.
This template presents a standard work breakdown structure wbs design for planning and monitoring it projects at ncdot. It is the structure and code that integrates and relates all. A work breakdown structure defines all the things a project needs to accomplish, organized into multiple levels, and displayed graphically. Appendix dbicycle work breakdown structure wbs example. Work breakdown structure template in word and pdf formats. 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. The work breakdown structure and the learning organization. The template is fully editable with excel and can be converted or changed to suit specific project requirements. The work breakdown structure presented here represents all the work required to complete this project.
Download work breakdown structure template for free. A work breakdown structure template is a crucial document which helps to break down your work into small pieces for easily determining its procedure of completion. This is a free work breakdown structure wbs template in excel and pdf. The work breakdown structure, generally abbreviated wbs, is a key project deliverable that is used to manage a project works and assigning the works to teams. It helps in obtaining awareness about manageable sections for developing a precise.
It is the cornerstone of effective project planning, execution, controlling, statusing, and reporting. Software scope verification, scope definition, user requirements, wbs, inspection. This work breakdown structure wbs checklist allows you to produce an accurate and detailed wbs document that encompasses all the necessary work for your project. As you get started with work breakdown structure, there are several rules to keep in mind, many of which are covered in the work breakdown structure definition. Pdf software project scope verification is a very important process in project scope management and it needs to be performed. Appendix p horizontal tree structure format wbs example. The work breakdown structure visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that a project team can. Work breakdown structure is the especially useful for the bigger projects that involve in the many elements. It presents all of the work that will be carried out by the project team during the life of the project, including the project management work. A work breakdown structure wbs is a chart in which the critical work elements, called tasks, of a project are illustrated to portray their relationships to each other and to the project as a whole. Work breakdown structure template free excel powerpoint vision format work breakdown structure template. It is also a good layout to use when developing the wbs because you can easily make changes, especially since the microsoft word auto numbering feature. 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.
Work breakdown structure or wbs is a hierarchical tree structure that outlines your project and breaks it down into smaller, more manageable portions. This is a way of describing the work so that the team knows exactly what work is. A work breakdown structure wbs chart is a hierarchical breakdown of a project. It provides a framework for developing a planschedule for any project to create a schedule in the selected project management tool, refer to the wbs template and perform the following steps. A clear project scope definition is the most important requirement for development of your work breakdown structure wbs. Clear scope definition ensures you will know when a change in scope occurs. Pdf the work breakdown structure in software project management. Both the work and budget allotment for all deliverables must always add up to 100% and they must do so in a hierarchical manner.