- The WBS provides a convenient and logical structure for
estimating the duration and the cost of each activity, as
well as for assigning responsibilities and resources to
activities. - The WBS provides an excellent source for examining the
risks associated with the project.
As I mentioned earlier, I consider the WBS to be the most
foundational (and perhaps the most valuable) tool in the entire
project planning process. As we’ll see in the next section, it pro-
vides the basis for nearly all other planning steps.
Moving Forward: Identifying the Dimensions of Work
A properly developed work breakdown structure allows you to
identify every single element of work (activity) required to com-
plete the project. Once you’ve done this, you’re now able to
move rapidly forward in the planning process.
For each of those activities, you’ll now need to consider
important characteristics, which I call the dimensions. You will
use these dimensions as input for future planning steps:
- Time:The number of days (weeks?) that will be spent
working on the activity - Cost:How much will be spent on labor and materials
- Scope:The work that will be done, how it will be done,
and what will be produced - Responsibility:The person accountable for its successful
completion - Resources:Supporting labor, materials, or supplies needed
- Quality:How well the work should be done; how well any
outputs should perform - Relationship to Other Activities: Activities that need to be
completed before this one can start
A Nifty Application of the WBS
The WBS can be a very useful tool from a graphical standpoint
as well as a functional standpoint. One of techniques that I rec-
ommend to project managers is to use an extended version of
118 Project Management