Work Breakdown Structure — In a Nutshell
What is work breakdown structure? Let’s have a close glance at it:
· It refers to the division of the project into more manageable parts.
· The project is broken down into major parts and the major parts are expressed as work packages.
· In project management, it is about “Delivery”
· The type of deliveries and the development approach affect the work breakdown.
Delivery Types
1. Single Delivery: Projects that have a single delivery. Delivery is made at the end of the project. Example: Process Development Projects
2. Multiple Delivery: Deliveries are made at different times throughout the project, and the project is not considered complete until all deliveries are completed. Example: Projects for medication , a building project.
3. Periodic Delivery: Projects with multiple deliveries. Delivery is based on timelines such as monthly or bimonthly. Example: Software projects
4. Continuous Delivery: Deliveries that focus on introducing small business packages to the user. It is implemented from a product management point of view and is value driven. Example: Digital Product projects
Development Approaches
- Predictive Approach: The requirements are determined from the beginning.
2. Adaptive Approach: It is preferred in projects where requirements cannot be determined from the beginning and where uncertainty and fluctuations are high.
3. Hybrid Approaches: A combination of adaptive and predictive approaches. Iterative or incremental development approach can be used.
Why is Work Breakdown Structure Important?
· It removes ambiguities.
· It reveals how to reach the goal.
· It motivates the team.
What are the Benefits of the Work Breakdown Structure?
· It makes things to be done visible and prevents a task from being skipped.
· It sets out the steps that will lead the team to the goal and ensures that the roles are understood.
· It allows possible risks to be seen and defined.
· It embodies the impact of changes and helps to prevent risks.
· It provides more accurate estimation of time, resources and costs.
· It gives control.
· It reveals the work steps and their interdependencies. In this way, it makes the transparent communication with the customer possible.
Feel free to share your experiences below!
PS: All images are captured from Google images.
