What Is a Work Breakdown Structure?
Do you often have large, complex projects that seem impossible to complete? Do you ever find that a task is half complete and waiting for someone else to jump in and finish the job – but the direction is unclear? If any of these sound familiar, then perhaps it’s time you consider creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
Doing this with the help of a project management software or work tool is the way most teams and corporations track and detail their WBS. We’re partial to Hive. But don’t just take our word for it.
Using a project management software like Hive helps keep team collaboration, including WBS, projects, and deliverables in one place. Setting up a WBS breaks down the structure of a project into manageable deliverables – which can then be assigned to specific people or teams. This helps ensure that all aspects of the project are accounted for and that no task is missed or left half-complete.
WBS might take some time to set up correctly on the front end, but once it is finished, it will make your life – and your team’s life – significantly easier. We suggest also using existing templates or projects in your project management tool of choice to reference, so you’re not reinventing the wheel every time you need a new one.
The “work” in the Work Breakdown Structure
To create an effective WBS, you need to understand the objectives of your project and what needs to be delivered for the project to be successful. Once you have this information, you can begin creating your Work Breakdown Structure.
To identify these objectives and next steps, you must first define and group the project’s specific Work Packages (WP). A Work Package is a deliverable or a set of deliverables grouped together. Think either a project, child project, or child task with many deliverables underneath.
Each item within a work package is typically just one element of something larger (i.e. the project). These individually completed elements and their outcomes are what move the project’s overall aim and keep everything on track.
Some examples of some Work Packages include:
- Create a landing page
- Write content
- Develop front-end code
- Call the client
As you can see, work packages are specific and actionable. However, they are also relatively small in scope compared to the entire project. This is intentional, as work packages should be completed by one person or team within a reasonable amount of time – without depending on others to complete their assigned tasks.
How work packages fit into your WBS
Your WBS should be created in a hierarchical format — with the highest-level tasks at the top and the lowest-level tasks at the bottom. This structure allows you to see the big picture while still zooming in and focusing on specific details when needed.
The first step is to list all of your work packages at the highest level in your WBS. Once all work packages have been identified, you can begin breaking them down into smaller tasks. These smaller tasks will make up the lower levels of your WBS.
As an example, let’s say we are creating a new website. Our work package might look something like this:
Create a Homepage
- Write copy
- Select images
- Design layout
- Develop code
- Test functionality
Notice how each Work Package step is broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks? This structure lets you see exactly what needs to be done to complete the project. Each task under “create homepage” should then be assigned to team members to work on each of the steps in the project. They follow a top-down order, and typically one task should be completed before moving on to the next.
Why is WBS helpful for project management?
One of the benefits of using a Work Breakdown Structure is that it helps you better understand your project’s scope. When you break down a project into smaller tasks, you can more easily see what needs to be done and identify any potential risks.
Another advantage of using a WBS is that it allows you to delegate tasks more effectively. When all tasks are clearly defined, assigning them to team members and tracking their progress is easier. This ensures that everyone knows what they need to do and when it needs to be done.
A WBS can also help improve communication and transparency between team members. With all tasks clearly and concisely laid out, there is less room for misunderstanding and confusion. Using a project management platform (like Hive) to track tasks, team members can see who is working on what task, and identify any potential bottlenecks or issues.
Building out a successful work breakdown structure
Talking about a WBS is one thing – but building one is a new ballgame. It’s an important and often overlooked step in project management, but taking the time to create one can help the team get a handle on process and time management. Let’s get started. There are four basic steps involved in creating a Work Breakdown Structure:
Step one: define the objectives of your project
The first step is to define the objectives of your project. What is your project’s end goal? What do you hope to achieve? Once you clearly understand the objectives, you can begin digging deeper into what you need to accomplish with your specific tasks.
In Hive, it’s as simple as adding a new project to your workspace via the blue “+” button in the upper right hand corner. Don’t have a Hive account yet? Sign up here (it’s free).
Step two: break down the project into smaller tasks
The next step is to break down your project into smaller tasks. These tasks should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Each task should be able to be completed by one person or team within a reasonable amount of time. Each task is not overly complicated – and is bite-sized and achievable. This is the area where our work packages are introduced.
Tip to keep in mind: as you break down the project into smaller tasks, never lose sight of the end goal. All of the tasks should work together to help you achieve the project’s objectives – there should be no outliers.
Step three: assign tasks to team members
Once all of the tasks have been identified, it is time to assign them to team members. Again, be sure to take into account the skills and experience of each team member when making assignments. You will also want to consider the workload of each team member to ensure that no one is overwhelmed with too much work.
Inside of your Hive project, you’ll be able to add tasks or sub-tasks and assign them to teammates in your organization. You can also assign these tasks to placeholders or external users, which helps track deliverables that aren’t the direct responsibility of your team.
Step four: create a timeline
The final step is to create a timeline for your project. This timeline should include start and end dates for each task and deadlines for intermediate milestones. Having a clear timeline will help keep everyone on track and ensure the project is completed on time.
We recommend viewing your WBS in Gantt view in Hive to get a solid understanding of overall timeline and dependencies. Using dependencies is a great way to keep your team on-task and understand which items and due dates are hinging on other project elements.
Best tools to build a WBS
While you can write out your WBS structure on a piece of paper with a pen, there are many tools out on the market today that can keep you more streamlined and digital.
Hive is a PM that helps businesses assign tasks, create timelines, and track progress – all in one place. Using Hive, your WBS can be broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks, improving communication and transparency between team members, keeping everyone on track, and ensuring that the project is completed on time.
Programs like Lucid Chart, and Miro are also extremely helpful in creating the foundational diagrams of your WBS. These tools allow you to make the maps that can build out your project workflow, offering collaboration features and simple charts to share with the team.
However, creating the visual workflow of your WBS is only half the process. You need a tool after the visual creation to task out every step of the project lifecycle, and for that, you need to choose a great project management tool.
Do you have your own WBS process? Let us know in the comments below!
