Structure the work based on the work products activityoriented approach. It displays and defines the product, or products, to be developed andor produced. The only way to ensure that your testing efforts will provide the necessary coverage that makes your product enduser ready is through careful planning using a work breakdown structure for software testing. How to create a work breakdown structure lucidchart blog. A work breakdown structure is not a list of tasks, a schedule or an organization chart. Simply click to open the template, and then customize the information, layout, and design. Screenshot of an sample product breakdown structure pbs. A work breakdown structure separates data, services, a product, or all three, depending on the type and scope of a project. It relates the elements of work to be accomplished to each other and to the end product. For example, if youre creating a work breakdown structure for manufacturing a car, youll include items such as car body a deliverable, not welding steel an activity. Through this hierarchy, project planners can see a clear relationship between the different levels of a system under consideration. The wbs is designed to help break down a project into manageable chunks that can be effectively estimated and supervised. To get to a solid wbs, the project purpose and goals should be established through the. Even subprojects can be broken down into smaller bits.
An organized work breakdown structure can break down your large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks, allowing you, your executives, and your team to focus on concrete deliverables and measurable milestones. Work breakdown structures wbs for software development. Our cloudbased software allows you to use the work breakdown structure template with all our other great features. The pbs provides an exhaustive, hierarchical tree structure of deliverables that make up the project. For example, you can link dependencies with a simple click on the gantt chart, which is online and will notify the team member who is responsible for it. Apm web briefing use of product breakdown structures and.
Mar 15, 2018 for example, if youre creating a work breakdown structure for manufacturing a car, youll include items such as car body a deliverable, not welding steel an activity. Application development project work breakdown structure. It decomposes a main project product into its constituent parts in the form of a hierarchical structure. The product breakdown structure tool is wisely applied, when having a production line with many sub products. Product breakdown structure mindview software matchware. Wbs should not take too much effort to create and maintain it.
Work breakdown structures wbs for software development projects. Product breakdown structure, deliverables for software. Work breakdown structures bernd bruegge applied software engineering. An outline of all the projects deliverables is called a product breakdown structure pbs. The following example figure 1 comes from nasa, 2007. You can also see that the engine has four sub products, whilst the interior product has just one. This is an example of a work breakdown structure wbs for. Jul 10, 2018 need a work breakdown structure for a software project. The final product is the blue box at the top of screen. The key is to put it in a form that can most easily be used by both the team members and organizational leaders with the tools that your company uses most easily.
The product breakdown structure pbs is the hierarchical breakdown of the products such as hardware items, software items, and information items nasa, 2007. Breakdown structures with online product breakdown structure software. Work breakdown structure template click on image to modify online. Information technology engineers can use a work breakdown structure as a roadmap for their program development, for example, software development, remote projects, database system development and more. Tasks and schedules are better handled in other ways, for example by using gantt charts.
The development of work breakdown structure involves subdividing the major project activities or subactivities into smaller, more manageable activities until the activities are defined in sufficient detail to support the management and development of project works. Heres how you might use a work breakdown structure to estimate your time for an upcoming move. This is an example of a work breakdown structure wbs for a. At the top of the structure, theres always the final product, service or result. Work breakdown structure examples created by the creately. You can also see that the engine has four subproducts, whilst the interior product has just one. Xl prince2 agile 2015 examples of a product breakdown structure. Templates work breakdown structure wbs during project scope management, a work breakdown structure will be produced. 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.
Take a look at the risk breakdown structure example below, a legend of impact with five items has been setup, representing the five levels of impacts that risks may have on the project with five distinct color code. It is used to continuously compare the actual costs with the budget, and integrate to the cost control system. It should represent the vision of the full scope of your project. An important point to remember is that in design decomposition, only the lower. How to create a work breakdown structure projectengineer. Detailed planning is essential for successful deployment of custom software.
A brief synopsis, a software implementation work breakdown structure in both word and excel, and a pdf appendix of the software implementation work breakdown structure wbs example. The items at the lowest level of a branch are known as work packages. One work breakdown structure example that will make it clear. Company owners and project managers use the work breakdown structure wbs to make complex projects more manageable. A processoriented wbs, on the other hand, defines the project scope of work in terms of process steps i. Wbs software work breakdown structure software creately. Among the many available tools on the market, the software called mindview has been. The product breakdown structure pbs is the hierarchical breakdown of the products such as hardware items, software items, and information items nasa. In project management under the prince2 methodology, a product breakdown structure pbs is a tool for analysing, documenting and communicating the outcomes of a project, and forms part of the product based planning technique. This document provides project managers with a work breakdown structure wbs, which defines all of the application development projects critical deliverables. It is a taskoriented system for subdividing a project. A product breakdown structure pbs is a hierarchical structure of things that.
In contrast to the pbs the work breakdown structure wbs provides a hierarchical structure of project activity. The lowest level of a wbs shows the activities that would be used to create a network diagram for time scheduling. The intent of this simple project structure is to illustrate use of the diagram techniques not to offer a complete model for the implementation of third party software. Includes data migration, content and infrastructure migration, upgrade of customisations, and deployment. Software implementation work breakdown structure wbs. This is an example of a work breakdown structure wbs for a traditional waterfall approach to software development. Aircraft work breakdown structure wbs levels 121 all ancillary equipments that are not an integral part of the engine required to provide an operational primary power sourceair inlets, instruments, controls, etc. Includes testing, content creation, data import, training and solution configuration. The schedule and budget is then created and tracked by task. Creately wbs tool comes with handy features and work breakdown structure templates to draw wbs online easily. A product breakdown structure pbs is a product based planning method used to. A product breakdown structure pbs is a hierarchical structure of things that the project will make or outcomes that it will deliver.
The output of scope management is a specification that may be presented as a product breakdown structure pbs showing the deliverables and a work breakdown structure wbs showing the work required to produce them. To describe the benefits and costs of creating a system hierarchy. It is difficult to manage a project and produce a product on time and on budget in this environment. It is a tabular or graphical representation of the tasks that make up the projects scope. What is wbs work breakdown structure in project management. A work breakdown structure wbs represents this division of a project into constituent tasks.
We took time to design this list example, but your work breakdown structure can just as easily be scribbled down on your favorite notepad or whiteboard. This is a full breakdown of all of the work activities that will be required to deliver the project. Product breakdown structure pbs expert program management. Work breakdown structure wbs software project management. The product breakdown structure pbs is a hierarchical structure of things.
The product breakdown structure can be used to create an organized hierarchic illustration of the car. The purpose of the pbs is to dissect a complex project into smaller, manageable parts. If your software does not allow you to create a hierarchy diagram easily, dont do it in ms word, please. With our wbs creator, you can create the work breakdown structure you need in a matter of minutes. Pdf the work breakdown structure in software project. The product breakdown structure pbs is a hierarchical structure of things that the project will make or outcomes that it will deliver. Work breakdown structure wbs in project management. Example of a product breakdown structure of a computer. In project management under the prince2 methodology, a product breakdown structure pbs.
Examining the example again, you can see that the pbs does not show sequencing, however, for many simple product breakdown structures the sequencing. Rather it provides the basis on which a task list and a schedule can be constructed. To show how to capture all of the work necessary for a project by adding the non product work to the pbs to create the work breakdown structure wbs. Pbs product breakdown structure in a meeting or a series of meetings, where you have all important experts and your core team members present, you start identifying all items that should be part of your project to deliver your main or end deliverable. Project management is like fixing a car you must break it down into parts. I am currently doing a breakdown of products for a piece of software. A product breakdown structure is an effective tool that details the physical components of a particular product, or system, under consideration.
In so doing, you gain clarity into the details needed to accomplish every aspect of your project. System hierarchy and work breakdown structure module. It begins with the final product at the top of the hierarchy followed by the subcategorized elements of the product. Software implementation work breakdown structure wbs example. Product breakdown structure bbs is a project management tool and important part of the project planning. The work breakdown structure in software project management article pdf available in journal of systems and software. Information technology it is a rapidly changing environment. This pbs results in a work breakdown structure wbs, which shows the work required to produce the deliverables pbs and reach these milestones. The diagram below shows an example of a product breakdown structure. Product breakdown structure pbs a product breakdown structure pbs is a hierarchical breakdown of the hardware and software products of the project. It is a tabular or graphical representation of the tasks. To show how to capture all of the work necessary for a project by adding the nonproduct work to the pbs to create the work breakdown structure wbs.
Before we dive further into the benefits and impact of a wbs, there are a few additional definitions you should know. Learn how to make a product breakdown structure pbs and how to use product breakdown structure software. The pbs provides an exhaustive, hierarchical tree structure of deliverables that make up the project, arranged in wholepart relationship haughey, 2015. Collaboration features to do the breakdown as a team. A wbs takes a similar approach but shows the work required to create the products. Work breakdown structure information, software and wbs samples. You wont find the problem if you cant isolate the defective part, and you cant fix the problem if the defective part is not separated from the main engine a work breakdown structure wbs represents this division of a project into constituent tasks. What is the difference between product breakdown structure pbs and a work breakdown structure wbs. Work breakdown structure examples and overview brighthub. To get you started, here are a number of work breakdown structure templates you can use. The work breakdown structure visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that a project team can. Wbs software to quickly create work breakdown structures online.
A work breakdown structure is often presented in the form of a chart, it is a visual representation of all team management and project planning processes. A work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. This gives you a clear overview of your projects and, you can use it to plan your activities and calculate your estimated budget. It can be presented as a list, idea map or outline form as well. The product breakdown structure is traditionally a method of identification of the. View on online or download for free in pdf or visio format.
Appendix c aircraft work breakdown structure wbs levels. Figure 1below depicts a sample work breakdown structure with three levels defined. Many people have mistaken wbs as a list of tasks, a schedule or an organization chart. Product versus work breakdown structure project manager. A hierarchical structure by which project elements are broken down, or decomposed. If i have the software as a collective grouping should documents for the software be a collective grouping and then broken down further or would documents be individual products after the software grouping. This zip file contains the white paper the work breakdown structure. Product breakdown structure your project needs to be broken down into major components leading up to the objective. Thinking of a car, this is a final product assembled from a lot of sub products. Work breakdown structure wbs different approaches for developing a wbs.
Jun 02, 2014 if you are a project manager and you want to stretch your tasks correctly, then you need to create what is known as a work breakdown structure for your project. A work breakdown structure is a key project deliverable that organizes the teams work into manageable sections. The image above demonstrates an example of breaking down the required components of a computer. A work breakdown structure is a productoriented family tree composed of hardware, software, services, data and facilities. This is different from the work breakdown structure wbs in that it outlines products to be built. Product breakdown structure, deliverables for software project. A product breakdown structure pbs is an essential part of this, its purpose being to define the products deliverables of a project and how they relate to each other. Air vehicle applications software includes, for example. This example is a work breakdown for a software upgrade. These resources are presented from the pmi practice standard for work breakdown structures. Dec 26, 2019 a work breakdown structure wbs milstd881d is a tool used to define a project in discrete work elements in a hierarchical format. Work breakdown structure for software testing brighthub. Construction project leaders can use a work breakdown structure to track utility work and follow up environmental approvals.
Similar to the product log, a wbs dictionary can be produced in conjunction with the wbs to store. Through this hierarchy, project planners can see a clear relationship between the different levels of. Product breakdown structure template work breakdown structure. On the second level of decomposition, you want to have your major deliverables. The work breakdown structure wbs is the decomposition of a software project into low level work tasks. Editable work breakdown structure template to plan your work. The pbs diagram differentiates between the different types of product ie thing. There are many risk management tool you can use in structuring risks. Cost breakdown structure cbs represents a breakdown of the costs of the various components of the work breakdown structure wbs including all works or services done by the subcontractors. The two main types of project work breakdown structures. Free work breakdown structure templates smartsheet. In this diagram you can see that a car is made up of four products. An example deliverableoriented work breakdown structure wbs for a residential project. Product breakdown structures and work breakdown structures look very.
Nov 26, 2019 a work breakdown structure is your map through more complicated projects. This paper will present some techniques for establishing a work breakdown structure wbs that can address this rapidly changing environment. What is a work breakdown structure wbs example included. The following figure provides an example deliverableoriented wbs for a residential project. A work breakdown structure is typically presented in the form of an organization chartlike structure. A wbs can be oriented around deliverables or around project phases and milestones for a processcentered approach. In reality, wbs is a simple and easy visual breakdown of deliverables for product, result, or service. Product breakdown structure pbs in ms project ms project.
1193 1046 1246 1412 704 1367 521 494 214 306 1451 790 834 966 1340 234 1104 406 702 88 56 927 160 406 241 1158 66 631 1227