Break It Down
One of the hardest parts of planning any project is also one of the easiest ways to screw it up: clearly defining the scope of a project or, in other words, understanding what's included in a project and what's not. Proper scope definition is critical for a project's success. A work breakdown structure (WBS) can help you define the scope of your projects by taking the scope statement and subdividing the major project deliverables into smaller, manageable packages of activities.
Building the WBS
A WBS is built around a hierarchy of deliverables or tangible outcomes. Each deliverable or outcome will have a set of related activities and each activity will have one individual responsible for it. A WBS isn't just a "To Do" list of every possible thing that needs to be done in the project; rather it is a collection of assignments that members of your project team will be responsible for delivering.
The WBS process at a glance:
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Level 1: |
Structure the WBS from a life cycle perspective, where each of the highest-level entries in the WBS corresponds to the major phases of your project life cycle: e.g. definition, design, build, test and launch. |
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Level 2: |
Begin the WBS process by identifying and |
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"I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said, 'I'd like some fries.' The girl at the counter said, 'Would you like some fries with that?' " - Jay Leno |




