Project Management

Please login or join to subscribe to this thread

WBS Dictionnary

linkedin twitter facebook  
avatar
Soha Karjawally Software development manager / Program Manager| Phoenix - USA Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Hello,

I created my WBS and working in parallel on its dictionary. So wondering if I can only do a dictionary for the work packages(and not the whole wbs including the control accounts). justification : as I will be using Ms Project later on, no need to double the work.
What do you think?
also I was planning to create an excel file with one sheet per work package and its details. Any better way to do it ?

Thank you
Soha
Sort By:
avatar
Sergio Luis Conte Helping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based Organizations Buenos Aires, Argentina
In my case I made an entry for each thing I have into the WBS. The way we take is: you do not have to ask me about what each item means, everything you need to understand about what to do is inside the WBS Dictionary.
...
1 reply by Soha Karjawally
Mar 04, 2020 8:11 PM
Soha Karjawally
...
Hi Sergio
That’s what I was actually doing but every time I start I feel that is a clerical Work that it is better that I do other more imp tasks especially that I’m in the early planning phase.. what do you think ?

Note that I’m still chasing requirements as well as you must probably know most LT think that it takes on’y a project manager to do a project ! So î let you imagine the rest...
avatar
Keith Novak Tukwila, Wa, United States
If you're only going to use it once, don't make more work than required. If you want to reuse that same hierarchy of work structure later, it reduces confusion later as to what work, goes into what branches of that organizational structure. That would be like looking for a book on project management at the library, without knowing where the business section is.
...
1 reply by Soha Karjawally
Mar 04, 2020 8:14 PM
Soha Karjawally
...
Thanks for your input Keith
avatar
Karthikeyan Makuteswaran Technical Project Manager| Independent Consultant Pittsburgh, Pa, United States
Hi Soha. Have you ever tried using Kanban board? I know it is very easy if you have access to Jira software. Creating WBS structure with all the details is extremely easy and also you can track the work progress at the same time. Each work package can either be represented as a story or an epic depending on the number of sub-tasks you want to create. I started my career with excel sheet couple of decades ago but I find the kanban board way of representation and tracking very easy and useful.
...
1 reply by Soha Karjawally
Mar 04, 2020 8:09 PM
Soha Karjawally
...
Thanks Karthikeyan,

In fact I’m using JIRA and the kanban board but what’s the point of the wbs dictionary then ? It’s the reason I’m asking cuz I find that I redo things that might not be probably used especially that when we multiply the tools to be used within a team (and mines are all remote in 6 different countries) that get the stakeholders lost and sometimes less accurate.
Then a question: how do you track all that ? And your status meeting would be based on which input ?

Thanks !
avatar
Soha Karjawally Software development manager / Program Manager| Phoenix - USA Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Mar 04, 2020 7:15 PM
Replying to Karthikeyan Makuteswaran
...
Hi Soha. Have you ever tried using Kanban board? I know it is very easy if you have access to Jira software. Creating WBS structure with all the details is extremely easy and also you can track the work progress at the same time. Each work package can either be represented as a story or an epic depending on the number of sub-tasks you want to create. I started my career with excel sheet couple of decades ago but I find the kanban board way of representation and tracking very easy and useful.
Thanks Karthikeyan,

In fact I’m using JIRA and the kanban board but what’s the point of the wbs dictionary then ? It’s the reason I’m asking cuz I find that I redo things that might not be probably used especially that when we multiply the tools to be used within a team (and mines are all remote in 6 different countries) that get the stakeholders lost and sometimes less accurate.
Then a question: how do you track all that ? And your status meeting would be based on which input ?

Thanks !
avatar
Soha Karjawally Software development manager / Program Manager| Phoenix - USA Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Mar 04, 2020 6:10 PM
Replying to Sergio Luis Conte
...
In my case I made an entry for each thing I have into the WBS. The way we take is: you do not have to ask me about what each item means, everything you need to understand about what to do is inside the WBS Dictionary.
Hi Sergio
That’s what I was actually doing but every time I start I feel that is a clerical Work that it is better that I do other more imp tasks especially that I’m in the early planning phase.. what do you think ?

Note that I’m still chasing requirements as well as you must probably know most LT think that it takes on’y a project manager to do a project ! So î let you imagine the rest...
...
1 reply by Sergio Luis Conte
Mar 05, 2020 4:36 AM
Sergio Luis Conte
...
What we try to do is putting clear to eveybody what to do and what does mean. Perhaps this is our case because we are working in virtual highly distributed around the globe environment then we try to avoid too much interaction about basic things that have to be clear from the very begining. So, call it WBS/WBS Dictionary or whatever. Most of the times doing a WBS has no sense mainly when you work with agile based methods. Just in case you are behind the same goal that we are about push people to getting understanding about what to do and what it does means then my recommedation is using the artifact that best fits for that. Obviouly sometimes you are working into schemas where your governance process requires to create some artifacts to get agreement.
avatar
Soha Karjawally Software development manager / Program Manager| Phoenix - USA Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Mar 04, 2020 6:13 PM
Replying to Keith Novak
...
If you're only going to use it once, don't make more work than required. If you want to reuse that same hierarchy of work structure later, it reduces confusion later as to what work, goes into what branches of that organizational structure. That would be like looking for a book on project management at the library, without knowing where the business section is.
Thanks for your input Keith
avatar
Sergio Luis Conte Helping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based Organizations Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mar 04, 2020 8:11 PM
Replying to Soha Karjawally
...
Hi Sergio
That’s what I was actually doing but every time I start I feel that is a clerical Work that it is better that I do other more imp tasks especially that I’m in the early planning phase.. what do you think ?

Note that I’m still chasing requirements as well as you must probably know most LT think that it takes on’y a project manager to do a project ! So î let you imagine the rest...
What we try to do is putting clear to eveybody what to do and what does mean. Perhaps this is our case because we are working in virtual highly distributed around the globe environment then we try to avoid too much interaction about basic things that have to be clear from the very begining. So, call it WBS/WBS Dictionary or whatever. Most of the times doing a WBS has no sense mainly when you work with agile based methods. Just in case you are behind the same goal that we are about push people to getting understanding about what to do and what it does means then my recommedation is using the artifact that best fits for that. Obviouly sometimes you are working into schemas where your governance process requires to create some artifacts to get agreement.
avatar
Abolfazl Yousefi Darestani Manager, Quality and Continuous Improvement| Hörmann-TNR Industrial Doors Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
I agree with Sergio
avatar
Kiron Bondale Retired | Mentor| Retired Welland, Ontario, Canada
Soha -

I would definitely suggest NOT annotating tasks in MSP if you will be creating a WBS Dictionary beyond noting why constraints have been added to specific tasks.

Unless all stakeholders are comfortable interacting with the MSP file, the WBS Dictionary is likely more easily consumable hence its value as an official "book of record".

However, as others have said, if you are using adaptive approaches and tooling such as JIRA, it may be redundant to create a WBS Dictionary and even a WBS as your product backlog in JIRA + details of work items (in Confluence or some other online repository) will serve the same purpose.

Kiron

Please login or join to reply

Content ID:
ADVERTISEMENTS

"We cling to our own point of view, as though everything depended on it. Yet our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away."

- ChuangTzu

ADVERTISEMENT

Sponsors