Mark SchwartzProject Manager| Certified Construction Consultants LLCRoyal Palm Beach, Fl, United States
It's me again my friends...How many project managers actually use a work breakdown structure (WBS)? I have been a project manager on very large healthcare construction projects and have never seen another project manager use it. Saving Changes...
I find that sometimes the value of the WBS lies in the creation of the WBS itself and less with its usage later.
It can help elicit requirements or features that were taken for granted or went unarticulated. Saving Changes...
Mark SchwartzProject Manager| Certified Construction Consultants LLCRoyal Palm Beach, Fl, United States
Abigail
I find that using a WBS is one way to help the creation of the CPM schedule, and less issues or scope of work falls through the cracks. Saving Changes...
Hi,
I work in the space sector (with ESA, CNES, DLR, EUMETSAT) and we use the WBS a lot of. We use it in proposal preparation and in project planning phase. We use it to split the project into phases and / or products.
Other companies use it to split the final product into its main subsystems. Then, they tend to assign the subsystems to different contractors.
Alberto Saving Changes...
Hitesh RamchandaniPrincipal Consultant| TheMatrixMumbai, Maharashtra, India
I concur, in information technology there is a heavy reliance of WBS as it forms the foundation of the Project plan, In Construction or other types of industries, it may be used implicitly as well. Saving Changes...
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
Interesting thread with insightful comments. Reminds of a similar thread that questioned the usage of a Project Charter in the real world. It was concluded that some sort of project charter is always used, although many companies use the Contract as a project charter or kick-off document.
Similarly, a WBS might not be documented per se, but it surely exists in some other shape or form Saving Changes...
I observed that some people jumped into developing the implementation schedule without actually doing the WBS on the basis of implied details from SMEs.
However, some end up with well thought out schedule that actually contains details expected in the WBS.
It is a matter of process and discipline to follow through. Saving Changes...
Hello...
My company usually uses the WBS in large industrial projects as the only way to control the advance of works. While in engineering phase, the lowest level unit of the WBS are all documents to be prepared (plans, memories...) . While in costruction phase, we use the quantity survey as the WBS. Saving Changes...
Wayne WalkerPMO Project Manager| FiservSuwanee, Ga, United States
I've worked for a large nationwide homebuilder... Their project plan was called a construction bible, (basically a WBS) broken down for each model that they built. Saving Changes...
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