The Project Structure Plan: The Roadmap Through Your Projects

1. Definition: What is a work breakdown structure?
2. What are the advantages of using a work breakdown structure?
3. Templates for a work breakdown structure
4. 5 tips for creating a work breakdown structure
5. 8 steps to the work breakdown structure
6. Tools for a digital work breakdown structure
7. Conclusion: Creating a common picture

A work breakdown structure is like a map in project management, which visualizes the hierarchies and relationships of tasks and work packages in a project. This allows for efficient planning and coordination for successful projects.

No matter if you are an experienced project manager or an ambitious newcomer - the work breakdown structure is your indispensable tool in theproject management on the way to success.

Imagine you're planning a major event. You must ensure that the project runs smoothly, all participants know what to do, and each phase is coordinated. This is exactly where the work breakdown structure comes into play - it's the detailed map, which shows you the way and helps you to keep track. The work breakdown structure ensures that every area, from site selection to security measures to entertainment, is recorded in detail.

In this article, we will dive together into the depths of the work breakdown structure and find out how it helps you to master the challenges of your project and complete it successfully. So what exactly is this mysterious work breakdown structure?

In the coming sections, we will take a closer look at how you can create your own work breakdown structure and what advantages it offers you and how you can easily get to with the right tool for the digital work breakdown structure.

Caption: Work breakdown structures show a project as a whole picture

Source: unsplash.com

Definition: What is a work breakdown structure?

A work breakdown structure - also called work breakdown tree - is an essential tool in project management, which serves as a structured roadmap to prevent the failure of a project and to ensure success. It visualizes sub-projects and tasks as well as their relationships to each other within a project. So it serves as a basis for the schedule and project plan.

A well-designed work breakdown structure provides a clear overview of the project goals, milestones and work packages, facilitating efficient planning, organization and coordination of project activities. By categorizing and subdividing the project into manageable units, the work breakdown structure creates a solid foundation for delegation of responsibilities and effective resource management.

Especially large, complex projects can be successfully completed by creating a work breakdown structure.

Which representation exists in work breakdown structure planning?

There are different forms of representation of work breakdown structures, which can be used depending on the project scope and complexity. A common representation method is the hierarchical tree structure, in which the project is divided into main phases, sub-projects and work packages - hence often work breakdown tree. This tree structure visualizes the hierarchy and relationships of the individual elements and allows a clear and organized representation of the project.

From the work breakdown structure, subsequently bar charts or Gantt charts, which show the timeline of individual tasks and milestones, can be developed. This visual representation makes it easier to plan, monitor and coordinate project processes.

Each form of representation has its own advantages and can be selected according to the requirements and preferences of the project. The choice of the right representation is crucial to effectively communicate the work breakdown structure and provide all participants with clear guidance.

Caption: There are different visualization forms for work breakdown trees

Source: factro

What are the advantages of using a work breakdown structure?

The use of a work breakdown structure offers numerous advantages for successful project management. First, the work breakdown structure creates a clear structure and clarity. This allows for targeted planning, allocation of responsibilities as well as task assignment. In addition, the work breakdown structure promotes communication and collaboration among the project participants, as it provides a uniform basis for discussions, decisions and understanding of the overall project.

In addition, it enables a precise scheduling and milestone planning which contributes to adherence to schedules and identification of bottlenecks. Moreover, the work breakdown structure facilitates the identification of dependencies between tasks. Overall, the work breakdown structure promotes efficiency, transparency and control over the project, thereby minimizing the risk of misunderstandings, errors and delays.

Work breakdown tree: Opportunities at a glance

• Visualization of projects as a big picture

• Easy planning and coordination

• Improved collaboration and communication within the team

• Dependencies become visible

• Misunderstandings and errors are reduced

Templates for a work breakdown structure

Templates for work breakdown structures offer a variety of advantages. They are a valuable tool that helps project managers and teams to efficiently structure and organize their project. Such a work breakdown structure template should contain the basic elements - such as project management phases, milestones, work packages as well as responsibilities and dependencies.

The clear and organized structuring is crucial to keep track and ensure that no important tasks are overlooked. A good template also offers flexibility to meet the individual requirements of the project by, for example, allowing schedules, file attachments or status information. With a well-designed template for a work breakdown structure, project management is made easier and the planning, coordination and monitoring of the project is improved.

There are enough templates for a work breakdown structure in Excel online - but this is not the most effective solution for a successful implementation. Often, not all information can be depicted clearly and if a sorted assignment to all members is to take place, this is only possible with the right tool.

Caption: The right software allows a digital work breakdown structure

Source: unsplash.com

5 tips for creating a work breakdown structure

To create a well-structured and practical work breakdown structure, you should follow a few basic tips:

1. Clear hierarchy: Create a clear hierarchy in your work breakdown structure by dividing the project into manageable phases, sub-projects and work packages. This achieves a structured and well-organized representation.

2. Consistent naming: Use consistent and meaningful names for the different elements in your work breakdown structure. Make sure that the names are unambiguous and convey a clear understanding to all participants.

3. Establish responsibilities: Assign clear responsibilities for each task or work package. Define the role or person responsible for implementation, and possibly also those who support or monitor.

4. Considering task dependencies: Identify the dependencies between tasks and work packages and represent them in the work breakdown structure. This helps to visualize the logical flow of the project and ensure that all activities are completed in the correct order.

5. Updating and Communication: A work breakdown structure is not a static document. Keep it updated during the course of the project to reflect changes, progress and adjustments. Ensure that all participants have access to the updated work breakdown structure to provide a uniform information basis.

8 steps to the work breakdown structure

The creation of a work breakdown structure involves several steps to ensure that the project is clearly structured and organized. Here we present an overview of the 8 basic steps to create a work breakdown structure:

1. Define project scope: Determine the scope of the project and identify the goals, tasks, and requirements. Clarify what is included in the project and what is not.

2. Identify main phases: Divide the project into main phases or milestones. These represent the overarching sections of the project and assist in the rough structure of the work breakdown structure. Then subdivide each phase into sub-projects or work packages. These represent specific tasks or activities necessary to achieve the respective phase.

3. Build hierarchical structure: Organize the sub-projects and work packages in a hierarchical structure to represent the relationships and dependencies between them. Use appropriate subdivisions and indents to make the hierarchy clear.

4. Assign responsibilities: Assign clear responsibilities for each task or work package. Define the roles or people who are responsible for implementation, and possibly also supporting or supervisory functions.

5. Show dependencies and connections: Show the dependencies between the work packages to clarify the logical flow of the project.

6. Complement time planning: If necessary, complement the work breakdown structure with time information, such as start and end dates for sub-projects or work packages. You can use a Gantt chart for this.

7. Review and adjustment: Review the created work breakdown structure for completeness, consistency and feasibility. Adjust it if necessary to ensure that it meets the project goals and requirements.

8. Updating and maintenance: Regularly update the work breakdown structure to reflect changes or new requirements. Maintain it throughout the entire project process to ensure a current and meaningful representation of the project. By systematically going through these steps, a meaningful and effective work breakdown structure is created, which serves as a basis for the successful planning and implementation of the project.

Tools for a digital work breakdown structure

The easiest implementation of a digital work breakdown structure is provided by a project management tool. We have summarized the best the best project management tools in an article for you. Regardless of whether you prefer a work breakdown structure, a Gantt-Chart or Kanban board. In the software, you can switch views while always viewing synchronized content.

In a digital tool, you still get the classic tree structure, which allows you to recognize hierarchies and divide tasks into work packages. This way, you get an overall view of all projects for large projects. Known project management software are e.g. Asana and Trello. However, these popular tools are not GDPR-compliant and often do not meet German security standards. This is where providers such as factro come into play.

An example: work breakdown structure in practice

But how does the work breakdown structure work in practice? Let's take an example: The next marketing campaign needs to be implemented - there are some tasks on the plan. With a work breakdown structure, you have everything recorded at a glance. For your projects, you can build it either phase-oriented, object-oriented, function-oriented, or in a mixed form. For a marketing project, for example, the function-oriented work breakdown structure type is suitable.

Caption: The work breakdown structure provides an overall overview

Source: factro

With this, your team not only has the opportunity to look at a common picture, but also sees at the same time who is responsible for which task, in which period this task takes place and whether it is already being processed or is still in planning. And this works together in the office, but also for team members in home office, in hybrid work or in remote work. Because most tools work cloud-based and are therefore usable from anywhere. The best: In the tool you can already save your best practices as a template and use them again and again.

Conclusion: Creating a common picture

A work breakdown structure is thus an extremely valuable tool in agile project management, because it serves to create a common picture within the team. Such a plan provides a structured and visual representation of tasks, work packages, and dependencies within a project.

The benefits are:

• Clarity and transparency

• Efficient communication

• Overview in resource management

• Support in project control

Through regular updates of the work breakdown structure, project progress can be tracked and compared with the planned goals. Deviations can be detected at an early stage in order to make adjustments if necessary and to bring the project back on track. Overall, it can be determined that the work breakdown structure is a powerful tool in project management. It creates a common picture within the whole team. A well-created work breakdown structure is indispensable in order to promote project success and ensure that all team members are on the same level and working in the same direction.