Work breakdown structure

Work breakdown structure

In a work breakdown structure plan (WBS) the project is divided into sub-projects and work packages. Sub-projects must be further subdivided, while work packages represent the lowest, indivisible level.

The work packages contain the activities required for further planning.

A WBS can be created using three methods:

Top-down method:

From project to detail (deductive method)

Bottom-up method:

From detail to the whole project (inductive path)

Yo-Yo procedure:

In alternate steps the deductive and inductive method to take advantage of both methods.

The WBS is usually represented graphically in a vertical or horizontal tree structure. It is important that the objectives and steps are presented in a clear and easily comprehensible manner.