From the course: Project Management Tips

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Create a work breakdown structure (WBS)

Create a work breakdown structure (WBS)

From the course: Project Management Tips

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Create a work breakdown structure (WBS)

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- Most project plans start as a list of tasks. We need to do A, B and C. But in order to manage the project, we need to have a bit more structure, and that starts with converting your list of tasks into a work breakdown structure, or WBS. A WBS contains all of the data you need to generate other reports, like a Gantt chart or a network diagram, and it looks a lot like an outline. Every item in a WBS has an ID number. Your project phases or milestones have whole numbers like 1.0, 2.0 and so on. Under these main headings, you have the tasks. The tasks get numbered as 1.1, 1.2 and so on. The WBS can also contain details for each task like how long it's expected to take, what other tasks it's linked to, and who the task has been assigned to. You can create a WBS in a spreadsheet or a word processor, or you can use the template in your project management software. And no matter how big or small your project is, creating a…

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