Taking the time to do your decomposition allows you to work efficiently throughout your project from the initiation phase right through to its closure. WBS in project management is key in organizing the team’s work into manageable chunks. The sole tool used is called project decomposition. Show
What exactly is project decomposition / WBS?Project decomposition is a technique used to break deliverables progressively into smaller and smaller components. The WBS is the top layer encompassing the decomposition. Each layer provides a further breakdown of the layer above. PMBOK® defines WBS as “A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.” WBS in Easy Project What are the benefits of project decompositionThe work breakdown allows you to identify tasks in their granular form. When the work packages are clearly identified, they allow you to:
What are the downsides and challenges of WBS?Despite the numerous benefits, you need to be aware of some of the downsides and challenges you can encounter while working through your decomposition such as: Getting too detailedAs you are decomposing the scope, getting too detailed bring efficiencies. It will only result in wasted time and unnecessary consumption of resources. you need to determine the right amount of detail to include. There are ways to determine the degree of decomposition. Ask yourself:
WBS in Easy Project Managing group dynamicsThe WBS is a team activity that requires strong facilitation skills to keep the team on track and encourage participation. If a team member does not feel comfortable sharing their ideas, you could lose some important information. Treating WBS like a scheduleThe WBS provides the detailed information required to meet the project’s goals and objectives. It is not a plan or schedule but a visual representation of the project that can be shared with stakeholders. The WBS is a key component of the project management structure. The decomposition is key in supporting the creation of the WBS and has a direct influence on the overall structure of your project. Taking the time to create a WBS helps to reduce the likelihood of missed work while bringing the project to completion. WBS in Easy Project Creating a detailed work breakdown structure (WBS) is a critical process in project management. When you have defined each deliverable, you need to determine how, when, and by whom the necessary work will be executed. Up to a point, hierarchical decomposition can be a very useful approach. It allows you to “eat the elephant one bite at a time” so to speak. It also provides the basis for prioritizing, sequencing, and tracking
deliverables. In the PMBOK chapter of “Project Scope Management”, you can find sample diagrams showing such a structure at different branch levels: Technically, there is nothing to prevent you from further decomposing your project into sub work packages and sub-sub work packages and so forth ad infinitum. However, even with very complex projects there comes a point where this practice has
diminishing returns. WBS Considerations The primary question to ask when you are subdividing a project into work packages is “Am I creating more work?” If the administrative time involved in defining, creating, assigning, and tracking a work package is greater than the actual time required to complete the tasks in the work package, the answer is obviously “Yes”. Project management should be about making your job simpler – not more complicated. As an example of excessive decomposition, let’s say you need 100 widgets assembled for your project. You wouldn’t want your WBS diagram to show each widget as a separate work package that had to be reported on individually. That would require an enormous amount of administrative labor for you and for your team members. At the other end of the scale, you might not want to have a single work project for the whole widget construction deliverable because you have different departments involved. In this situation, it would make more sense to have the sourcing of the widget components listed as Phase 1, the widget assembly as Phase 2, and the widget Quality Assurance inspection as Phase 3. Too Much Decomposition is Bad for Employees Basically, you don’t want to turn project management into micro-management. This decreases efficiency and negatively impacts team morale. The individuals actually responsible for completing the deliverables or schedule activities shouldn’t feel that they are being treated as if they don’t know how to do their jobs. This is one reason you may want to have them involved in creating the WBS – especially since they may have additional insight into the most logical way to group various tasks. Filed under: UncategorizedTagged with: planning, project management, WBS What is chunking or decomposing?Principally, the process of chunk decomposition - the process of breaking or decomposing familiar patterns/chunks into their component elements - is critical for successful problem solving.
Why is chunking and decomposing important?To overcome your fear and intimidation, focus on chunking your projects. Decomposing your projects into small chunks eradicates the feeling of being overwhelmed. Therefore, decomposition in project management means to break down your scope into sizable proportions that are manageable, controllable, and executable.
What is the decomposition process used to develop?Project decomposition is a technique used to break deliverables progressively into smaller and smaller components. The WBS is the top layer encompassing the decomposition. Each layer provides a further breakdown of the layer above.
What is project decomposition What are work tasks for communication process using process decomposition?Project decomposition is the process of dividing components of a large project into smaller, more manageable portions, often called deliverables. This process helps managers assign tasks more easily and assists in time management and workflow.
|