{"id":902,"date":"2025-01-13T13:49:41","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T13:49:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bellmarketingsolutions.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/13\/i-dove-deep-into-work-breakdown-structures-heres-what-ive-learned\/"},"modified":"2025-01-13T13:49:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T13:49:41","slug":"i-dove-deep-into-work-breakdown-structures-heres-what-ive-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bellmarketingsolutions.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/13\/i-dove-deep-into-work-breakdown-structures-heres-what-ive-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"I Dove Deep Into Work Breakdown Structures \u2014 Here\u2018s What I\u2019ve Learned"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"hs-featured-image-wrapper\">\n <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/work-breakdown-structure\" title=\"\" class=\"hs-featured-image-link\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/work-breakdown-structure-1-20250112-3536283.webp\" alt=\"work breakdown structure\" class=\"hs-featured-image\" style=\"width:auto !important;max-width:50%;float:left;margin:0 15px 15px 0\"> <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick truth. Before writing this article, I stumbled on <a href=\"https:\/\/spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu\/akins_laws.html\">Akin\u2019s laws<\/a>, which aptly summarize work breakdown structures. The fun \u201claw\u201d reads: <em>It&#8217;s called a Work Breakdown Structure because the Work remaining will grow until you have a Breakdown, unless you enforce some Structure on it. <\/em>This law is clear and true!<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick truth. Before writing this article, I stumbled on <a href=\"https:\/\/spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu\/akins_laws.html\">Akin\u2019s laws<\/a>, which aptly summarize work breakdown structures. The fun \u201claw\u201d reads: <em>It&#8217;s called a Work Breakdown Structure because the Work remaining will grow until you have a Breakdown, unless you enforce some Structure on it. <\/em>This law is clear and true!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Jokes aside, while studying to acquire my project management degree, I found an instructive note in the PMBOK guide. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pmi.org\/standards\/pmbok\">guide<\/a>, which is a go-to source for project managers, warns that \u201cno project should be without a WBS.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"cta_button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/cs\/ci\/?pg=4322f21a-0140-4b58-8407-1b384a0cb29c&amp;pid=53&amp;ecid=&amp;hseid=&amp;hsic=\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img \" style=\"height: auto !important;width: auto !important;max-width: 100% !important;border-width: 0px;margin: 0 auto;margin-top: 20px;margin-bottom: 20px\" alt=\"Download Now: Free Project Management Template\" height=\"59\" width=\"459\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/53\/4322f21a-0140-4b58-8407-1b384a0cb29c.png\" align=\"middle\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Without a work breakdown structure (WBS), your projects have a high chance of exceeding their deadlines and budgets, and not meeting stakeholder expectations. You want none of these.<\/p>\n<p>So, in this guide, I\u2019ll lean on my experience as a project management professional to share what I\u2019ve learned about work breakdown structures. You\u2019ll also get insights from industry experts who will help you learn about WBS.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#what-is-a-work-breakdown-structure\">What is a work breakdown structure?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#elements-of-work-breakdown-structure\">Elements of Work Breakdown Structure<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#benefits-of-using-wbs-in-project-management\">Benefits of Using WBS in Project Management<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#types-of-wbs-in-project-management\">Types of WBS in Project Management<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#how-to-use-a-wbs-for-managing-projects\">How to Use a WBS for Managing Projects<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: normal\">\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Project-Management-Achieving-Competitive-Advantage\/dp\/0133798070\">Jeffrey Pinto<\/a>, an author and professor, the WBS is a planning mechanism for knowing the interrelationship of various activities in a project. In its simplest form, the WBS looks like you see in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/business-templates\/work-breakdown-structure\">template<\/a> below:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/work-breakdown-structure-2-20250112-9151701.webp\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\" title=\"\" alt=\"example of a work breakdown structure\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;font-size: 12px\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/business-templates\/work-breakdown-structure\">Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2>Elements of Work Breakdown Structure<\/h2>\n<p>Based on what I learned from Pinto, every WBS has at least four levels in <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/project-management-basics\">project management<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, if your project is complex, you\u2019ll have more sub-deliverables, and your work package will continue increasing.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the four levels of a WBS for a simple project.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 26.3594%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p><strong>Level<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 22.9243%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p><strong>WBS Term<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50.7163%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p><strong>Description<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 26.3594%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>Top-Level\/Level 1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 22.9243%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>Project<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50.7163%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>The overall project under \u00addevelopment<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 26.3594%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>Level 2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 22.9243%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>Deliverable<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50.7163%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>The major project components<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 26.3594%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>Level 3<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 22.9243%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>Sub-deliverable<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50.7163%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>Supporting deliverables<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 26.3594%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>Level 4 (Activity)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 22.9243%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>Work package<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 50.7163%\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p>Individual project activities<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>To illustrate, I will explain these levels with the WBS for a marketing conference.<\/p>\n<h3>Top-Level\/Level 1<\/h3>\n<p>The top level of the WBS covers the entire project scope. It\u2019s also the final deliverable, which outlines what I want to accomplish. For this project, the top level is a \u201cmarketing conference plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/work-breakdown-structure-3-20250112-5141700.webp\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h3>Level 2<\/h3>\n<p>The second level of the WBS outlines the major project components. It also reduces the project scope into units that serve as deliverables.<\/p>\n<p>Deliverables include features for products or phases for tasks. My project is a series of eight tasks. You\u2019ll notice I numbered each deliverable at this level (and for the lower levels).<\/p>\n<p>This is a deliberate element, which is absent from some WBS I\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/work-breakdown-structure-4-20250112-4204333.webp\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pro tip: <\/strong>Numbering a work breakdown structure helps with clarity, organization, and tracking. With numbering, I have a logical and visual way to know the relationship between deliverables, sub-deliverables, and work packages. This makes it easy to find a work element, especially for a large project.<\/p>\n<h3>Level 3<\/h3>\n<p>The third level of the WBS is the sub-deliverable. Each sub-deliverable is a component of the main deliverable you will provide to your stakeholders.<\/p>\n<p>When considering an item as a sub-deliverable, a consideration is the ease of managing it. For instance, the sub-deliverable, researching potential venues (2.1), fits this bill.<\/p>\n<p>Why? It is manageable. I can assign some hours to it. The cost is minimal.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/work-breakdown-structure-5-20250112-534737.webp\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re making your own WBS, definitely use a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/business-templates\/work-breakdown-structure\">template<\/a> to get you started.<\/p>\n<h3>Activities<\/h3>\n<p>The last level of the WBS is activities. Think of activities like atoms. They are the smallest elements within a sub-deliverable or deliverable.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, to deliver the event planning and strategy, I will need to execute the following activities:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1.1 Define objectives and goals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>1.1.1 Conduct a kickoff meeting with stakeholders<\/li>\n<li>1.1.2 Draft a list of measurable goals<\/li>\n<li>1.1.3 Finalize objectives in a project charter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>1.2 Identify target audience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>1.2.1 Conduct market research<\/li>\n<li>1.2.2 Create audience personas<\/li>\n<li>1.2.3 Validate personas with stakeholders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>1.3 Develop event theme and branding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>1.3.1 Brainstorm theme ideas<\/li>\n<li>1.3.2 Design logo and branding materials<\/li>\n<li>1.3.3 Approve theme and branding with stakeholders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>1.4 Set a budget and allocate resources<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>1.4.1 Identify key expense categories<\/li>\n<li>1.4.2 Create an initial budget plan<\/li>\n<li>1.4.3 Get budget approval from stakeholders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>1.5 Create project timeline and milestones<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>1.5.1 Draft a detailed project schedule<\/li>\n<li>1.5.2 Identify key milestones<\/li>\n<li>1.5.3 Share the timeline with the team<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2>Benefits of Using WBS in Project Management<\/h2>\n<p>While learning about the WBS, some of my peers didn\u2019t appear convinced. Some argued that it\u2019s great on paper but unapplicable in real-life situations. For others, its benefits outweigh the flawed thinking of not having one.<\/p>\n<p>So, how does a WBS actually help?<\/p>\n<h3>A WBS prevents scope creep.<\/h3>\n<p>Every stakeholder is on the same page when there\u2019s a WBS.<\/p>\n<p>Without one, stakeholders can continue adding to the project until it becomes unmanageable. Once this happens, you\u2019ll need to revisit your timelines, milestones, budget estimates, risks, etc. I wouldn\u2019t like this to happen, especially when handling multiple projects.<\/p>\n<p>In the waterfall environment characterized by a sequential approach to project execution, the benefits of a WBS in avoiding scope creep will be undebatable.<\/p>\n<p>However, in Agile environments without fully defined end products, some experts argue stakeholders will change their minds on what they want, when, and why.<\/p>\n<p>While this negates the value of a WBS, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/projectmanagement\/comments\/retq3o\/comment\/ho9sl4s\/?utm_source%3Dshare%26utm_medium%3Dweb3x%26utm_name%3Dweb3xcss%26utm_term%3D1%26utm_content%3Dshare_button\">one expert<\/a> argues that Agile teams shouldn\u2019t use the excuse of agile to not plan and risk having scope creep.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile I get that a full waterfall style WBS would be necessary in a construction project, they [agile teams] can&#8217;t go complete no estimates on projects with inter-team dependencies, multi-fiscal-quarter delivery dates, and anything more than five team members.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt a minimum, all requirements of the end product should be documented, a roadmap of all major deliverables should be communicated, they should be doing some equivalent of a WBS for the next two weeks of work and ideally up to the end of the next milestone, and a rough outline of how everything else is going to come together,\u201d they add.<\/p>\n<h3>A WBS aids project budget estimation.<\/h3>\n<p>A work breakdown structure isn\u2019t just a planning tool \u2014 it helps with budgeting. By breaking my project into detailed activities, the WBS makes it easy to assign budgets.<\/p>\n<p>Budget overruns remain a pervasive issue in project management. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcg.com\/publications\/2024\/software-projects-dont-have-to-be-late-costly-and-irrelevant\">BCG survey<\/a> of 403 respondents, 49% said over 30% of their organization\u2019s technology development projects exceeded their budgets. Tech projects use Agile because of the flexibility and iterative progress it offers.<\/p>\n<p>While I understand that a pre-established budget runs against the Agile mindset, incorporating a WBS into sprint planning helps. Assigning budgets at the sprint level allows teams to remain adaptable while maintaining financial discipline.<\/p>\n<h3>A WBS captures all work packages.<\/h3>\n<p>I\u2019ve found that creating a WBS forces me to think critically about every aspect of a project. From major milestones to granular deliverables, each work package is accounted for. This not only helps visualize the scope of the project but also ensures nothing is overlooked.<\/p>\n<p>But before penning down every package, talking to stakeholders is vital. Not doing so is one reason for the recent and monumental failure of the High-Speed Rail 2 in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.economicshelp.org\/blog\/214518\/economics\/hs2-failure-why-is-uk-so-bad-at-building-infrastructure\/\">Tejvan Pettinger<\/a>, an economist, \u201c[High-Speed Rail 2] risks being a \u00a350 billion white elephant and a monument to poor planning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pettinger didn\u2019t suggest that the HS2 team didn\u2019t have a comprehensive WBS \u2014 however, he makes a verifiable claim of constant changes to the project scope.<\/p>\n<p>And as we\u2019ve established, when this happens, the project gets derailed on almost all fronts and the team has to return to the drawing board.<\/p>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2>Types of WBS in Project Management<\/h2>\n<p>There are two types of WBS:<\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\">\n<li>Deliverable-based work breakdown structure.<\/li>\n<li>Phase-based work breakdown structure.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/knowledge.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/work-breakdown-structure-6-20250112-8576716.webp\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\" title=\"\" alt=\"types of wbs in project management\"><\/p>\n<h3>Deliverable-Based WBS<\/h3>\n<p>A deliverable-based WBS gets tangible outcomes (deliverables) for stakeholders.<\/p>\n<p>What I like about this WBS is its focus on \u201cwhat to do\u201d over \u201chow to do\u201d a task. As such, this WBS is easy to modify, simple for estimating cost, and provides a complete view of the total work scope.<\/p>\n<p>The deliverable-based WBS has applications in scenarios such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Projects with clear outputs such as organizing an event or constructing a building.<\/li>\n<li>Client-focused projects like specific marketing campaigns or design projects.<\/li>\n<li>Projects requiring detailed scope management such as launching a new product.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Phase-Based WBS<\/h3>\n<p>A phase-based WBS organizes work according to the sequential stages of the project lifecycle (initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, closure). With this WBS, I must detail the process for achieving specific deliverables.<\/p>\n<p>One of the simplest ways to explain a phase-base WBS is to consider a research writing project. Without doing an ethics review, I can\u2019t interview participants to get insights for writing my final report.<\/p>\n<p>With the phase-oriented WBS, I like the clear insights it gives into elements that hinder the project\u2019s progress. This WBS is also great for providing a roadmap of \u201cwhen to do\u201d tasks, ensuring each stage builds logically on the previous one.<\/p>\n<p>The phase-based WBS is suited for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Process-driven projects such as implementing a business system or conducting research and development.<\/li>\n<li>Standardized lifecycle projects like those following Waterfall methodology.<\/li>\n<li>Long-term projects with sequential progression, such as multi-year infrastructure builds or strategic planning initiatives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2>How to Use a WBS for Managing Projects<\/h2>\n<p>A WBS is excellent for chopping complex projects into the smallest bits. But beyond its core function of visualizing the project scope, here\u2019s how to use a WBS:<\/p>\n<h3>1. <strong>Assign responsibilities.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The WBS makes it easy to assign deliverables or tasks to team members. This helps everyone know what they\u2019re responsible for and keeps things from getting duplicated.<\/p>\n<h3>2. <strong>Estimate time and resources.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I use the WBS to figure out how long each task will take and what resources are needed. This makes it easier to create a realistic schedule and budget.<\/p>\n<h3>3. <strong>Facilitate communication.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The WBS is a great way to keep everyone on the same page. It helps align team members and stakeholders on the project\u2019s scope, responsibilities, and timelines.<\/p>\n<h3>4. <strong>Manage risks.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I look for potential risks in each WBS element and create plans to address them before they disrupt the project.<\/p>\n<h3>5. <strong>Integrate with project management tools.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I\u2019m a fan of tools like Trello and Asana. Inputting the entirety of my WBS into these tools makes it easy to help keep track of tasks, manage resources, and generate reports.<\/p>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The work breakdown structure is a cornerstone that provides clarity on projects.<\/p>\n<p>While I had learned about WBS during my studies and applied it in my professional life, diving into its nuances and reflecting on its use in real-world scenarios gave me a renewed perspective.<\/p>\n<p>The WBS is essential not just for planning and organizing a project, but for identifying risks and maintaining control over scope and budgeting.<\/p>\n<p>A useful learning for me was the debate about the relevance of WBS in Agile. A product backlog in Agile projects is like a WBS, where epics or features are managed in sprints.<\/p>\n<p>Without putting thought into the work items, whether in Agile or Waterfall, the project is heading for the rocks.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line: Successful projects start with a well-thought-out plan, and that plan begins with a work breakdown structure.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Not sure if you prefer to embed a table or just use a screenshot so I gave you both options for these 3 instances (namely because the third is LARGE)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/track.hubspot.com\/__ptq.gif?a=53&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.hubspot.com%2Fmarketing%2Fwork-breakdown-structure&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fblog.hubspot.com%252Fmarketing&amp;bvt=rss\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" style=\"min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a quick truth. Before writing this article, I stumbled on Akin\u2019s laws, which aptly summarize work breakdown structures. The fun \u201claw\u201d reads: It&#8217;s called a Work Breakdown Structure because the Work remaining will grow until you have a Breakdown, unless you enforce some Structure on it. This law is clear and true! Here\u2019s a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":901,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>I Dove Deep Into Work Breakdown Structures \u2014 Here\u2018s What I\u2019ve Learned - Bell Marketing Solutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bellmarketingsolutions.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/13\/i-dove-deep-into-work-breakdown-structures-heres-what-ive-learned\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I Dove Deep Into Work Breakdown Structures \u2014 Here\u2018s What I\u2019ve Learned - Bell Marketing Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here\u2019s a quick truth. Before writing this article, I stumbled on Akin\u2019s laws, which aptly summarize work breakdown structures. The fun \u201claw\u201d reads: It&#8217;s called a Work Breakdown Structure because the Work remaining will grow until you have a Breakdown, unless you enforce some Structure on it. This law is clear and true! 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