What is included in WBS?

WBS Components The parts of the WBS include: Tasks – a number, ID, title, and description of each task. Task Owner – who is responsible for completing the task. Task Dependency and Predecessors – linking two tasks together if one depends on the completion of the other. 

What should be included in WBS?

What Are the Key Components of a Work Breakdown Structure?

  • Identification of which organization, department, or individual is responsible for each specific work piece.
  • The scheduled start and end dates.
  • Required resources.
  • Estimated cost of the project.
  • Charge numbers.
  • Contract details, requirements, and milestones.

What is not included in WBS?

The WBS does not contain activities, tasks or milestones to be achieved and it doesn’t contain any timing dependencies for performing activities. All of this important information is part of the Project Schedule and the Project Schedule is based on the WBS.

What are the 4 levels of WBS?

What are the 4 WBS levels?

  • The first (top) level of the WBS is the project title and the final deliverable.
  • The second WBS level is control accounts.
  • The third WBS level is work packages.
  • The last one of the WBS levels is activities.

What are the 5 levels of WBS?

The phase-based WBS displays the final deliverable on top, with the WBS levels below showing the five phases of a project (initiation, planning, execution, control and closeout).

How is a WBS structured?

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a project management tool that takes a step-by-step approach to complete large projects with several moving pieces. By breaking down the project into smaller components, a WBS can integrate scope, cost and deliverables into a single tool.

What is the most important thing in the WBS?

The main purpose of a WBS is to reduce complicated activities to a collection of tasks. This is important for the project manager because she can oversee the tasks more effectively than the complex activities. Tasks must be measurable and independent, with clearly defined limits.

Does a WBS include budget?

The sum of all tasks within the WBS constitutes the total budget of the project.

Does WBS include deliverables?

A deliverables-oriented WBS defines a project in terms of tangible deliverable components. Deliverables are typically a physical component or item needed to complete the overall project.

Does WBS include dependencies?

Dependencies in WBS



Work breakdown structure relies on dependencies to order tasks properly as they should be worked on during the project’s lifecycle. In many cases, tasks are interrelated in complex projects, one can’t start before another task is finished.

What makes a good WBS for your project?

A good WBS is simply one that makes the project more manageable. Every project is different; every project manager is different and every WBS is different. So, the right WBS is the one that best answers the question, “What structure makes the project more manageable?”.

What are the characteristics of a good WBS?

WBS Quality Principle 1

  • Is a deliverable-oriented grouping of project elements.
  • Defines the scope of the project.
  • Contains 100% of the work defined by the scope.
  • Provides a graphical, textual or tabular breakdown of the project scope.
  • Arranges all major and minor deliverables in a hierarchical structure.