Key Concepts we learned from Chapter 6

Chapter 6   Work Breakdown Structure: Break Your Project into Manageable Units of Work

1. Work breakdown structure (WBS) is the tool and foundation for project planning, it is the most important techniques used in project management. It help us to provide a detail illustration of project scope, monitor progress, create accurate cost and schedule estimates and build project teams. The key task of WBS is to summarize tasks and define work packages.
2. A good WBS can be constructed in three steps: First, we need to break down a project into descending levels of details, listing all the tasks required to create the deliverables in the statement of work (SOW); Second, specify the names for all the tasks required to produce deliverables; Third, organize the WBS effectively to enable high level of visibility and emphasize different aspect of the project with different work packages. One has to make sure all the summary tasks are meaningful and the purpose of the summary tasks on the WBS is for communication and visibility.
3. To evaluate a successful WBS, one should look into three criteria: (1) first, the WBS has to  be broken down starting at the top with using standard software and meaningful project info; (2) work packages must add up to the summary task; an (3) each summary task and workpackage must be named as an activity that produces a product.
4. Project should be break into small, meaningful, manageable units of work. The size of the work packages can be evaluated with the 80/80 rule, the reporting period rule and the “if it’s useful” rule. You will also get benefit from putting project management activities into the work breakdown structure.
5. Risk management also relies on good planning for quality. It requires setting standards on completion criteria. These completion criteria are determined through having peer reviews, looking through checklist, and conducting systematic testing.
6. Risk management should begin with the end in mind, and should define the acceptance process.  In dealing with large project, one need to beware of the deliverable oriented WBS and taking work package as subprojects or groups of activities.