Homework Assigment

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a tool that makes project tracking easier. All tasks are identified and written in groups so that all processes can be seen easily. I choose this topic for two reasons. Firstly, it is one of the most crucial tools for project management. It shows the big picture for the projects. All costs and progress can be followed by WBS. Secondly, it looks technical to me and I like this kind of tool for planning. I had several projects and used online WBS to track progress. It is important to investigate because there are many features exist in the WBS. Each of them has its own importance. It requires deep understanding. In addition, its importance can not be argued. We can easily say that it is the most basic tool for project management. All practices can be followed by WBS. I would like to have more detailed answers to these questions: How a project could be improved with WBS? Also, how can we apply WBS for a software project in detail?

Regards,

Mustafa

Hello all,

Here are my articles:

Stephen E Mueller. (2000). Resolving work breakdown structure problems. AACE International Transactions, PS2A–.

-This article provides a couple of solutions for WBS problems with improved integration of scope, schedule, and cost. Also, it mentions integration problems in the system and tries to find a solution.

Polianskii, А., & Chukalova, D. (2020). Software product management: planning tool integration. MATEC Web of Conferences, 311, 2011–.  https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202031102011 Links to an external site.

-In this article, the author addresses issues while using project management tools in software products. It dives into the topic of work breakdown structure and work packages. In addition, the author suggests some tools for project scheduling. 

Islam, S., & Rokonuzzaman, M. (2009). Process-centric work breakdown structure for easing Software Project management challenges: Business case analysis example. 2009 12th International Conference on Computers and Information Technology, 508–513.  https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCIT.2009.5407291 Links to an external site.

- This article is exactly what I was looking for. It is about creating WBS in a software project. There is a method called "Centric WBS" which divides all tasks into smaller tasks and makes a standardization for the whole project. The author explains with a business case study this method.

Quaium, A. K. M. ., Shahriar, A. ., & Rokonuzzaman, M. (2009). Process-centric Work Breakdown Structure of software coding for improving the accuracy of estimation, resource loading, and progress monitoring of code development. 2009 12th International Conference on Computers and Information Technology, 520–525.  https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCIT.2009.5407293 Links to an external site.

- Again, this article also answers my questions about WBS in software projects. They dive deep Centric Work Breakdown Structure process and provide evidence of how this process closes the gap between the planning and execution phases.  

Hans, R. T. (2013). Work Breakdown Structure: A Tool for Software Project Scope Verification.

- This article provides the importance of scope verification. If a project has a comprehensive project scope, then it will be easier to process scope verification and also project success. Also, the article shows that deliverable-oriented WBS is a vital tool for software scope verification.

Hello all,

The Work Breakdown Structure in Software Project Management

The purpose of this article is to examine the effects of using WBS on delivery times in software projects. Mathematical models are used to calculate the accuracy of the timely delivery of tasks. Also, the more accurate the WBS created by the project engineers, the more successful they are in achieving their objectives.

Work Breakdown Structure of the Project

According to the author, WBS facilitates the management of cost, time, and risk, and using WBS in complex projects makes it easier to manage. Additionally, he discussed what should be considered when creating a work breakdown structure.

A Review of Various Software Project Scheduling Techniques

Just like the professor's literature tracking template, This article examines various literature for software project scheduling. I suggest all of my teammates read this paper. It gives brief information about 7 different projects with a scheduling problem. I read their summary but next week, I will read full-text papers of them. I will start with the Agriculture case study because it uses PERT and the result is impressive.

Agile Project Management Challenge in Handling Scope and Change: A Systematic Literature Review

The article mentions the impact of agile project management on budget and timing in terms of scope. It also mentions that Agile's speed and willingness to change is the most important factor that distinguishes it from other methods. It also mentions that the scope should be managed well, and if it is not managed, the project could fail. At the end of the article, a literature review is also included and briefly mentions the books.

 

References

    Kaur, R., Singh, S., & Rakshit, M. (2013). A review of various software project scheduling techniques. International Journal of Computer Science & Engineering Technology (IJCSET), 4(7), 877-882.

    Robert C. Tausworthe. 1984. The work breakdown structure in software project management. J. Syst. Softw. 1 (September, 1984), 181–186.

    Abujudeh, Said. (2018). Improving the Work Breakdown Structure of the Plant Installation - Case: Asphalt Plant. International Journal of Engineering and Management Sciences. 3. 174-187.

    Raharjo, Teguh & Purwandari, Betty. (2020). Agile Project Management Challenges and Mapping Solutions: A Systematic Literature Review. 123-129.

Being an Industrial Engineer, I have a deep understanding of what WBS is all about. As part of my undergraduate studies, I prepared detailed WBS maps for several technical projects as part of my coursework. Based on the sample studies that I looked at, I created the how-to. Thanks to various websites that are available on the internet, I was able to create a WBS very easily. This is the reason why I chose this topic, since I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of how the topic could be applied in a more detailed way. In my selection of articles, I made sure to pay attention to the fact that there were studies on this subject. As far as my expectations were concerned, I can say that most of them were met. We do WBS every day in our daily lives without even realizing it. There is a difference here as there are more people involved and there is more work that needs to be done since more people are involved. I can confidently say that the articles I read mentioned real projects and I was able to find the answers to the questions I was seeking. I don't think that there are any unanswered questions regarding WBS, since it is a technical topic.