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PJM 6005 - Team Assignment: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Overview and Rationale

Now that you have a scope document that defines the project’s deliverables, you will create a detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) document, define deliverable completion criteria create a WBS dictionary and discuss potential project tradeoffs.

WBS - A document that provides detailed information about required project work. Specifically, the WBS is a graphical representation of the project’s deliverables, related milestones, work packages and activities.

WBS Dictionary - The WBS Dictionary (WBSD) describes each component of the WBS with related milestones, deliverables, activities - and sometimes dates, required resources, costs and required deliverable quality.

Program and Course Outcomes

The following learning objectives are addressed through this assignment:

· Decompose project scope by building a detailed WBS

· Understand the value of the WBS dictionary (WBSD) to ensure project scope quality: Create a WBS dictionary

· Understand the project baseline concept to define and effectively communicate agreed-upon project scope

In addition to these key learning outcomes, you will also have the opportunity to evidence the following skills through completing this assignment:

· Critical thinking and analysis

· Problem solving

Essential Components

For this assignment, you will develop a detailed WBS, based on the project’s case overview, identified project requirements, deliverables and their defined completion criteria. Moreover, you will also develop a WBS dictionary (WBSD) and discuss potential project tradeoffs.

a. Your WBS must have the following:

· Identify at least 4-6 Major deliverables (Level 2 WBS) [Note: Best practice - Project Management is a level 2 Major Deliverable]

· Decompose at least 2 Major deliverables into 4 sub-deliverables (usually a Level 3 WBS Element).

· Decompose 2 Sub-deliverables into required work packages, relevant milestones and activities/tasks. [Note: Please present at least 5 but no more than 10 total work packages]. Moreover, all work packages should be written as tangible deliverables and have a testable completion criterion

b. The WBSD must define the following:

· Detailed definition of all project deliverables (Noun format)- levels 1, 2 and 3 deliverables (Please refer to WBS assignment requirements above)

· Detailed definition of work packages [at least 5, but no more than 10] for levels 2 and 3 project deliverables

· Please select 2 work package and then identify and briefly define the work to be completed (activities/tasks [Verb format])

· Provide a Rough-Order of-Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate for each defined work package

· Provide a ROM time estimate for each defined work package

· In 3-5 paragraphs, please provide an assessment on the value of an effective WBSD for managing the project’s scope

c. Review your WBS and WBSD for completeness. Please answer the following in a MS Word document (.doc / .docx).

· Comment: In 3-5 paragraphs answer the following:

· Does your WBS adhere to the 100% rule by incorporating all work to be done for the project?”

· Why is leveraging the 100% rule an effective tool to managing project scope?

· In a 1-page summary, outline at least 3 potential project tradeoffs (cost, schedule or refined scope) you would discuss with the project sponsor.

Assignment Format

Below are some key guidelines you will want to ensure you follow in creating this assignment.

Think of this short list as a quality control checklist, along with the attached grading rubric.

· The WBS is best presented as a picture (see below). Therefore, you can use MS PowerPoint (.PPT) to create an effective WBS. For this assignment, I will also accept MS Excel (.XLS) and MS Word (.Doc) (Table format). If you are going to use another graphical tool to present your WBS, please ensure that you save the picture in .pdf format.

· WBS Dictionary (WBSD) is best represented as an MS Word Table.

· I require you to use MS Word for all other components of the assignment. For example: WBS Dictionary elements and questions that I ask you to answer.

WBS Example (Construction Project).

Rubric

Category	Above Standard	Meets Standards	Approaching Standards	Below Standard	Not Evident
Work Breakdown Structure Format (25%)	Goes beyond the requirements of the assignment to provide an excellently organized and structured WBS that is precise and systematically presented Met all minimal WBS elements asked for in the assignment.	Provides a good and organized WBS structure that is consistent. Deliverables and sub-deliverables are well-defined outputs of the project. Work packages are well-defined tasks of their parent deliverable. Met all minimal WBS elements asked for in the assignment.	Provides a clear WBS structure, however some WBS elements are not well-organized nor defined Met all minimal WBS elements asked for in the assignment.	WBS structure is not organized and not adequately defined. Met some but not all of the minimal WBS elements asked for in the assignment.	Does not provide a WBS that is consistent and organized. Did not meet all minimal WBS elements asked for in the assignment.
Work Breakdown Structure Components (25%)	Goes beyond the requirements of the assignment meet the 100% rule and persistently represent deliverable and sub-deliverables in noun format and work packages in verb-noun phrases.	Deliverables and sub-deliverables are well-defined outputs of the project and consistently listed as nouns. Work packages are well-defined tasks of their parent deliverable and presented as verb-noun phrases. Meets the 100% rule.	Deliverables and sub-deliverables are defined outputs of the project but not regularly listed as nouns. The work packages are defined tasks of their parent deliverable, but not consistently listed as verb-noun phrases. Meets the 100% rule.	Deliverables and sub-deliverables are persistently not outputs of the project or only occasionally listed as nouns. Work packages are persistently not defined tasks of their parent deliverable or only occasionally list a verb-noun phrases. Does not meet the 100% rule.	Deliverables, sub-deliverables are not outputs of the project and work packages are not defined tasks of their parent deliverable. Does not use consistent deliverable/noun, work package/verb-noun language. Does not meet the 100% rule.
Work Package Definitions (25%)	Goes beyond the requirements of the assignment to provide work package definitions that are coherent and comprehensive. Articulates cost and time estimates for each work package.	Clearly defines the work to be completed by each work package. Articulates cost and time estimates for each work package.	Explains work to be completed by each work package, but explanation is vague or ambiguous. Cost and time estimates are inconsistently provided.	Explanations of the work to be completed by work packages is inconsistently provided. Cost and time estimates are not provided.	Does not provide work package definitions
Critical Thinking (15%)	Professional insights into depth and breadth of assignment and proposed project tradeoffs - goes WELL beyond assignment requirements to effectively address the usefulness of both the 100% rule for WBS completeness and the WBSD.	Demonstrates comprehensive exploration of issues and ideas before accepting or forming an opinion or conclusion. Effective response to proposed project tradeoffs. Effectively met assignment requirements to effectively address the usefulness of both the 100% rule for WBS completeness and the WBSD.	Demonstrates an exploration of issues and ideas before accepting or forming an opinion or conclusion. Mostly reasonable response to proposed project tradeoffs. Mostly met assignment requirements to effectively address the usefulness of both the 100% rule for WBS completeness and the WBSD.	Demonstrates exploration of issues and ideas but shows reluctance to accept or form an opinion or conclusion based on findings. Not adequate response to proposed project tradeoffs. Did not meet assignment requirements to effectively address the usefulness of both the 100% rule for WBS completeness and the WBSD.	Does not demonstrate exploration of issues and ideas before accepting or forming an opinion or conclusion. Not adequate response to proposed project tradeoffs. Did not meet assignment requirements to effectively address the usefulness of both the 100% rule for WBS completeness nor the WBSD.
Clarity & Grammar (10%)	Goes well beyond assignment requirements to communicate information in a precise, insightful and professional manner. High quality grammar. No misspellings.	WBS format can be followed. Evident to reader what is contained in each section. High quality grammar. No misspellings.	WBS format can be followed. Evident to reader what is contained in each section. Good quality grammar. No misspellings.	WBS format can be followed. For the most part, evident to reader what is contained in each section. Good quality grammar. Few misspellings.	WBS is not presented in an organized format. Not evident to reader what is contained in each section. Low quality grammar, misspellings.