Importance of Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

What is Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?

Work Breakdown Structure can be simply explained as the process of dividing a complex project into manageable components. Using a WBS, we can understand the project scope properly, task by task. A WBS is essential for any construction project regardless of the project scale.

The Project manager will be responsible for preparing a realistic and executable WBS. To formulate an appropriate WBS, the project manager should possess a vast knowledge and experience in the construction field. He must be able to distinguish between the activities that can be performed simultaneously and independently.

Importance of Adopting a Suitable WBS for a Project

As previously mentioned, a WBS is essential for any construction project, regardless of its scale, since it simplifies the execution process of a project. A large task can be shown in simple steps using a WBS and it will be easy to handle and complete the task without any complexity.

WBS will be beneficial in many aspects in a construction project as follows;

·         Awareness of the start date and end date of the project

·         Ability to recognize the start date and end date of each task

·         Realization of the project stages and project progress

·         The ability to estimate the project budget easily

·         Assists allocating money and forecasting of the project

·         Provides the client with a vision about the project stages

·         Monitoring the progress become easy

·         Supports early allocation of resources and responsibilities

·         Early decisions can be taken regarding the project

·         Simplifies the project scope

The main purpose of a WBS is to reduce complicated activities into a collection of tasks (Markgraf 2016). The project managers can handle the small tasks more efficiently rather than dealing with the complex ones. It is important for each task to have a limit and indicate a unique activity.

Since the tasks are quantifiable the allocation of resources and money become easy. The project budget can be forecasted easily which helps the project manager and financial manager to decide the amount of capital to be allocated on different stages of the project. WBS assists improving the financial stability of a construction project.

WBS provides accountability because of individuals or groups can be appointed early for a particular task. They must be able to complete the task according to the given schedule and cost. Early preparation for their tasks can be done, consequently the time and the scope of each task is measurable. Hence, the project delays can be minimized and eliminated by using an appropriate WBS.

A major criterion for project success is that it fulfills its intended purpose. The tasks of the WBS each implement a part of the overall function. A task is only completed when it fulfills its partial function (Markgraf 2016).

As the project manager, the aim is to complete the project within the time and the budget. To make it happen, it is vital to establish the most realistic Work Breakdown Structure. The construction should be carried out in line with the schedule. It needs a lot of effort and concentration on the project. It is required to complete the number of components in order to complete a major task of the WBS. 

When there is an appropriate WBS, we can identify the critical activities and the floating activities. Thus, we can give priority on those critical activities and get them done. It is a good practice not to drift the floating activities to their last moment and make them critical activities. The project team taking breaks in between without delaying the project is the strategy. Most of the time project managers follow the critical path as they believe that the project can be completed on time by this practice. 

With all the interpretations above, it proves the importance of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for any construction project. It allows the project manager to focus on the project and make important decisions prematurely and assign responsibilities to employees. The finance managers and purchasing managers can be informed about the financial and material requirements of the project as early as possible. The Confusions and delays due to the material supply or the financial problems can be omitted by this practice. Thus, adopting a suitable Work Breakdown Structure is very important to complete the project successfully.

References

[1] MARKGRAF, Bert (2016). The Importance of a Work Breakdown Structure. [online]. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-work-breakdown-structure-54294.html

[2] MATHIS, Micah (2016). WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS) PURPOSE, PROCESS AND PITFALLS. [online]. https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/work-breakdown-structure-purpose-process-pitfalls.php

[3] SEAVUS (2016). PROJECT MANAGEMENT TIPS. [online]. http://pmtips.net/blog-new/benefits-work-breakdown-structure

[4] TUTORIALSPOINT (2016). Work Breakdown Structure. [online]. http://www.tutorialspoint.com/management_concepts/work_breakdown_structure.htm

[5] What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Why is it Important? (2012). [online]. Last updated 12 9. http://www.pmdocuments.com/2012/09/12/what-is-a-work-breakdown-structure-wbs-and-why-is-it-important/