Pdf impact of various workbreakdown structures on project. An organizational breakdown structure is used in complex projects and in conjunction with the work breakdown structure. Empire is a canadian foodretailing and real estate company based in stellarton, nova scotia, with more than. If youre using org charts just to visualize the structure of your organization then youre selling yourself short. To develop and maintain a wbs, you must have a clear understanding of the projects.
Pbs product breakdown structure fbs feature breakdown structure bom bill of materials rbs risk breakdown structure cbs contract breakdown structure their functions can be briefly defined as follows. This work breakdown structure example shows that all the elements are listed under wbs levels. Breakdown structure efficient project management simplified. Work breakdown structure wbs simplifies the project scope of work, so that all the project stakeholders are on the same page in terms of measuring the progress of the project.
The organizational breakdown structure obs is a project organization framework for identification of responsibility, accountability, management, and approvals of all authorized work scope. Organization breakdown structure obs a hierarchical relationship of the organization, including. The obs displays organizational relationships and then uses them for assigning work to resources in a project. Introduction dividing complex projects to simpler and manageable tasks is the process identified as work breakdown structure wbs. The project management term organizational breakdown structure also referred to by the 3 letter acronym obs refers specifically to a tool that can be utilized by the project management team and or project management team leader in a hierarchal manner for the purposes of conducting and creating a thorough and clearly delineated depiction of. View work breakdown structure research papers on academia. All projects using the lbnl earned value management system evms will include an obs in the project execution plan pep. Part 3 organizing chapter 5 organizational structure and.
So the wbs and the changes require the use of the project change control process. The work breakdown structure wbs is a hierarchical decomposition of the work that is necessary to complete a project. The work breakdown structure is the tool used to divide the project work content among individuals and organizations so that ef ciency and effectiveness will be achieved while ensuring the integration of work efforts to produce the projectrequired deliverables. Organizational chart templates editable online and free.
Even though various organizational functions and project deliverables are involved, they should be. The lowest levels of wbs shows the project deliverables. Section 2 focuses on the work breakdown structure wbs as a tool that supports division of labor in. Work breakdown structure an overview sciencedirect topics. For example, if the wbs is driven to a very low level of indenture and the obs establishes management responsibility at a low organizational level, the marriage of. Within its structure a reader will be able to discern.
Usually, the project managers use this method for simplifying the project execution. Work breakdown structure eating the elephant one bite at a time d. Organization breakdown structure obs see next page, shows a representative obs. Depending on the organizational values and the nature of the business, organizations tend to adopt one of the following structures for management purposes. It typically depicts the overall organization of the project members, usually with the project manager at the top, the team leaders at level 2, and the individual team members below level 2. What is a work breakdown structure in project management. A work breakdown structure is a tool used to define and group a projects discrete work elements or tasks in a way that helps organise and define the total work scope of the project it provides the framework for detailed cost estimating and control along with providing guidance for schedule development and control. The wbs is used for overall planning of the project, assisting with the project management. This article examines the nature of the organizational breakdown structure and explains how one can be created. Elsaid is currently pursuing doctor of philosophy ph. Breakdown structure is a one of the project management diagrams of visual paradigm. The product of the project is decomposed into a product breakdown structure pbs. A work breakdown structure wbs is a fundamental project management technique for defining and organizing the total scope of a project, using a hierarchical tree structure. How to improve productivity with a work breakdown structure.
Nazila mazaheri artinarsing rao sharmithas madhukumar sandhya urs j 2. Applying the work breakdown structure to the project. This is part 1 of a severalpart analysis by simon harris. Understanding breakdown structures in project management. How you develop youre work breakdown schedule wbs for a project youre managing depends on how familiar you and your team are with your project, whether similar projects have been successfully performed in the past, and how many new methods and approaches youll use. Significance of work break down structure in project. A fourstep guide to the work breakdown structure smart. Like its originator, the obs allows complex projects to be broken down. The wbs is an important tool which helps to keep an overview of the project. Concepts of work, risk, and organizational breakdown. When a new discipline begins to mature, one of the first things that practitioners often do is create a lexicon of acronyms representing the disciplines primary concepts, practices, and principles. It also has the benefit that you can baseline versions and track changes since the baseline. But as the discipline matures, and the acronyms are more frequently used, the meanings associated with the.
Managers use wbs to break down their projects into easily manageable components. Fbs is a structured, modular breakdown of every function that must be addressed to perform a generic mission. From the product breakdown structure, the work breakdown structure is developed. Who or which unit is responsible for producing a work package. The organizational breakdown structure is an intermediate step in. The ground operations product breakdown structure needs to be able to identify the. Its main reason is to create an environment that fosters interactions among the team members with a minimum amount of disruptions, overlaps and conflict. Structure and design chapter 5 y ou might not have heard of empire company limited, but youve probably shopped at one of their sobeys, safeway, or iga grocery stores. The organizational breakdown structure obs is a global hierarchy that represents the managers responsible for the projects in your enterprise. Work breakdown structure d efines tasks and assign resources to those tasks it forms the basis for. The obs usuall slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising.
The lesson will introduce and define the term organizational breakdown structure obs and will provide a thorough example of obs, which will help to explain how it is used in project management. The first two levels of the wbs the root node and level 2 define a set of planned outcomes that collectively and exclusively represent 100% of the project scope. One or more of the following statements may affect this document. It is a product oriented structure, not an organizational structure. These components are further decomposed until a required person from the team can be assigned. Organizational breakdown structure worcester polytechnic institute.
The costs of these tasks are clear and easy to estimate. Organizational breakdown structure free download as pdf file. What is an organizational breakdown structure obs successful project management requires detailed planning and an organized structure. Assignment matrix ram shows the intersection of the organizational breakdown structure obs and the work breakdown structure wbs. Too many use the flawed practice of naming the guide to the project management body of knowledge. How to develop a work breakdown structure by brainstorming. Breakdown structures revisited mosaic project services pty ltd. Section 1 deals with different organizational structures. A mismatch between the project wbs, the organizational structure, and the management style of the project manager has a negative impact on. From the time the first edition of the practice standard for work breakdown structures was being developed a little more than five years ago, there has been a vast expansion in rapid electronic access to information through the internet, cdroms. Organizational chart template for performance and retention planning. The obs breaks down to engineering which breaks down to design which breaks down to interface design. Organization breakdown structure obs pmhut project.
Organizational structure types bureaucratic structures. Impact of various workbreakdown structures on project. A subsea field development project can be organized and comprehended in a visual manner by breaking the tasks into progressively smaller pieces until they are a collection of defined tasks, as shown in figure 69. Unlike a work breakdown structure wbs, the fbs is a function. Obs also known as organizational breakdown structure is used to define the responsibilities for project management, cost reporting, billing, budgeting and. The methodology for a formalized project management system includes development of a resource breakdown structure and a work breakdown structure before developing an estimate and a schedule for. Before you start, you have to identify the tasks making up the project and decide who will carry out the work. Organisation breakdown structure example checkykey. Work breakdown structure 55 beginning with the elaborated wbs 60 userelated characteristics 62 wbs dictionary 65 deliverablebased management 67 activitybased management 67 scope baseline 68 acceptance criteria 68 chapter summary 70 5 the wbs in procurement and financial planning 75 chapter overview 75 build versus buy decisions 75 cost. Although the organization follows a particular structure, there can be departments and teams following some other organizational structure in exceptional cases.
General disclaimer one or more of the following statements. At the conclusion of this lesson you will be able to recognize the relationship between the work breakdown structure wbs, organization breakdown structure obs and responsibility assignment matrix ram. Project management relies on a formal structure that reflects the approach being adopted for managing the different facets of the project. Product breakdown structure is a hybrid in nature in that some aspects of a work breakdown structure will be incorporated and merged with the architecture concept of operations, master subsystem list, customer interface, and assigned management responsibility. Responsibility assignment matrix ram depicts the intersection of the wbs and the obs. The project organization structure a project organization is a structure that facilitates the coordination and implementation of project activities. The most complete project management glossary for professional project managers. Researchers have argued that if organizational theory is to be relevant to practitioners, emphasis should be placed on organizational effectiveness and its influencing factors 3640.
This structure follows the traditional hierarchy model that is used to provide all those involved in the. Organizational breakdown structure and responsibility. It allows an ataglance look at the organizational resources structured in a hierarchical manner. When related to the pbs, the wbs addresses how each part of the system or product identified in the pbs is going to be completed. Breakdown structure has advanced versioning that stores all changes you are making. Development of hybrid product breakdown structure for. Organizational breakdown structure obs template click the pdf icon below download this template. Project managers are no different, generating such abbreviations as wbs, obs, and rbs. The following discussion will examine the current trends and practice regarding work breakdown structures. And he changes to the wps changed the deliverables and therefore, the scope of the entire project. Work breakdown structure 2 wbs a work breakdown structure wbs is a tool used to define and group a projects. Obs organization breakdown ssucuetructure andrea martone the obs is a hierarchical decomposition of the projects responsibilities, in order to individuate the person or the obs organization breakdown structure p, office responsible for each work package. Through the iterations of the project obs the organization will develop the most efficient project structure that takes into account the availability plus the. The obs identifies the roles and the person associated with each role.
An organizational breakdown structure is an intermediate level of a different chart that many of you are already familiar with. An organization of the work required to complete a project contains all the work items hardware software documentation top down structure. Tasks and activities will be grouped under these lowest levels. Defining and solving the organizational structure problems to improve the performanceof ministry of state for environmental affairs egypt nedal m. Notice that the diagram name will become the name of the root element. The wbs breaks down to cams gui which breaks down to prime msn product which. Work breakdown structure relativistic heavy ion collider. And i want to emphasize again it is a formal document. Who or which unit is accountable for a work package. Number four or is a change in the work breakdown structure means change in the project scope. International journal of project management 1994 12 3 16571 impact of various workbreakdown structures on project conceptualization shiomo globerson school of business administration, tel aviv university, tel aviv 69978, israel for a project to be properly managed, there is a need to generate its workbreakdown structure wbs, and to define work packages so that they can be correctly. Work breakdown structure rev e, june 2003 work breakdown structure a project work breakdown structure wbs is a deliverable or product oriented grouping of project work elements shown in graph ical display to organize and subdivide the total work scope of a project.
Organization breakdown structure obs professional services. This means you can revert to any previous version, so that you never have to worry that you will accidentally delete something. This process helps the team gain clarity on the big pieces of scope that are necessary. Work breakdown structure in project management refers to decomposing the project into manageable pieces of work units called work packages. An organizational breakdown structure can be as simple or complex as the project requires to adequately define the organization.
Below are two examples of an obs for a design project, with one being horizontal and the other vertical. The work breakdown structure wbs is a graphic family tree that captures all of the work of a project in an organized way. This blog provides a fourstep guide to creating a work breakdown structure, such as the one pictured here. The importance of the wbs experienced project managers know there are many things that can go wrong in projects. This organizational chart shows the growth of an organization. A work breakdown structure wbs is a model of the work to be performed in a project organized in a hierarchical structure. The development of work breakdown starts immediately after the projects scope is more or less finalized. Defining and solving the organizational structure problems.
871 869 1055 213 699 368 1012 402 1412 433 501 1607 1209 987 539 526 693 470 208 12 923 207 1472 858 356 9 317 834 518 1145 69 931 886 1035