Work Breakdown Structure Diagram
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Imani's boss never quite agrees with her on the scale of her team's projects. This causes budgeting issues for her team.
Alejandro's last project required and extension and his current project may need a replan.
Jamie has a great team of hard workers however, some small tasks get missed. On top of that their team has issues keeping projects within scope.
All three of these leaders can benefit from a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). This diagram provides a complete list of unambiguous goals and deliverables for a project. This list is made from the bottom level of the diagram. The items at this level are called work packages. These work packages make up no more and no less than all of the tasks required to complete the project.
To build a WBS diagram, start with the project charter and any other documentation that describes the scope and requirements for the project. The top tier (0) is the name of the project or the final deliverable. The next tier (1) begins breaking down the project. Ever subsequent tier is more specific until all tasks required for the project's completion are written out.
There are two primary approaches to work breakdown structures.
Deliverable-based approach.
Phase-based approach.
The deliverable-based work breakdown structure divides the scope into major areas and assigns tasks accordingly.
The phase-based work breakdown structure divides a project into phases and focuses on order of completion.
Both approaches have clear objectives and deliverables at the end of their branches.
PlantUML supports two syntax structures for WBS diagrams. OrgMode syntax uses asterisks to determine the depth and position of the nodes. Arithmetic notation uses spacing and plus signs (+) to determine node depth and position.
PlantUML draws the WBS in what the Project Management Institute refers to as a "Tree Structure or Organizational Chart.[1]"
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