7 Ways How’s The Work Breakdown Structure and Change Control Connected

A visual project breakdown is called a work breakdown structure (WBS). WBS starts with the scope of work and then displays the deliverables and how they relate to the main project.

A work breakdown structure may be made using both project management frameworks and workflow management software because it is clearly shown. In this article on EDUHUBSPOT we’ll discuss how the work breakdown structure and change control are connected.

What does the project management work breakdown structure entail?

You can use a work breakdown structure as a tool to manage your project according to hierarchy. With a WBS, you may visualize projects and identify important dependencies by breaking deliverables down into sub-deliverables. The elements of each work breakdown structure are as follows:

Project name, description, and scope declaration, often known as the project baseline

• Project participants
• A well-structured project schedule
• Deliverables for the project and auxiliary duties

Work breakdown structures are a useful tool for project managers because they enable teams to visualise projects and deliverables tied to dependencies and provide team members with a visual project overview rather than a list of activities.

Your structure will then be set up depending on the hierarchical levels of the sub-deliverables. Depending on the amount of work required and the projected timetable, your project may potentially include phases.

The two kinds of WBS

Work breakdown structure depending on deliverables

This is a hierarchical split of the work that is deliverable-oriented. You will assess the entire project scope and break your work into deliverables that support it. If this sounds hard, don’t worry. This method works well for projects with a limited duration and a very clear goal. One instance is producing your annual income report.

Work breakdown structure based on phases

Here, you construct work packages that contain sets of tasks using project phases. Then, these task groups are finished gradually.

What are the three work breakdown structure levels?

Task dependencies can be separated by levels in a work breakdown structure. The tiers of your job breakdown structure will vary because projects can vary so widely. Even while the majority of projects do have dependencies of some kind, it’s possible to run across projects that don’t need sub-dependencies.

Though your structure may need more or less than those, there are three major levels of interdependence. Each level is linked to a parent task, with dependencies separating the work required to fulfill the parent task.

The primary task

Since the parent job is included in the first level of the work breakdown structure, this is the project’s most streamlined configuration. The project objective is typically the same as this.

Let’s imagine, for example, that your project team is revising the layout of your website. Your WBS initial level would like something like this:

New website design launch

As you can see, it’s easy and uncomplicated. Level 1, which is your primary objective, is the first phase of your numerous project management phases. The work required to accomplish this goal will be done in levels two and three.

Level 2: Tasks and dependencies

Depending on the size of the project, your breakdown structure will then become a little more complex. Subtasks, sometimes referred to as parent task dependencies, will be part of level two of your WBS.

Let’s take the tasks necessary to introduce a new website design as an example.

• Organize a session of innovative brainstorming
• Update brand standards
• build a messaging infrastructure
• Update your logo
• Add fresh images

Level two provides a high-level overview of the dependencies required to fulfill the project aim, even if it is a little more detailed than level one.

Level 3: Subtasks

These dependencies should be further divided into more controllable parts known as sub-dependencies at the third level of the WBS. The most specific job definition occurs at this stage, which is also the lowest level of the project lifecycle. The road to finishing all of your necessary deliverables will be made easier by these doable activities.

WBS dictionary

When creating a new project structure, a work breakdown structure dictionary is an excellent place to start. The visual form of a good WBS does not lend itself to lengthy explanations, hence the WBS glossary goes into much detail about each activity. Making a dictionary is an essential step in facilitating easier task discovery for project team members.

Even though it was made by you, it could be advantageous to request the assistance of team members from various departments. This will guarantee that the dictionary is as helpful as possible and that every item is well explained.

Task description

The task descriptions contain both the task name and a succinct summary of the goals. Since there won’t be enough room in your WBS for a comprehensive description, you can add more information to your WBS dictionary.

The goal of the task description is for team members to quickly and simply understand what the assignment is. So don’t focus too much on the amount of detail required right now.

Task owner

The allocated job owner is a crucial component to include for responsibility and communication reasons. The tasks will be completed more quickly the more simple it is to uncover the solutions. Depending on the sort of assignment, department heads and managers may also be the owners, however, project managers are frequently in this role.

Nothing is worse than squandering time trying to get project information. By designating task owners, project stakeholders will be able to swiftly address questions to the relevant person, increasing team productivity.

Task Budget

Large-budget initiatives should be closely monitored, while they are not always necessary. Assigning precise task budget caps makes it simple to monitor your progress toward your allotted budget.

If you don’t keep track of your spending, you can end up spending more than you planned, which would reduce your profit margin. So make sure to keep track of both your overall budget and the costs of each specific assignment.

Completion date 

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn how crucial it is to keep track of your target completion date. Having said that, it’s crucial to be ready in case your completion date changes.

Even though it can be challenging to manage many projects that exceed their given deadlines, it occasionally happens. You should break down each task in a schedule or other project management tool to accurately track progress. By doing this, you may identify timeline delays as they happen and take action to stop them from piling up to the point where you miss your initial completion date.

Task status

Documenting task status is crucial for quick progress checks along with timetable tracking. There are several different ways to document this, but most teams use phrases like “open,” “in progress,” and “complete.”

This will provide a high-level picture of the team’s productivity in addition to aiding with progress tracking. For instance, if certain teams consistently fail to finish assignments, there may be a deeper problem. By doing so, you can work to address team workload and communication concerns before they balloon into major ones.

Conclusion

Using a work breakdown structure (WBS), project managers can more effectively organize their workload. A project is defined by activities with a time restriction and is given specified time constraints and budgets. A project must satisfy the needs of the stakeholders it was created to serve once it is complete. 

Project management must assign duties and arrange for the project’s timetable, fixed costs, and functional completion. This plan is more consistent thanks to WBS, which also ensures efficient project execution.

FAQ

1. For project management, what is change management?

The term “change management” describes the procedures and instruments employed to control change within a project and its team.

2. What does the project management process of change control entail?

In project management, change requests are received, tracked, and resolved with the aid of the change control process. This process, which is sometimes represented as an action flow chart, takes place over a predetermined period of time (the quicker the better as long as accuracy is maintained), and it establishes a step-by-step procedure for dealing with significant structural changes.

3. What project managers can do to implement integrated change control?

List the characteristics of a modification request. For instance, you won’t need to submit a change request if you add a step to a project phase that won’t take too long and won’t interfere with your plan, but you will need to do so if the added step would affect the deadline. Create a plan for the submission, approval, and updating of requests.