How to Get Started Creating the WBS (continued)
The questions to ask yourself as you start to create a WBS are:
- What needs to be done? Make a list. For example, to create the garlic bread, you need to buy the bread, butter and garlic; put the garlic and butter on the bread; and bake the bread.
- Which activities are at the lowest level? Figure out which activities have dependencies on each other and which ones should be done first. For example, you must buy the butter and garlic before you can mix them together.
- Where do the activities fit in the WBS? The last activity is on the top and all the predecessor activities are below. The first tasks would be at the bottom of the list. When you read this in chronological order you will be reading up from the bottom. Thus the first activities in the example are to buy the garlic, butter, and bread and the last activity is to bake the bread.
Creating the WBS
Follow these guidelines to create the WBS:
Gather all the data as follows:
- Gather all project-related materials that define the solution, approach, and scope, including the PBS.
- Review WBSs that were created for similar projects.