Breaking Work into Task-Sized Chunks - Breaking Down Work
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Like Goldilocks, you have to find the right size for the work packages—not too big, not too small, but just right. Large work packages can be so vague that team members aren’t sure what they’re supposed to do. Moreover, your team could reassure you for weeks that a large chunk of work is running smoothly, only to beg for a schedule-busting extension just when you thought they’d be done. Too-small work packages, on the other hand, carry all the disadvantages of micromanagement: excessive communication, unending status reporting, lost productivity, and so on. So, how do you build a WBS with work packages that are just right?
Each project is unique, so don’t expect the same project management approach to work for every project you manage. Identifying work can run the gamut from invigoratingly informal to scrupulously methodical, depending on whether you’re planning a small project for a close-knit group or wrestling with a multi-year, multi-vendor project. (Whatever the project, a sure-fire shortcut is to borrow from existing sources, as described in the box below.)
UP TO SPEED
Borrowing a WBS
Even with input from all the stakeholders for the project, a blank WBS can be as daunting as the first blank page of the novel you want to write. Fortunately, several methods of developing a WBS let you learn—or even borrow outright—from the ideas and work of project managers who walked this path before:
Similar projects. If you know of a project that’s similar to the one you’re working on now, the fastest way to create a WBS is to use one that’s already finished, whether it’s stored in Project or another program. Be sure to check that project’s final schedule and its closeout documents (page 107) to identify work that was added during project execution.
Experienced resources. If people in your organization (or outside consultants and contractors, for that matter) have experience with your kind of project, they can help flesh out a WBS or identify work you’ve missed. You can write up the WBS as best you can, and then ask folks to look it over for you.
Microsoft Project templates. When you install Project, you automatically get a set of built-in templates for different types of projects, from technology deployments to residential construction (page 424). If these templates don’t meet your needs, Microsoft Office Online
(http://officemicrosoft.com)and other Web sites offer hundreds of specialized Project templates. Start with one of these templates to launch your WBS, altering it until it fits your project like a glove.
A WBS has only two types of elements: summary tasks and work packages. As you learned in Chapter 3, the lowest level of a WBS contains the work package tasks—hunks of actual work that you assign to team members. Anything else in a WBS is simply some level of summary of that work, which can nest to as many levels as you need, as shown in Figure 4-1. As it turns out, you can build a WBS from whichever direction you prefer—top down, bottom up, or side to side—as described in the following sections.
Figure 4-1. The organization of a WBS can vary, but the work packages remain the same. For example, you might track a project by phases (planning, design, and construction) or by completed components (from condo unit to floor to building). As you build a WBS, you can change summary tasks and move work packages around.
Next: Building a WBS from the top down >>
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 This article is excerpted from chapter four of the book Microsoft Project 2007: The Missing Manual, written by Bonnie Biafore (O'Reilly, 2007; ISBN: 0596528361). Check it out today at your favorite bookstore. Buy this book now.
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