Work breakdown

A project becomes manageable once it is cut into pieces that someone can finish in a few days. This skill builds that list, estimates it honestly and shows what depends on what.

When to use

• After project-charter, before project-schedule.
• When a project feels too big or vague to start.
• Not for daily to-do management: use weekly-review.

Inputs

1. The goal, scope and deliverables (from project-charter).
2. Who can work on it, and how much time each person has.
3. Anything already done.

Method

1. Start from the deliverables, not from activities: what will exist at the end (a painted room, a signed contract, a migrated database).
2. Break each deliverable down until each task takes between a few hours and a few days, has a clear "done" and can be given to one person. Group tasks under their deliverable (a work breakdown structure).
3. Check for forgotten work: buying, waiting for deliveries, permits and paperwork, cleaning up, testing, telling people, training.
4. Estimate with three numbers: optimistic, most likely, pessimistic. The PERT average (optimistic + 4 × most likely + pessimistic) ÷ 6 gives a planning value, and the spread shows the uncertainty.
5. Mark the dependencies: what cannot start before something else is finished, and waiting times that cost no effort but take calendar time (drying, delivery, approval).
6. Assign an owner to each task (one name, not a team).
7. Export the table so that it pastes into a spreadsheet or a task app, then go to project-schedule.

Output

### Work breakdown: <project>
| ID | Deliverable | Task | Done when | Owner | Optimistic | Likely | Pessimistic | PERT | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | … | … | … | … | 1 d | 2 d | 4 d | 2.2 d | – |

Quality bar

• Every task has one owner, a clear "done" and a three-point estimate.
• Waiting times, paperwork, testing and communication are in the list.
• The PERT values are computed, not guessed, and estimates come from the people who will do the work when possible.
• Written in the user's language, with the terms below.

Terminology

Sources

• Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (7th ed.). Project Management Institute.
• Malcolm, D. G., Roseboom, J. H., Clark, C. E., & Fazar, W. (1959). Application of a technique for research and development program evaluation. Operations Research, 7(5), 646–669.