The key to WBS is the "S"
~How to build a WBS: Part 1: Organizing the project ~

Hello, this is Kamii, head of the creative department.

This is the second installment of the "Professional Manager School" series.
Last time, we talked about the basics of development process models from the perspective of quality control, such as the most basic waterfall model, which lists each stage of a project in chronological order, and the V-model, which makes quality control simple and reliable.

The second topic is "WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) Part 1."
I would like to talk about the basics of project management, which are necessary to understand the big picture when planning and starting a project.

1. What is WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)?

WBS stands for Work Breakdown Structure, and it is the breakdown of a project into work processes according to the development process model.
The WBS identifies the components (work items) needed to complete a project and defines how they will be assembled. It can be thought of as a blueprint for the project.
It's the foundation for getting a clear picture of the big picture and the path to your goal so you can kick off your project with confidence.

2. Purpose of building a WBS

The WBS is the basis for the work carried out before and at the start of a project, such as creating an overall plan, preparing estimates, and arranging personnel.

This involves checking and organizing the work processes to be carried out in the project, but the purpose is not just to "list the work items" in chronological order according to the implementation procedure.
In order to grasp the overall picture of the project, it is important to be aware of the "S" in WBS, which stands for Structure , and to organize the work processes in a structural manner.

For this reason, it would be a good idea to organize your work with the "waterfall model" introduced in the development process model section in mind.
The waterfall model defines the overall picture of a project along the following points:

• Define the project deliverables (goals)
• Organize the work process in chronological order according to the implementation procedure.
• Define the deliverables for each work process
• Confirm the consistency of the output of each work process as the input for the next work process.
  

The purpose of constructing a WBS is to organize the work processes in a structured manner and use them as a guide for managing the project's progress.

From Waterfall Model to WBS

3. WBS Construction Procedure

Now, let's take a look at the steps to create a WBS when producing a website.

3-1. Breakdown by business type

First, we divide the work into broad categories by type and define the output (deliverables).
In a sense, it can be said to be a breakdown of the job functions of each person in charge.
This will help you identify the manpower required to deliver the project.

Web production WBS (business type)

3-2. Break down the work items according to the procedure for each type of work

Next, we break down the work items required to produce output for each business type in accordance with the study procedure.
I think the basic procedure for considering design and production is to proceed from "overall, common (major items)" to "individual, details (minor items)."

③ Taking the screen design process as an example, it can be broken down as follows:

Web production WBS (decomposition of work items by type of work)

In addition, in the case of ④ screen design, it will look like this:

• Basic design (top page, second level, third level, etc.)
• Common parts (header, footer) and navigation design
• Component Design
• Template screen design
• Drawings, illustrations, etc.
• Creating image parts for coding production, etc.

Similarly, break down work items by type of work.
The work items and implementation procedures broken down here will be the procedures for reaching consensus on the output of each business type.

3-3. Organize work items according to project implementation procedures across business types

Once you have broken down the output and work items for each type of work, organize them across each type of work in line with the project implementation procedures.

When planning web production, the general procedure is to proceed in the order of upstream process (overall plan) → downstream process (detailed plan).

(1) Plan for common content for the entire site (overall plan)
(2) Planning common rules for each level of the site structure and each content category (basic plan for hierarchy and structure)
(3) Detailed plan by page (detailed plan)

If we organize the "① Plan for common content for the entire site (overall plan)" in web production, it will look something like this:

By organizing work items across different business types, you can check whether there are any omissions or waste in the work items and outputs organized by business type.
When building a large-scale website, it is necessary to set up production rules specific to the project during the coding process and standardize the work. In such cases, it is necessary to design and review the design process based on standardization. In this way, we scrutinize the upstream process according to the work procedures of the subsequent process.
By creating a schedule based on the work procedures organized here, you will be able to proceed with the project smoothly.

Web production WBS (organizing work items according to project implementation procedures across business types)

4. Create a path to your project goals

A WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) is an important diagram that serves as an overview of the entire project. Its construction is also an important task in planning the path to the project goal.

In addition, breaking down and organizing the project by type of work, consideration procedures, and implementation procedures, and clarifying the output of each work process, can be said to be the first step in smooth progress management and consensus building .

In the second session, we talked about building a WBS to gain a structural understanding of the overall picture of the project.
In the next issue, we will discuss how to create a schedule and estimate based on the WBS in preparation for the project implementation. See you in August.