The project plan is the plan for the project and is focused on the different process groups identified by PMI. If you look back to 3.2 Project plan basic components, you'll see where all of the pieces and parts of a project are included in a comprehensive plan. For example, the WBS is just a piece of the project plan, usually associated with the milestones and timelines. 

The WBS contains the tasks to be done on the project and is usually prepared in a hierarchical format such as an outline or a table with sections indented. A high-level WBS is usually included as an outline format section in the project plan, and the full WBS is a separate document. As discussed in 4.3 Project Tools, the WBS is usually broken down into packages where a single work package contains between eight to eighty hours of work to complete. Someplace the high-level outline in PMI phases (initiation, planning, execution, control, and closeout). Others place the high-level WBS in a graphical tree structure. Items commonly contained in the high-level WBS can include plans, milestones, and deliverables. The following sample was taken from a WBS template offered by Project Management Docs (2020). This example of a set of hierarchical tasks.

• Project Name

1.1.   Initiation

1.1.1. Evaluate and create recommendation(s)

1.1.2. Develop Project Charter

1.1.3. Deliverable: Submit Project Charter

1.1.4. Project Sponsor reviews project charter

1.1.5. Project Charter signed/approved

1.2.   Planning

1.2.1. Create a preliminary scope statement

1.2.2. Determine project team

1.2.3. Conduct project kickoff meeting

1.2.4. Develop project plan

1.2.5. Deliverable: Submit Project Plan

1.2.6. Milestone: Project plan approved

1.3.   Execution

1.3.1. Verify and validate user requirements

1.3.2. Design system

1.3.3. Procure hardware and software

1.3.4. Install development system

1.3.5. Testing phase

1.3.6. Install live system

1.3.7. User training

1.3.8. Go Live

1.4.   Control

1.4.1. Project management

1.4.2. Project status meetings

1.4.3. Risk management

1.4.4. Update project management plan

1.5.   Closeout

1.5.1. Audit procurement

1.5.2. Document lessons learned

1.5.3. Update files and records

1.5.4. Gain formal acceptance

1.5.5. Archive files and documents

 

Since a WBS is a hierarchical list of the work to be completed on a project, you'll commonly see the tasks broken up into sections aligning with the five PMI phases: initiation, planning, execution, controlling, and closing. Visual Paradigm (2020) has provided samples of several different kinds of WBS: phase-based, deliverable-based, responsibility-based, and other such organization of tasks to be completed. This is the same way as the example in LO 4 provided the outline view of a phase-based WBS. So, for example, if there are several deliverables, the deliverables would be laid out just as the phases were.

• Deliverable WBS

1.1.   Deliverable 1

1.1.1. Part 1 of deliverable

1.1.2 .Part 2 of deliverable

1.1.3. Part 3 of deliverable

1.2.   Deliverable 2

1.2.1. Part 1 of deliverable

1.2.2 .Part 2 of deliverable

1.2.3. Part 3 of deliverable

1.3.   Deliverable 3

1.3.1. Part 1 of deliverable

1.3.2. Part 2 of deliverable

1.3.3. Part 3 of deliverable

A responsibility-based WBS would be separated by project teams and then list the deliverables each team creates.

• Project name WBS

1.1.   Project Management Team

1.1.1. Develop project plan

1.1.2. Communicate with stakeholders

1.1.3. Document lessons learned

1.2.   Developer Team

1.2.1. Create a design plan

1.2.2. Create database dictionary

1.2.3. Write code

1.2.4. Move code into the testing environment

1.2.5. Move code into production

1.3.   Testing team

1.3.1. Test code

1.3.2. Get user acceptance

1.3.3. Complete testing report

A resource WBS might be shown as facility, equipment, software, and staffing. You're probably familiar with an organizational breakdown structure where the top starts with the CEO and moves through the organizational structure by reporting order.

Reference

Visual Paradigm. (2020). What is a work breakdown structure? https://www.visual-paradigm.com/guide/project-management/what-is-work-breakdown-structure/#:~:text=A%20Work%20Breakdown%20Structure%20(WBS,controlling%2C%20monitoring%2C%20and%20reporting

Create an assignment, consider that you are a project manager and are responsible for creating a work breakdown structure (WBS) for the project, based on your experience with similar projects. You may use a personal or work project or even make up one. The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate that you understand how to lay out the tasks and subtasks and associate timing with each task in the form of a Gantt chart. You want to create a project scenario, including the purpose of the project and the required deliverable(s). Consider an effort that you might have already experienced or is currently in the planning stage. 

An example of a set of top-level tasks for a WBS for a project (The University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2016) where someone plans to move from one apartment to another might look like this:

• Plan move
• Pre-packing
• Packing
• Moving
• Unpacking
• Project Closeout

Each of these is a milestone and has a set of sub-tasks for each. The goal is to move everything from one residence to the new one within a specific period of time. As you continue your readings, consider what your milestones, risks, and deliverables might be. The deliverable for this project would be to have everything moved from one place to another by a specific date. Think of potential risks for which you might need contingency plans. What if the apartment complex has made a mistake and the scheduled two-bedroom apartment is no longer available. Might you need to include this as a risk in your risk management document where you have considered storage facilities for the extra furniture that might not fit? What if the moving company gets held up and doesn't deliver the furniture on the expected date? What is the alternative to sleeping in the new apartment the first night? What if the movers broke something or lost something? What is the plan to recover or get reimbursed for those items? 

The WBS you create should include a multi-level, hierarchical numbered organization of the top-level, verb-oriented tasks and subtasks with a planned start date and end date. You should have approximately three levels, including the main summary task, subtask, and sub-sub tasks, considering that some charts may have more subtasks levels. You should have all tasks necessary to complete the project. Take into account an estimated duration of time to complete the work considering whatever constraints may influence the completion of the tasks. The chart should show bars for task timing and should indicate how dependencies connect the tasks. This WBS should support an organized way to monitor the work and provide status reporting, communications, and other such project activities. 

Deliverables:

1. Introduction and explanation of the Project you chose.
2. Detailed WBS with at least 3 sub-levels and 3 sub-sub levels. Turn in the entire .pod file.
3. Risk Management Plan.

Use project management software, Project Libre (Links to an external site.) to set up the WBS. Gantt chart generation is automatic (although you can apply various controls for its format). The key is to ensure that you include the type of information and elements that should be included to help make the project a success.

 

Assist with a step-by-step guide to do this project?