A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a decomposition of all the work necessary to complete a project which is arranged in a hierarchy and constructed to allow for clear and logical groupings, either by activities or deliverables. A Work Breakdown Structure is a critical tool for organizing work, building realistic schedules and cost estimates, and controlling, which is a grouping of project work elements to organize and subdivide the total work scope of a project.
Steps to develop a Work Breakdown Structure
The steps below outline the major steps to take in creating a Work Breakdown Structure.
- Define the scope of the project on the first level of the WBS
- Project management deliverables should be outlined at level two of the WBS
- Decompose project deliverables into work packages, to a level that can be scheduled, cost estimated, monitored, and controlled
- Apply the WBS to schedule development and resource assignment
- Apply the WBS to, as needed, change control, risk, budget, cost, and communication management, etc.
Creating a Work Breakdown Structure
- Click Diagram > New form the toolbar.
![Create new diagram](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/1_Create_new_diagram.png)
- In the New Diagram window, select Breakdown Structure Diagram, then click Next.
![Select Breakdown Structure Diagram](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/2_Select_Breakdown_Structure_Diagram.png)
- Name the diagram then press OK. We will name the diagram Health Insurance in this tutorial.
![name diagram](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/3_name_diagram-1.png)
- You will see a diagram with only one element called Health Insurance:
![initial diagram](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/4_initial_diagram-1.png)
- Move the cursor to the element Health Insurance, then click the resource icon New Subordinate.
![new subordinate](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/5_new_subordinate-1.png)
- Double click the element with ID 1.1, and rename the element to Unfied CRM. You can add a coworker for element Unfied CRM by:
- Repeating step 5,
![repeat 5](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/6.1_repeat_5-1.png)
OR
- Moving the cursor to the element Unfied CRM, then click the resource icon New Left Coworker or New Right Coworker.
![right coworker](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/6.2_new_right_coworker-1.png)
- Repeat step 6 for more coworkers of element United CRM.
- To create a subordinate of element United CRM, move the cursor to element United CRM, then click the resource icon New Subordinate. Rename the new subordinate to CRM System Integration.
![new subordinate for CRM](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/8_new_subordinate_for_CRM.png)
- To add a coworker for CRM System Integration, there are two different methods:
- Repeat step 8,
![repeat 8](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/9.1_repeat_8-1.png)
OR
- Move the cursor to element CRM System Integration, then click the resource icon Create Above Coworker or Create Below Coworker.
![below coworker](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/9.2_below_coworker-1.png)
- Repeat step 8 and 9 for other elements and their subordinates.
- You will get something similar when you finish your diagram:
![Final work breakdown](https://www.visual-paradigm.com/servlet/editor-content/tutorials/how-to-use-work-breakdown-structure/sites/7/2018/06/Final_work_breakdown.png)