Different approaches for the WBS

In construction, the WBS provides a roadmap for project execution. It arranges the project into levels, each representing a greater level of detail, making the project more understandable and manageable. This article highlights the importance of a well-designed WBS in construction projects according to the schedule requirements. Whether you’re a project manager or new to the field, understanding the WBS will elevate your project planning and execution skills. You can check out our latest free course for more topics on construction project management fundamentals.

What is Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI): “WBS: a product-oriented “family tree” of project components that organizes and defines the total scope of the project. Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of a project component.”

In a simplified way, the WBS is the process of breaking the scope into small manageable tasks and packages till we reach a level where we can monitor the project in the required way.

Now let’s define each level individually:

1- The project: The highest level, representing the entire project.

2- Deliverables: Represents major phases or deliverables within the project lifecycle. This level can also include Sub-Deliverables.

3- Work Package: The lowest manageable unit of work.

4- Activity: Represents individual tasks or steps required to complete a work package.

Do all projects have the same WBS?

Each project requires a different WBS depending on the scope.

According to the CSI, Some projects can form the WBS based on the 16 divisions.

This WBS is suitable for tracking each division more easily, so if you were asked to provide a schedule that can track the 16 divisions this WBS approach will be sufficient.

Other projects can form the WBS based on floors and then include the divisions to monitor the floor instead of the division.

There are also more Divisions according to the CSI. So, you can have the same WBSs above but with additional divisions. You decide according to your project.

In each division, you can include another level before reaching the activity level or reach the activity level, this depends on your level of accuracy.

For instance, in division 16: electrical works, you can include the fixes as work packages or you can add them as activities, not work packages.

So based on the project tracking process, you can decide on the WBS shape. You can learn more about how to create WBS from our intermediate planning course here.

Using activity codes as WBS

We can use the activity codes to form other WBSs if needed. If we have a WBS, the first level is the divisions as per CSI, and we want the percentage of all the works in each floor, we can assign an activity code called floors, add the floors to it, and assign each activity to its relevant floor. From the ribbon “group and sort” we can filter by this activity code, and then the WBS will change to the selected filter.

Steps

1- Assigning “Floors” as an activity Code.

2- Add the floors in the activity code.

3- Assign the floors to each relevant activity.

4- Then after finishing, from group and sort choose the activity code “floors” to be your level 1.

5- You then have the WBS organized by the floor.

You can use the activity codes to have a WBS according to the BOQ. Any form can be achieved. However, it is very important to choose the WBS that will suit your project and use activity codes when needed or when new requirements appear in the tracking reports for instance.

Note

In the Construction Project Planning Intermediate Level and Professional Planning Engineer PPE courses that we provide, we offer different templates for the WBS in PDF and Xer format for our trainees. If you are one of our trainees in the above-mentioned courses, you will find the templates in the article’s library section.

Conclusion

In summary, The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in construction is a hierarchical framework that organizes and defines the entire scope of a construction project. It breaks down the project into manageable sections, starting from the overall project objective and dividing it into progressively smaller components such as phases, deliverables, work packages, and tasks. The WBS in construction provides a structured approach to project management, ensuring that all aspects of the project, are executed, and controlled.

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