Work Breakdown Structure and Estimation Required Template: WBS Outline Template.

Work Breakdown Structure and Estimation
Required Template: WBS Outline Template.xlsx
Download WBS Outline Template.xlsx
The Work Breakdown Structure is the document that details ALL work activities to be done over the lifespan of the project. The WBS is a top-down breakdown of each work package (also know as a deliverable) until it is at the most basic level of having one task and one owner. This step, in addition to estimating the work, is essential to perform because it allows a prediction of how many hours (effort) of work a project will take to implement as well as how much it will cost to implement. It will also help identify risks.
The WBS requirements are as follows:
You must use the required template. It is an outline format.
You must include the following 3 phases in your WBS: Planning, Implementation, and Post Implementation/Evaluation.
Each phase will include all work that should be completed during that specific phase. You will have your major work packages/deliverables followed by all tasks and subtasks.
Phase->Deliverables->Tasks->Subtasks (4 levels of work breakdown) Example:
Phase: Planning
Deliverable: Marketing (This is your work package, and you would have many tasks/subtasks under 1 deliverable).
Task: Create 5K flyers
Subtasks: Create 2 different flyer options; Submit flyers for approval; Edit flyers; Submit flyers for final approval
Many of your deliverables should be included in each phase of the project. For example, you will have Marketing in your Planning phase, but you will also have it in your Implementation. However, your tasks and subtasks will change based on the phase of the project. Critical thinking question: Does it make sense in your Post-Implementation/Evaluation phase? It’s not a trick question. I want you to consider how or if it would fit in the PI/E phase.
Use an action verb when writing tasks/subtasks such as “Create flyers” instead of “flyers”.
At the lowest level of the breakdown, each task should have one specific owner.
Once the work is broken down, use a bottom up approach to estimate time to complete each task.
Report estimated time to completion in minutes/hours in (parentheses) next to each task or sub task
Report total estimated time to completion for each phase in hours in (parentheses) on the WBS. Example: If a task was to take 6 hours and 15 minutes, you would report that as (6.25 hours)
Report total estimated time to completion for all 3 phases of the project.