How to Create a Work Breakdown Structure

A good WBS turns an intimidating project into a countable list of deliverables. Build one in six steps.

For the full concept, see Work Breakdown Structure.

Steps

1. Start from the final deliverables in your scope statement.
2. Decompose each deliverable into the sub-deliverables needed to produce it.
3. Keep decomposing until each work package is 8–80 hours of effort.
4. Apply the 100% rule at every level — children must sum to the parent.
5. Number each element (1, 1.1, 1.1.1) for a unique code.
6. Capture details for each work package in a WBS dictionary.