Data Migration Work Breakdown Structure
This is a practical guide to building a work breakdown structure for a data migration project — a deliverable-oriented decomposition of the whole scope into manageable work packages, adapted to the realities of moving data from legacy systems into a new platform.
What a Work Breakdown Structure is
A work breakdown structure is a deliverable-oriented decomposition of the whole scope into manageable work packages. For the full concept and how it works in general, see Work Breakdown Structure. On a data migration project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for a Data Migration project
Data Migration projects live or die on moving data from legacy systems into a new platform. A well-built work breakdown structure gives the team a shared, explicit reference for exactly that — reducing ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and making problems visible early enough to act. Skipping it, or doing it generically, is how data migration projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Top-level deliverables
- Sub-deliverables
- Work packages (8–80 hours)
- WBS numbering
- WBS dictionary entries
Data Migration-specific considerations
Tailor the work breakdown structure to the risks that most often derail data migration projects:
- Data quality and lineage
- Field mapping errors
- Reconciliation and cutover
Example
On a real data migration project, the work breakdown structure would be shaped by moving data from legacy systems into a new platform. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — data quality and lineage, field mapping errors, reconciliation and cutover — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.