Organisational Restructuring Work Breakdown Structure
This is a practical guide to building a work breakdown structure for an organisational restructuring project — a deliverable-oriented decomposition of the whole scope into manageable work packages, adapted to the realities of restructuring teams, roles or the operating model.
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 an organisational restructuring project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for an Organisational Restructuring project
Organisational Restructuring projects live or die on restructuring teams, roles or the operating model. 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 organisational restructuring 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
Organisational Restructuring-specific considerations
Tailor the work breakdown structure to the risks that most often derail organisational restructuring projects:
- People and morale impact
- Consultation requirements
- Business continuity
Example
On a real organisational restructuring project, the work breakdown structure would be shaped by restructuring teams, roles or the operating model. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — people and morale impact, consultation requirements, business continuity — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.