Identifying Tasks in a Work Breakdown Structure
A work breakdown structure must clearly identify each task and include an estimated
duration. A task, or activity, is any work that has a beginning and an end and requires
the use of company resources such as people, time, or money. Examples of tasks include
conducting interviews, designing a report, selecting software, waiting for the delivery of
equipment, or training users. Tasks are basic units of work that the project manager
plans, schedules, and monitors — so they should be relatively small and manageable.
In addition to tasks, every project has
events, or milestones. An event, or milestone, is a recognizable reference point
that you can use to monitor progress. For
example, an event might be the start of
user training, the conversion of system
data, or the completion of interviews. A
milestone such as Complete 50 percent of
program testing would not be useful information unless you could determine exactly
when that event will occur.
Figure 3-8 shows tasks and events that
might be involved in the creation, distribution, and tabulation of a questionnaire.
Notice that the beginning and end of each
task is marked by a recognizable event. If you tried to manage a project as one large task, it would be impossible. Instead, you break the
project down into smaller tasks, creating a work breakdown structure (WBS). The first step in creating a WBS is to list all the tasks.