Scope Planning: Tools and Techniques Scope Planning:

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK ® Guide Third Edition 114 2004 Project Management Institute, Four Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA Figure 5-6. Sample Work Breakdown Structure with Some Branches Decomposed Down Through Work Packages .2 Decomposition Decomposition is the subdivision of project deliverables into smaller, more manageable components until the work and deliverables are defined to the work package level. The work package level is the lowest level in the WBS, and is the point at which the cost and schedule for the work can be reliably estimated. The level of detail for work packages will vary with the size and complexity of the project. Decomposition may not be possible for a deliverable or subproject that will be accomplished far into the future. The project management team usually waits until the deliverable or subproject is clarified so the details of the WBS can be developed. This technique is sometimes referred to as rolling wave planning. Different deliverables can have different levels of decomposition. To arrive at a manageable work effort i.e., a work package, the work for some deliverables needs to be decomposed only to the next level, while others need more levels of decomposition. As the work is decomposed to lower levels of detail, the ability to plan, manage, and control the work is enhanced. However, excessive decomposition can lead to non-productive management effort, inefficient use of resources, and decreased efficiency in performing the work. The project team needs to seek a balance between too little and too much in the level of WBS planning detail. Decomposition of the total project work generally involves the following activities: • Identifying the deliverables and related work • Structuring and organizing the WBS • Decomposing the upper WBS levels into lower level detailed components • Developing and assigning identification codes to the WBS components • Verifying that the degree of decomposition of the work is necessary and sufficient. 5 Identifying the major deliverables of the project and the work needed to produce those deliverables requires analyzing the detailed project scope statement. This analysis requires a degree of expert judgment to identify all the work including project management deliverables and those deliverables required by contract. Structuring and organizing the deliverables and associated project work into a WBS that can meet the control and management requirements of the project management team is an analytical technique that may be done with the use of a WBS template. The resulting structure can take a number of forms, such as: • Using the major deliverables and subprojects as the first level of decomposition, as shown in Figure 5-6. • Using subprojects as illustrated in Figure 5-6, where the subprojects may be developed by organizations outside the project team. For example, in some application areas, the project WBS can be defined and developed in multiple parts, such as a project summary WBS with multiple subprojects within the WBS that can be contracted out. The seller then develops the supporting contract work breakdown structure as part of the contracted work. • Using the phases of the project life cycle as the first level of decomposition, with the project deliverables inserted at the second level, as shown in Figure 5-7. • Using different approaches within each branch of the WBS, as illustrated in Figure 5-8, where test and evaluation is a phase, the air vehicle is a product, and training is a supporting service. Decomposition of the upper level WBS components requires subdividing the work for each of the deliverables or subprojects into its fundamental components, where the WBS components represent verifiable products, services, or results. Each component should be clearly and completely defined and assigned to a specific performing organizational unit that accepts responsibility for the WBS component’s completion. The components are defined in terms of how the work of the project will actually be executed and controlled. For example, the status- reporting component of project management could include weekly status reports, while a product to be manufactured might include several individual physical components plus the final assembly. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK ® Guide Third Edition 2004 Project Management Institute, Four Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA 115