WBS Templates for IT/Software Projects, AIPM IRC Bibliography, 2 nd February, 2005

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1 WBS Templates for IT/Software Projects, AIPM IRC Bibliography, 2 nd February, 2005 Introduction: Work Breakdown Structures are crucial to a project s success often likened to a building s foundation. The WBS and the Work Packages that make it up are the building blocks to help manage time, cost and quality. Managing the WBS and using templates for this for software/it/organisational change projects is the topic of this bibliography. 1. Polley I, Clark R. Introducing project management maturity into a widely dispersed public health organisation. PMI Global Congress Europe Proceedings; 2003 May May 26; AIPM. USA: PMI; Keywords: public health administration - Australia; project management evaluation; health. Call Number: ET04 Abstract: The paper is a presentation of the strategy and experiences in introducing a comprehensive project management methodology into the Queensland (Australia) Department of Health in order to improve the project management maturity of the organization. Many approaches to project management have been used over the years but many staff do not see their work from a project management perspective. The project is strategic and is aimed at: 1) generating a project management approach to many organizational functions, 2) generating a stronger investment philosophy, 3) generating greater consistency and maturity in the way projects are managed. The overall project has been titled PM Plus and has involved: 1) development of a methodology with a standard process to generate consistency (WBS, process descriptions, glossary, role descriptions, templates and governance processes), 2) development of training and development strategy which targeted both project manager and project governance levels; 3) development of a Web site. Results to date are currently being identified in detail, but the positive experiences and clear benefits have generated considerable interest in other areas of the Department and within other health sector organizations. 2. Baccarini D. Work breakdown structure - deliverables and activities? Australian Project Manager 2002;22(1):3132. Keywords: Word Breakdown Structure; WBS; Practice Standards; PMI. Abstract: The work breakdown structure (WBS) is the core tool for project scope definition and one of the most important used in project management. This importance is reflected by the fact that the first practice standard to be issued by the Project Management Institute has been for WBSS runs to more than 75+ pages. 3. Diegel O. Managing product development projects: taking the work breakdown structure to new heights. World Project Management Week 2002; 2002 Mar Mar. 16; AIPM. Hong Kong: Keywords: WBS; work breakdown structure; product development. Abstract: It is typical in that in a product development project there are customer needs that stipulates certain requirements and contains a number of constraints and must be met to a solution that must be innovative, all within a tight dead-line. The question then becomes: How long does it take to come up with the innovative ideas required to resolve the above problems? This question is the one that makes product design projects, research and development projects, and any other projects that involve high levels of creativity and innovation, difficult to monitor and control. 4. Diegel O. Design breakdown structures: an extension to the work breakdown structure to manage innovation in new product development projects. PMI Seminars and Symposium Proceedings 2002; 2002 Oct Oct. 10; AIPM (CDRom). USA: PMI; Keywords: new products; work breakdown structure; WBS. Abstract: New product development is about innovation. Innovation is about the unknown. How does one manage projects in which most of the project may be unknown at the start? The Design Breakdown Structure is a tool that helps to overcome the inherent weakness of the traditional WBS in areas requiring high levels of innovation and creativity. 5. Black FW. Top down-bottom up project management. PMI Seminars and Symposium Proceedings 2002; 2002 Oct Oct. 10; AIPM (CDRom). USA: PMI; Keywords: project integration management. Abstract: In this paper you will learn how to decompose a project and communicate the entire project plan in one coherent form which relates project requirements and objectives at the level where the actual work of the project is performed - the work package level. 6. Githens, G. D. Manage Innovation Programs With a Rolling Wave. The Rolling Wave technique is excellent for development programs. This tutorial shows you how to get started and avoid the pitfalls. PM Network 15(5), Keywords: Work Breakdown Structure; Development Projects; Deployment Projects; Rolling Wave Program. Abstract: Development projects are those which typically have high uncertainty, involve an inherently iterative design process, and are 'inventive' in nature. By contrast, deployment projects involve little design work, are linear in nature, and focus on the deployment into the operations environment. The article describes the rolling wave program management technique, which is best suited for development projects. Summarized as a phased, 'plan a little, do a little' approach, the six steps of rolling wave project management are described: 1) applying an integration strategy; 2) performing top-down planning using the work breakdown structure (WBS); 3) performing the first planning iteration; 4) setting the time, cost, and scope baselines; 5) executing the planned work in 'time buckets' (or planning horizons); and 6) iterating through the planning horizons and closing the project. 1

2 7. Ward GF. The WBS dictionary - extending the work breakdown structure. PMI Seminars and Symposium Proceedings 2001; 2001 Nov Nov. 10; AIPM (CDRom). USA: PMI; Keywords: WBS; work breakdown structure. Abstract: The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) can be compared to a building's foundation. Without a good foundation, a building may collapse. Likewise, without a good WBS, project success may be negligible. The WBS defines a project's work in terms of deliverables and the process phases appropriate to the organization/project. It also is the basis for establishing all steps/tasks, effort, costs and responsibility. The problem with a WBS is that deliverable elements are usually defined with very short descriptions. This brevity often leads to confusion and miscommunication for various stakeholders. By extending each WBS element with an electronic dictionary that contains several descriptive fields, the problem can be eliminated. This presentation will examine a working model of a WBS Dictionary. Attendees will see how a tool with a web-enabled interface has been developed to address the problem defined above. The model has been enhanced to not only fully describe each WBS element but to track and report on progress as well. The paper will provide: 1) A short overview of best practices for creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and various theories on what a WBS should be. This section is based on recent work by the PMI Standards Group as described in their paper "PMI Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures". 2) Fields that should minimally be contained in a WBS Dictionary to eliminate confusion and miscommunication. These fields include such things as detailed description of the deliverable, medium used for the deliverable, length/size of deliverable, resources required, approximate effort, deliverable owner, steps required to develop the deliverable, technologies required, risks associated with the deliverable, completion criteria, and approval criteria. 3) Description of a working tool. This tool is based on an Access database with a web-enabled interface used as a WBS Dictionary. The description is intended to be simple and intended for the non-information technology specialist. 4) Enhancements that have been added to the WBS Dictionary to make it even more powerful. These enhancements include a guide based on lessons learned, links to other related topics, progress documentation and the capability to report deliverable status. 8. Wallace RH. Grass roots PMO - Simple concepts for grand results, and all that quality stuff too. PMI Seminars and Symposium Proceedings 2001; 2001 Nov Nov. 10; AIPM (CDRom). USA: PMI; Keywords: project quality management; quality control. Abstract: Step 1: Establish your "Quality" Philosophy This presentation starts with a look at the quality philosophy established by this group that has garnished significant praise and measurable success. We will look at the strategy statements we defined for Scope, Risk, Communication, and other knowledge areas. We will then discuss the challenges of measuring quality output. For example, we utilize a formal Risk Assessment tool. If two separate project teams spent time identifying possible Risk Events on the same Risk Activity, they would probably come up with different events, probabilities, impact assessments, and mitigation strategies. Thus, quality should not attempt to measure the validity of the output from methodology tools yet it should track the use of a tool. This will answer the question, "what steps do we take that will improve our chance of delivering a quality project." Step 2: Build your Project Tools & Develop your Methodology The next step is to build templates that will be placed into your project tool kit. First, we will look at the document management strategy we implemented. Organization is a consistent trait with successful project management and it is equally important in supporting our methodology and as a building block for our project office. We will then look at a visual representation of accidental vs. disciplined project management. We will review each phase of a project and our outputs. In phase 1 we look at the project scope/charter template. In phase 2 we examine our WBS template, risk management template, and communication template. In phase 3 we utilize an action-tracking template we call "Minutes & Issues". Finally, when the project is completed, for phase 4 we send out a project survey template along with the project completion template, conduct our lessons learned review, and update our lessons learned database. We will look at our project checklist that ties all these steps and tools together and view. Step 3: Develop your Process Methodology, Standards, and Templates Project management is fundamentally based on the concepts of process. Process design, tracking, reporting, review, and continuous improvement are key activities. First, we will examine how process methodology is used to document operational processes and administrative chores. Then, we will explore how process methodology is utilized in the context of a project. We will link the two together by looking at how projects utilize pre-defined processes (object oriented project planning) and how some operational processes are documented based on project experience (best practices). This section will include a development demonstration through the use of our 13-point checklist. We will conclude by looking at samples of top sheets, control charts, and statistical data showing the departmental efficiency gains. Step 4: PMO Methodology & Tools. In this section, we will look at our project portfolio management strategy. Using a system of "slots" we load balance our project managers to promote quality, portfolio flexibility, cross-training opportunities, and ultimately employee retention and customer satisfaction. We will take a detailed look at the metrics and philosophy of our Slot Management Strategy. Then, by a simple but powerful tool, we demonstrate how we rate the complexity of projects based on more than 20 factors and ensure we have the appropriate resources to meet the customer expectations. Complementing our project portfolio is our process portfolio. We will explore how this tool measures process maturity (vertical maturity) and organizational adoption of the processes (horizontal maturity). We will review how these two lists interact to form a complete overview of the PMO workload. 2

3 9. Brown KA, Hyer Nl. Mind mapping as a WBS development tool. PMI Seminars and Symposium Proceedings 2001; 2001 Nov Nov. 10; AIPM (CDRom). USA: PMI; Keywords: mind mapping; work breakdown structure; WBS. Abstract: The WBS is a key element in the foundation of a project. For small projects, the WBS may be the basis of a simple task checklist. For larger projects, it serves as a critical input to a network schedule or Gantt chart. In spite of its singular importance, the WBS has received less than the attention it deserves in the project management literature. This paper highlights the importance of the WBS, identifies the pitfalls associated with WBS development, and describes how a method known as mind mapping may be used to engage team members in developing a comprehensive WBS. Most project managers can recall incidents in which critical WBS elements were unintentionally omitted from a project plan. Often, the overlooked task is small but critical to project completion. Moreover, project managers frequently encounter situations in which team members do not understand the way a project's elements intersect to form the whole. They don't see the big picture. Worse yet, they may not feel a sense of ownership in the WBS, perhaps disagreeing with the general course of action. The projects where these challenges have arisen are often faced with failure or potential failure. A Solution How can we increase the likelihood that a project WBS will be as complete as possible? How can we ensure that team members feel ownership in and commitment to the project's mission, goals, and deliverables? How can we help team members to see the big picture? We believe that mind mapping can help to address the concerns raised in these questions. Mind mapping is a structured brainstorming tool that stimulates creativity and engages team member involvement. Because its format mimics the way the human brain stores and records information, mind mapping encourages team members to generate more ideas than they might have otherwise. The result can be a more comprehensive WBS. The speed of the process makes it useful even in fast track environments. The out-of-the-box approach seems to draw participation even from the quietest of team members, and the use of visual images lights a spirit in the group. We have used the mind mapping technique for WBS development with over 2000 project managers, and will highlight what we have learned through these experiences. The paper and the presentation will provide specific, practical instructions for those who are interested. 10. Berg C. Work breakdown structure practice standard project - WBS vs. Activities. PM Network 2000;14(4): Keywords: Work breakdown structure. 11. Truhlar PB. WBS.com(ponents) - Building a better WBS for object technology. Connections PMI Seminars and Symposium. Proceedings; 2000 Sept Sept. 16; AIPM (CD-Rom). USA: PMI; Keywords: information systems; software; IT; information technology; work breakdown structure; WBS. Abstract: Information Technology (IT) is a rapidly changing environment. It is difficult to manage a project and produce a product on time and on budget in this environment. This paper will present some techniques for establishing a work breakdown structure (WBS) that can address this rapidly changing environment. To get to a solid WBS, the project purpose and goals should be established through the project charter. The project charter section emphasizes tasks that lead to a well developed, goal oriented project plan including the purpose statement, the definition of a purpose statement and how to write a purpose statement. The development of a good purpose statement clearly identifies the high-level project deliverables. These high-level deliverables lead to a goal oriented work breakdown structure. In today's rapidly changing world of technology, projects and products are sometimes expected to be created overnight. With this type of an expectation, it is an almost impossible task for a project manager to develop a project plan that will meet the client's needs within this timeframe. The only solution to solve this problem is to create an incremental and iterative set of deliverables. Techniques for creating an incremental and iterative product development process will be presented. Using an incremental and iterative product or software development approach lends itself well to the newer technologies such as object technology. In order to understand how a work package is defined, we must first understand a little about object technology. Definitions will be presented on what are objects and classes and how use cases fit into the structure of this type of product development. A building block approach will be presented to structure the WBS. Starting at the bottom are work packages that are defined as object or classes. Objects and classes are associated with a use case. A set of use cases make up a system. A system is defined through its context. All of which makes up the building blocks of a comprehensive WBS. Team structures are also instrumental in the success of an incremental and iterative product development approach. A variety of different skills are needed on these types of projects and many project members will be performing multiple roles. Definitions will be also be presented on skills such as a professional shoppers, jewel makers, storytellers and factory workers and what role they play in object-oriented development. One of many factors impacting IT is obsolescence. Planning techniques used in clearly defining project scope and creating the WBS will help prevent obsolescence. Creating a comprehensive work break down structure that not only includes the product development deliverables such as use cases, objects or classes but also project management deliverables will enable technology managers to organize and control what might otherwise seem to be an impossible task. The WBS correlates with software and hardware components developed in information technology projects. Component-based WBS's provide for rapid product creation through incremental and iterative development. These planning techniques will help masterfully create a project plan that will produce a superior Information Technology product. 3

4 12. Shapiro V. Gaining matrixed areas' commitment for effective internet development. Connections PMI Seminars and Symposium. Proceedings; 2000 Sept Sept. 16; AIPM (CD-Rom). USA: PMI; Keywords: global communications technology; IT; information technology; matrix organisation; subcontracting. Abstract: How do you gain each matrixed area's commitment to the project plan for an internal Information Technology (IT) project? United Services Automobile Association (USAA) successfully designed and implemented a new Internet Platform using over twenty matrixed areas committed to a fixed cost and schedule. A major factor in the successful planning and implementation of the project was the use of subcontracts. In the Internet Platform project, each matrixed area's performance was critical to the project's success, and yet the project manager had no formal authority. Signing documented subcontracts with each matrixed area set expectations regarding the project and the matrixed area's other responsibilities. One Person's Work Package is Another Person's Project Creating Accountability Experience shows that when problems begin to occur on a project, the project manager may hear the phrase "your plan" more often. Without formalizing accountability in the project planning, a matrixed area may begin stating reasons why the estimates their representative supplied during the planning phase are no longer valid when the project work begins. On the Internet Platform project, each matrixed area's work package manager (WPM) as well as the WPM's supervisor signed a documented subcontract. Defining the Scope of Work Each subcontract used a standard template that contained five major areas: a scope statement; a deliverables list with corresponding completion dates and acceptance criteria; an assumptions list; a budget; and subcontract signatures. This document became the detail support for the overall project plan. Setting the Contracting Terms Matrixed areas readily agreed to complete the subcontract when they recognized the assumptions section was for their benefit. With training, each area saw the assumptions piece as the means to re-baseline their commitment if an assumption was no longer true. While some areas wrote ten or more assumptions, the project stayed on course. The comprehensive assumptions actually helped the project manager understand the needs of each matrixed area and provided a better understanding of the project's risks. Committing to the Schedule The paper discusses the advantages of defining two-week deliverables in the subcontract. The subcontract documents each deliverable's completion percentage towards finishing the overall work package. With the pre-set completion percentages, work package managers provided a red-yellow-green status on upcoming deliverables. The paper also explains how signing the documents established an escalation procedure if problems arose in the execution of the work package. Executing the Subcontracts Each of the subcontracts linked to a specific work package in the Internet Platform project's work breakdown structure (WBS). The paper discusses how the contracts were maintained and how they provided the detail support to the project schedule. More information is provided on how the matrixed areas measured their progress against their subcontracts, while the project manager owned the project contingency showed in the overall project plan. By defining the pre-set completion percentages and subcontracting budgets, the project manager performed earned value analysis at a subcontract level as well as the overall project level. This provided an objective means to focus on the project schedule when a matrixed area missed a deliverable date. Defined red-yellow-green status measurements provided an objective and simple way for work package managers to keep the project manager informed each week. The Project is the Boss Highly successful electronic commerce channels present a one-company image to the Internet customer. Subcontracting provides the USAA IT project manager the ability to focus the many comprehensive features of USAA's information technology into a single direct access channel for its customers. USAA has incorporated this subcontracting into its Internet Project Management practices to better facilitate delivering projects quickly and effectively. 13. Grove C, Hallowell W, Smith CJ. A parallel WBS for International projects. PM Network 1999;13(3): Keywords: International project management - Cultural differences - Work breakdown structures. 14. Cruise MJ. Developing and using templates for project planning and control. Learning, Knowledge, Wisdom. PMI Seminars and Symposium. Proceedings 99 ; 1999 Oct Oct. 12; AIPM (CD-Rom). USA: PMI; Keywords: pharmaceutical; templates; planning; control. Abstract: This paper discusses the process of developing a template for use in planning and tracking projects. Starting with process mapping of work flows, processes and procedures were documented. Responsibilities, inputs, approvals, and quality criteria were outlined for each work package. Experience at Boehringer-Ingelheim will be used to illustrate the process. 4

5 To obtain copies of any of the above documents, please visit the AIPM website under Knowledge Resources - Document Delivery, or contact the IRC Manager on or kevin@aipm.com.au 5