Project Management Work Breakdown Structure Part 3

Schedule development:

You have the list of activities in the work breakdown structure, the added durations and dependencies - what next? You ought to now possess an initial draft of the project schedule. You will now need to add milestone positions so as to produce an opportunity for a progress report. It is fairly possible, that numerous projects will have natural break points in their development. However, these stage durations could be significant, and little milestones will be beneficial to help control. Milestones frequently appear at an upper level in the schedule.

This initial schedule next needs review before it can be ratified by senior management.

Team Manager:

We have referred to the Team Manager previously as an individual who has responsibility for the effective conclusion of several tasks. Under PRINCE2 there is a conventional connection involving the Team Manager and the Project Manager. This entails accepting, carrying out and producing the task output as a managed formal requirement.

How many activity levels do you need?

You have to arrive at a level at which durations and costs could be examined with realistic accuracy. Possibly this level might be too low if it is unfeasible to handle the tasks. This is the merit of empowering specific departments to produce their own project management work breakdown structure as it will typically go to a level at which project control is optimized.

It's likely that 5 levels may be OK. As you go deeper and deeper the amount of particular activities can increase rapidly. In the initial stage of a project, the schedule will probaly be at an elevated level to review the cost implications. The number of levels might reflect the quantity of personnel at your disposal to run the project. Additionally, the sophistication of the project will guide the need for greater or smaller numbers of levels and tasks.

Sub-projects:

If too many levels are created, or you are without the required resource, it might be helpful to consider dividing the work breakdown structure with sub-projects in mind. These may be appropriate for outside arranged tasks, for example. The last mentioned could be less straightforward to deal with.

Project management scope:

If you are experiencing difficulty with the number of levels in the project management work breakdown structure you could have to review the scope and take any appropriate measures.

Management and administration:

Remember these ought to be included in the schedule. They might not affect the project finish date but will count to the costs.

Critical activities:

Amongst the fundamental components of any type of schedule will be the critical activities. These activities will change the finish date should their durations extend further than that put forward in the schedule. Therefore, it is sensible to highlight these and put in extra management resource to guarantee that these stay on time. Also, be careful that different activities don't all of a sudden turn into critical.


----------------------------------------------------
We present plain jargon free facts covering a wide range for business and personal use. If you need more details don't fail to see Project management at http://www.project-management-basics.com, or visit our product store at http://www.marchltd.co.uk


EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=263401