5.2 Purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure

Various questioned should be answered when defining the purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure. Why is it necessary to create a Work Breakdown Structure for projects? What purpose does the Work Breakdown Structure serve? Why should a project manager waste time writing post-it notes and drawing charts when they could get their teams started on the actual project?

Retrieved From: 

(“6 benefits of taking a project management course”, 2019)

 

The evaluation of the questions discloses three primary reasons for employing Work Breakdown Structure in projects. Foremost, Work Breakdown Structures aids in defining and organizing the scope of the project specifically and accurately. Today, project managers achieve this by incorporating the hierarchical tree structure. In this format, the Work Breakdown Structure can successfully break down each level (project deliverable and objectives) into more measurable and specific facets. The second core reason for employing the Work Breakdown Structure in projects is to assist in responsibilities, allocation of resources, controlling of the project, and project monitoring (Sutrisna et al., 2018). The Work Breakdown Structure helps make the project deliverables more concrete and precise, thereby helping the project team know exactly what needs to be accomplished in the deliverables. In turn, this facilitates a more accurate estimation of risk, time, and costs since one can work from the small allocated tasks in each deliverable to the entire project. Lastly, the Work Breakdown Structure facilitates the accurate evaluation and double-checking of deliverables and their specifications with the necessary stakeholders, thereby ensuring no missing components or overlapping. Therefore, the main purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure is as follows:

 

1.  The definition and organization of the project scope more specifically and accurately.

2.  The assignment of responsibilities and resource allocation while monitoring and controlling the overall project

3.  Assisting the project manager and the necessary project stakeholders in double-checking the project deliverables, thus ensuring that there are no missing or overlapping components

Back to Lesson
Emmanuel Addo
Founder
Facebook Youtube Instagram

Emmanuel Addo is the founder of the Young Global Leaders Network, an international non-governmental organization registered in six (6) countries namely, Ghana, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan and has a membership strength of over 15,000 young black professionals, students, graduates, and aspiring leaders.

The organization also operates in 25 other African countries. Emmanuel also doubles as the chief convener and founder of the Young African Leaders Summit, one of the largest continental youth summits in Africa.  

Currently works at Kingston University as a Business Engagement Team Member in their Partnerships and Engagement Department. 

He characterizes energy, integrity, result-oriented, and ground-breaking service in each detail of strategic management, change management, stakeholder management, and leadership acquaintances.
Emmanuel owns a core background in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Ghana.

Leveraging his experience as a youth activist and a dynamic young man, Emmanuel founded the Young Global Leaders Network, a youth organization that comprises young diplomats, young politicians, and aspiring politicians, business/entrepreneurial business leaders with the aim of championing a mutual agenda for the African youth and promoting youth participation in governance as well as promoting entrepreneurial culture.
Emmanuel nurtures an environment of teamwork and has expertise in data collection and analysis as well as both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Emmanuel worked as an Associate Lecturer at the London College of Advanced Management where he delivered a wide range of business management courses that involved principles of marketing, leadership, operation management, and research methods. Emmanuel has always maintained high teaching and learning standards to ensure that his students’ stand out in academic achievements and successful progression. As a stout believer and passionate key player in volunteering; Emmanuel creates quality time to giving back gladly to his community what he has learned and to educate individuals with free consultancy on career development. He is a leader anyone would love to look up to and with great integrity, commitment, and passion to make the world a better place.
Emmanuel worked as Qualifications Manager at the Open University in the UK.

Emmanuel is also the founder of Kickstart Innovation Hub Ltd, the entrepreneurial hub of Young Global Leaders Network.