Introduction The need to develop a work breakdown structure is paramount in achieving success in any given project, be it preparing a pot

of soup. When a project have been initiated through a project charter as describe by Math H. Evans (p.4 ), there is a need to develop a detailed project plan documented in the project charter, by breaking down the projects into activities.. The Need to Develop a Work Breakdown Structure before Defining Activities in every Instance According to Wysocki R. (2009 P.124), the work breakdown structure is a hierarchical description of all work that must be done to complete the project as defined in the POS. It breaks all the projects into work packages and each work package has a work product, or some milestone that allows us to measure the output associated with the package. WBS helps us in quantifying the cost, duration, and milestones. With these decomposed activities, dependencies can be established. So, there is need to develop WBS before defining the activities in every instance as the WBS will as well define the activities. Different Types of Dependencies within the Project Some dependencies are identified in the activity breakdown of the renovation. Before the furniture is installed, the painting work must have been concluded and cleaned up, and this introduces Finish to-Start dependency. The procurement of paint, furniture can be done at the same time and this will also introduces Start-to Start dependency. Impact of Activity Dependencies in Project Duration In my opinion, activity dependency can impact on project duration. According to Wysocki .R (2009, p 165), a dependency is simply a relationship that exists between a pair of task. These can be done in two steps; first, is creating the dependency relationship and second, is resolving the dependencies to adjust the schedule dates. If a finish to start task is introduced, the successor task can only start when the predecessor task has been completed or vice versa. These definitely must have an impact in time duration of any given project. The Importance of Identifying a Control Account in a Work Breakdown Structure The control account is an important characteristic of the work breakdown structure. The decomposed deliverable in the WBS has its own scope, schedule and cost attached to it as described by Sanghera (2010, p 99). For these deliverables to be managed effectively, suitable nodes in the WBS are selected as management control point, to

integrate cost, scope and schedules for a better monitoring and control. The control accounts identified in WBS helps to measure performance. Necessity of Work Breakdown Structure Irrespective of the Scope As water is important to life, so is WBS important in any project irrespective of size and complexity. To prepare a pot of rice requires a work breakdown structure as it will help in determining the cost and time required. For example, in the renovation of a living room that includes furniture and painting as major deliverables. A WBS is required, as it will help in budgeting, controlling and also ensuring it is delivered within specified time. Painting as a deliverable need to be decomposed to smaller tasks like: Task 1: Material preparation Task 2: Paint preparation Task 3: Brushes and rollers preparation Task 4: Wall paper remover Task 5: Room preparation Task 6: Floor protection Task 7: Room painting Task 8: Room clean up Task 9: Left over part disposal Task 10: Brushes/roller cleaning Task 11: Cover removal 2. Furniture Task A: Select Furniture Task B: Purchase Furniture Task C: Get Furniture Delivered Task D: Install Furniture

In conclusion, it is imperative as a project manager to have an in depth knowledge of how to create a WBS and its important characteristic, as it is pivotal in the success of any project irrespective of the size..

References 1. Sanghera, P. (2010) Project Management Professional Study Guide for the PMP Exam 2nd ed. Boston: Course Technology. (pp. 79-102). 2. Wysocki, R.K. (2009) Effective Project Management, Traditional, Agile, Extreme 5th Edition, Indianapolis, Wiley Publishing Inc. 3. Matt H. Evans (no date) Excellence in Financial Management Course 19: Managing Projects [Online] Available from http://www.exinfm.com/training/pdfiles/course19.pdf Accessed: 02.02.2012 4. Work breakdown structure: project management academy [online] Available from http://www.projectmanagementacademy.com Accessed: 02.04.2012

Ngozi Eli Student ID: 15939300