ER V E R M A I N T E N A N C E

3.2 S
A D M IN I ST R A T I O N P L A N
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)

• OVERVIEW:

• THE WBS ASSISTS PROJECT LEADERS, PARTICIPANTS, AND STAKEHOLDERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A
CLEAR VISION OF THE END PRODUCTS OR OUTCOMES TO BE PRODUCED BY THE PROJECT.

• IT PROVIDES THE FRAMEWORK FOR ALL DELIVERABLES THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT LIFE CYCLE.
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
•DESIGN:
• THE WBS PROVIDES A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OR TEXTUAL OUTLINE OF THE PROJECT SCOPE.
• SOME OF THE MAIN ROLES THE WBS PLAYS IN SUPPORTING CLARITY FOR PROJECT DEFINITION ARE THAT IT:
• DECOMPOSES: THE OVERALL PROJECT SCOPE INTO CLEARLY DEFINED DELIVERABLES.
• DEFINES: THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT IN TERMS THAT THE STAKEHOLDERS CAN UNDERSTAND.
• PROVIDES : A STRUCTURE FOR ORGANIZING IPROGRESS, STATUS, AND PERFORMANCE.

• SUPPORTS : TRACKING OF RISKS TO ASSIST THE PROJECT MANAGER IN IDENTIFYING AND IMPLEMENTING NECESSARY RESPONSES.
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
• LEVELS:

• THE DEPTH OF THE WBS IS DEPENDENT UPON THE SIZE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE PROJECT AND THE LEVEL OF DETAIL NEEDED TO PLAN AND MANAGE IT.

• THE 100% RULE:

THIS RULE STATES THAT THE WBS INCLUDES 100% OF THE WORK DEFINED BY THE PROJECT SCOPE AND CAPTURES ALL WORK DELIVERABLES TO BE
COMPLETED, INCLUDING PROJECT MANAGEMENT.

• THE RULE APPLIES TO ALL LEVELS WITHIN THE HIERARCHY.

WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
• THIS EXAMPLE IS QUITE SIMPLE AND THE WHOLE PURPOSE IS TO BRING THE STUDENTS’ ATTENTION TO FOCUS ON THE WBS ITSELF.
• AS YOU CAN SEE, THE FIRST LEVEL DESCRIBES THE PRODUCT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE ONCE THE PROJECT IS COMPLETE.
• BY MEETING WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS, THE TEAM CAN START DECOMPOSING THE PRODUCT INTO SMALLER, MORE MANAGEABLE
COMPONENTS.

• THIS IS WHAT THE LEVEL 2 IS SHOWING BELOW:

WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
• IF WE TAKE THE COMPONENT CALLED “WHEELS” FOR EXAMPLE, WE MAY WANT TO BREAK IT DOWN INTO SEVERAL PIECES. HOWEVER, THE TEAM HAS TO DECIDE HOW MUCH
DETAIL THE WORK REALLY REQUIRES.

• FOR THIS EXAMPLE, WE CAN JUST BREAK THIS LEVEL INTO TWO PIECES:

Level 3

• THE BICYCLE AS A PRODUCT HAS ONLY TWO WHEELS AND FROM A PROJECT MANAGEMENT STANDPOINT, THIS IS ENOUGH FOR THE TEAM.
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)

• FINALLY, THERE COULD BE A COMPONENT THAT NEEDS MORE DETAILS FOR OTHER REASONS. IN OUR EXAMPLE, THE TEAM DECIDES TO BRING
EVEN MORE DETAIL TO THE COMPONENT CALLED “TESTING”. BASED ON THE PROJECT’S NEEDS, THERE COULD BE A REASON TO ADD THREE
MORE WORK PACKAGES AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE FOLLOWING FIGURE:

Level 4
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
• VERY IMPORTANT KEY POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE DEVELOPING A WBS:

1. THE WBS IS CREATED WITH THE HELP OF THE TEAM.

2. THE FIRST LEVEL IS COMPLETED BEFORE THE PROJECT IS BROKEN DOWN FURTHER.
3. EACH LEVEL OF THE WBS IS A SMALLER PIECE OF THE LEVEL ABOVE.
4. THE WBS INCLUDES ONLY DELIVERABLES THAT ARE REALLY NEEDED.
5. DELIVERABLES NOT INCLUDED IN THE WBS ARE NOT PART OF THE PROJECT.
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
WORK PACKAGES ARE REACHED WHEN THEY INCLUDE DELIVERABLES THAT:

1. CAN BE REALISTICALLY AND CONFIDENTLY ESTIMATED.

2. CAN BE COMPLETED QUICKLY.
3. CAN BE COMPLETED WITHOUT INTERRUPTION (IN OTHER WORDS, WITHOUT THE NEED OF
MORE INFORMATION).
4. MAY BE OUTSOURCED OR CONTRACTED OUT.
WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
BENEFITS:

1. IT HELPS PREVENT WORK FROM SLIPPING THROUGH THE CRACKS.

2. IT PROVIDES THE PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE THEIR PIECES FIT INTO THE OVERALL PROJECT
MANAGEMENT PLAN.
3. IT FACILITATES COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION AMONG TEAM MEMBERS.
4. IT HELPS PREVENT CHANGES.
5. IT PROVIDES A BASIS FOR ESTIMATING STAFF, COST, AND TIME.
6. IT GETS TEAM BUY-IN AND BUILDS THE TEAM.
7. IT HELPS PEOPLE GET THEIR MINDS AROUND THE PROJECT.
WBS EXAMPLE
WBS EXAMPLE
WBS EXAMPLE
TIME LINE
• A TIMELINE IS A DISPLAY OF A LIST OF EVENTS IN
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER. IT IS TYPICALLY A GRAPHIC
DESIGN SHOWING A LONG BAR LABELLED WITH
DATES PARALLELING IT, AND USUALLY
CONTEMPORANEOUS EVENTS; A GANTT CHART IS A
FORM OF TIMELINE USED IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
8 STEPS TO BUILD A PROJECT
MANAGEMENT TIMELINE
1. WRITE A PROJECT SCOPE STATEMENT

• DETERMINING THE SCOPE OF YOUR PROJECT IS ANOTHER PART OF THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESS
YOU NEED TO COMPLETE BEFORE YOU CAN CREATE YOUR PROJECT TIMELINE. A PROJECT SCOPE
STATEMENT OUTLINES THE DELIVERABLES YOU PLAN TO PRODUCE BY THE END OF A PROJECT.

• AS A QUICK EXAMPLE, LET’S SAY YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS WANT TO PLANT A GARDEN. A SCOPE
STATEMENT COULD LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS: WE WILL PRODUCE A 100 SQ FT VEGETABLE GARDEN
THAT PRODUCES TOMATOES, PEPPERS, KALE, POTATOES, PEAS, GREEN BEANS, AND CORN.
2. CREATE A WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
• TO CREATE A WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS), START FROM YOUR SCOPE STATEMENT AND BREAK YOUR DELIVERABLE OR DELIVERABLES INTO SMALLER PIECES.
YOU AREN’T GETTING INTO TASKS YET, JUST SMALLER DELIVERABLES. ANOTHER NAME FOR THIS SECTION IS THE SCOPE BASELINE, AND EACH SUB-DELIVERABLE IS
CALLED A WORK PACKAGE.

• CONTINUING WITH OUR GARDEN EXAMPLE, YOU COULD SAY THAT YOUR WBS IS TO PRODUCE:
• 10 SQ FT OF TOMATOES
• 10 SQ FT OF PEPPERS
• 15 SQ FT OF KALE
• 20 SQ FT OF POTATOES
• 15 SQ FT OF PEAS
• 10 SQ FT OF GREEN BEANS
• 20 SQ FT OF CORN
3. BREAK EACH WORK PACKAGE INTO TASKS
• NOW YOU CAN MAKE A TO-DO LIST FOR EACH WORK PACKAGE.
THINK ABOUT THE GAP BETWEEN YOUR BASELINE AND YOUR
GOAL. WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO GET FROM THE STARTING
POINT TO THE DESIRED END POINT? TAKE NOTE OF TASKS THAT
ARE SIMILAR ACROSS WORK PACKAGES. THIS PROCESS WILL
HELP YOU DETERMINE DEPENDENCIES IN THE NEXT STEP.

• NOW MAKE A TASK LIST FOR TWO OF YOUR MINI GARDEN WORK
PACKAGES AND ORGANIZE THEM IN A TABLE:
4. DETERMINE PROJECT DEPENDENCIES
• DEPENDENCIES ARE TASKS THAT CANNOT BE STARTED UNTIL ANOTHER TASK HAS
BEEN COMPLETED. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN’T PLANT YOUR TOMATOES UNTIL AFTER
THE GROUND HAS BEEN TILLED. IN THIS SCENARIO, DETERMINING DEPENDENCIES
FOR A PROJECT MANAGEMENT TIMELINE WILL BE RELATIVELY STRAIGHTFORWARD,
BUT FOR MORE COMPLEX PROCESSES, MAPPING DEPENDENCIES MIGHT GIVE YOU A
FEW GRAY HAIRS.

• CREATING A FLOWCHART OR DIAGRAM IS HELPFUL FOR VISUALIZING AND

IDENTIFYING THESE DEPENDENCIES. YOU MAY FIND IT HELPFUL TO USE SWIMLANES
OR COLOR CODING TO DESIGNATE WHICH TEAM OR INDIVIDUAL WILL TAKE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR EACH TASK. HERE, THE WORK OF PLANTING TOMATOES AND
GREEN BEANS IS SPLIT INTO TWO TEAMS BY COLOR:
5. DETERMINE TOTAL TIME NEEDED FOR EACH TASK

• GO BACK TO YOUR TASK LIST OR DEPENDENCY CHART AND CONSIDER HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO
ACCOMPLISH EACH TASK. ASSUME THAT THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY IS WORKING DILIGENTLY ON THE
TASK WITHOUT INTERRUPTIONS. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ACCURATELY ESTIMATE THE NEEDED TIME,
WORK ON THIS SECTION WITH AN EXPERT WHO CAN GIVE YOU SOME GUIDANCE.
6. IDENTIFY RESOURCE AVAILABILITY
• MOST OFTEN, YOUR LIMITING RESOURCE WILL BE THE AVAILABILITY OF YOUR TEAM MEMBERS OR
EMPLOYEES. IN THIS STEP, YOU NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SPEND TIME WORKING
ON AN ALLOTTED TASK. EVEN THOUGH IT MAY ONLY TAKE A DAY OF DEDICATED WORK TO COMPLETE AN
ASSIGNMENT, YOU MAY NEED TO EXPAND THE AMOUNT OF DESIGNATED TIME TO A FEW DAYS OR EVEN
WEEKS IF THERE ARE MANY OTHER PROJECTS OCCURRING SIMULTANEOUSLY.

• IN THE GARDEN EXAMPLE, IT WILL ONLY TAKE FOUR HOURS FROM START TO FINISH, BUT WITH
EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON, YOUR TEAM WILL NEED TWO WEEKENDS TO GET IT DONE. THEREFORE, WHEN
YOU CREATE A PROJECT TIMELINE, YOU WILL RESERVE SEVERAL DAYS FOR EACH TASK.
7. IDENTIFY IMPORTANT MILESTONES

• PROJECT MILESTONES ALLOW YOU TO TRACK THE PROGRESS OF YOUR PROJECTS FROM START TO
FINISH. THIS WAY, IF YOU GET BEHIND, YOU WILL KNOW FAR IN ADVANCE OF YOUR FINAL DEADLINE AND
BE ABLE TO ADJUST YOUR PLANS OR EXPECTATIONS TO STAY ON TARGET.
8. BUILD YOUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT TIMELINE.

• LINE YOUR TASKS END TO END, ADJUST THEIR LENGTHS TO REFLECT THE AMOUNT OF TIME ALLOTTED, AND
THEN ADD MILESTONES TO POLISH THINGS OFF.
WORK SCHEDULE
• A WORK SCHEDULE GENERALLY REFERS TO THE DAYS PER WEEK AND THE HOURS PER DAY THAT AN
EMPLOYEE IS EXPECTED TO BE AT THEIR JOB. THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF WORK
SCHEDULES, WHICH VARY BASED ON THE ORGANIZATION AND THE POSITION. YOUR SCHEDULE CAN ALSO
VARY BASED ON THE TIME OF YEAR. FOR EXAMPLE, SOME JOBS HAVE WORK SCHEDULES THAT CHANGE,
DEPENDING ON THE SEASON.

• MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE WORK SCHEDULE FOR ANY JOB BEFORE ACCEPTING A POSITION. THIS WILL
HELP YOU AVOID ANY SURPRISES WHEN YOU START WORK.
CHECKLIST

• A CHECKLIST IS A TYPE OF JOB AID USED TO REDUCE FAILURE BY COMPENSATING FOR POTENTIAL LIMITS
OF HUMAN MEMORY AND ATTENTION. IT HELPS TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY AND COMPLETENESS IN
CARRYING OUT A TASK. A BASIC EXAMPLE IS THE "TO DO LIST". A MORE ADVANCED CHECKLIST WOULD
BE A SCHEDULE, WHICH LAYS OUT TASKS TO BE DONE ACCORDING TO TIME OF DAY OR OTHER FACTORS.
A PRIMARY TASK IN CHECKLIST IS DOCUMENTATION OF THE TASK AND AUDITING AGAINST THE
DOCUMENTATION.[1]
MANPOWER

• 1. GENERAL: TOTAL SUPPLY OF PERSONNEL AVAILABLE OR ENGAGED FOR A SPECIFIC JOB OR TASK.
• 2. ECONOMICS: TOTAL LABOR FORCE OF A NATION, INCLUDING BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. IF THERE ARE
MORE PEOPLE THAN AVAILABLE JOBS, IT IS CALLED MANPOWER SURPLUS; IF AVAILABLE PEOPLE ARE
FEWER THAN JOBS, IT IS CALLED MANPOWER DEFICIT.
GANNT CHART

• A GANTT CHART IS A HORIZONTAL BAR CHART THAT VISUALLY REPRESENTS A PROJECT PLAN OVER TIME.
MODERN GANTT CHARTS TYPICALLY SHOW YOU THE STATUS OF—AS WELL AS WHO’S RESPONSIBLE FOR
—EACH TASK IN THE PROJECT.
WHAT ARE THE KEY PARTS OF A GANTT CHART?
• A GANTT CHART IS MADE UP OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT ELEMENTS. SO LET’S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT 8 KEY COMPONENTS SO YOU KNOW HOW TO READ A GANTT CHART:
• TASK LIST: RUNS VERTICALLY DOWN THE LEFT OF THE GANTT CHART TO DESCRIBE PROJECT WORK AND MAY BE ORGANIZED INTO GROUPS AND SUBGROUPS
• TIMELINE: RUNS HORIZONTALLY ACROSS THE TOP OF THE GANTT CHART AND SHOWS MONTHS, WEEKS, DAYS, AND YEARS
• DATELINE: A VERTICAL LINE THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE CURRENT DATE ON THE GANTT CHART
• BARS: HORIZONTAL MARKERS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GANTT CHART THAT REPRESENT TASKS AND SHOW PROGRESS, DURATION, AND START AND END DATES
• MILESTONES: YELLOW DIAMONDS THAT CALL OUT MAJOR EVENTS, DATES, DECISIONS, AND DELIVERABLES
• DEPENDENCIES: LIGHT GRAY LINES THAT CONNECT TASKS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN IN A CERTAIN ORDER
• PROGRESS: SHOWS HOW FAR ALONG WORK IS AND MAY BE INDICATED BY % COMPLETE AND/OR BAR SHADING
• RESOURCE ASSIGNED: INDICATES THE PERSON OR TEAM RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING A TASK
MAINTENANCE COST

• MAINTENANCE COST ARE THE COSTS INCURRED TO KEEP AN ITEM IN GOOD CONDITION OR GOOD
WORKING ORDER. WHEN PURCHASING AN ITEM THAT REQUIRES UPKEEP, CONSUMERS SHOULD
CONSIDER THE INITIAL PRICE TAG AS WELL AS THE ITEM'S ONGOING MAINTENANCE EXPENSES.
MAINTENANCE EXPENSES ARE MAJOR REASONS WHY HOME OWNERSHIP CAN BE MORE COSTLY THAN
RENTING. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE EXPLORE THE VARIOUS MAINTENANCE EXPENSES THAT ARE LIKELY TO
OCCUR WITH RENTING A PROPERTY OR OWNING A CONDOMINIUM.