This is a 5-minute micro-course that introduces the work breakdown structure (WBS) used in the planning stage of a project. In this course, you will learn the purpose of a WBS and why it is needed.
A WBS takes one large, hard-to-manage project goal and decomposes it into progressively smaller, well-defined pieces — until every piece of work is small enough to estimate, assign, and track.
Section 1WBS Levels
Lecture 1Hierarchical layers, from goal to task
Lecture 2The 100% Rule
Lecture 3Example: the deck build, one level at a time
Section 2Deliverables
Lecture 4Tangible outcomes, not tasks
Lecture 5Deliverable-Oriented
Lecture 6Deliverable-oriented naming
Lecture 7Deliverables by stage
Section 3Work Packages
Lecture 8The lowest level of the WBS
Lecture 9Why this level matters most
Lecture 10Backyard Deck Example
Section 4The WBS Dictionary — the Companion Document
Lecture 11What the tree diagram leaves out
Lecture 12Example: WBS Dictionary excerpt
Section 5Creating a Work Breakdown Structure
Final Quiz
