Thank you, glad I’m not the only one who noticed that

Yes, if you use MS-Project or other PM programs. The WBS level calculation is performed using increments (like in .doc files).

Can you explain?

JDP & Associates the WBS defines the work products (nouns). The project schedule defines the activities (verbs) to produce those work products. I think the widespread confusion comes from the fact the “work” in work breakdown structure can be used as either a noun or a verb in the English language. This is unfortunate. It’s more accurate to think of it as a “work product breakdown structure” or work packages breakdown. No matter what you call it, it is there to define and contain the project scope. The WBS dictionary needs to contain a definition of “finished” for each identified work package. Really important- the WBS is a way to define scope. It is not intended to define how the work will be accomplished. If your delivery method is waterfall, the project schedule will later define, for each work package, the activities required to complete the work package and the sequence and timing in which the activities will be performed and then assign resources for the activities and estimate effort and duration. Although not really it’s intended use, I’ve found realistically that if you later decide to switch to agile to deliver one or more defined work packages, then the WBS can be used to start a product backlog for those work packages. Bonus. I communicate the project progress, etc to stakeholders and sponsor at the WBS level. Far too many PMs confuse the business and executives by using the project schedule, which creates more problems than it solves. Business people and, especially executives, generally don’t care about the ‘how’. They just want to know ‘what’, ‘when’ and ‘how much’.

Using PMBoK approach - an activity is a low-level brick of WBS that leads to a result. Activity may be decomposed to smaller tasks. I think it's like: "to dig a hole" is an activity, "to stick a shovel, to throw ground away" - tasks.

Larry you can use WBS Creator - It is an automated excel template and it is free. Here is their website - infinityexcel.com/wbs-creator-excel-template/

You have to gather all contigency costs and remove them from all work packages or tasks. You need your reserves gathered together, so you can use them at the Momitoring & Control phase of the Project, to speed up activities that might put you behind schedule or to accomodate mistaken cost estimation that can throw you abobe budget. As a rule of thumb, gather all your contigency reserves so you can allocate them properly when and if needed.

Eric IN IM u Kim

So you are inferring that the GPMI have declared that a Work Breakdown Structure contains no activities or tasks? I would hardly think that would make sense in the real world...

garyoptica it absolutely makes sense in the real world. The WBS decomposes the scope into work packages- deliverables. It is developed long before the activities to accomplish those deliverables are defined.

@@garyoptica the point of the WBS is to establish the deliverables, which are outcomes and not activities