Work Breakdown Structures

The management requirements are specified, such as points of contact, program plans, work breakdown structure, progress reporting, meetings, reviews, interfaces. 

The work breakdown structure showing the relationship between all the parcels of work... 

FIGURE 5-3. Sample Work Breakdown Structure Priority Elements and Tasks... 

Once this "network" of tasks has been established, your next step will be to define a work breakdown structure for each task. A work breakdown structure shows the individual steps or elements required to complete each task. Each of these work elements can then be assigned to individuals or groups for action. 

Each of the tasks and subtasks that make up the work breakdown structure should be relatively simple to estimate in terms of time required. If no one on the PSM team has specific experience with a given task, find someone else (for example, a facility manager) who does, and ask for his/her input. Once the time requirements for each task have allowed you to define the overall time required for each element these estimates can be combined to give a total program plan. 

In planning the quality dimension, include specifications for the quality and types of materials to be used, the performance standards to be met, and the means of verifying quality such as testing and inspection. Two techniques facilitate planning for quality a work breakdown structure and project specifications. Both are described on the next few pages. 

A work breakdown structure is the starting place for planning all three parameters of a project quality, cost, and time. It is a technique based on dividing a project into tasks, or work packages. Because all elements required to... 

A work breakdown structure is typically constructed with two or three levels of detail, although more levels may be required for very complex projects. Start by identifying logical subdivisions of the project, then break each of these down further. As you constmct a work breakdown stmcture, keep in mind that the goal is to identify a unit of work that is discrete and that advances the project toward its completion. 

From the work breakdown structure (WBS), specifications can be written for each task of the project. Specifications include all relevant requirements to meet the project s quality dimension - materials to be used, standards to be met, tests to be performed, etc. Use extreme care in writing specifications, because they become the controlling factor in meeting project performance standards, and directly affect both budget and schedule. 

Poorly prepared work breakdown structures that lead to incomplete budgets. 

To prepare a project control chart, refer to the work breakdown structure and list all of the tasks of the project. Then, use the schedule to list the time planned to complete each task, and use the budget to list the expected cost of each task. 

The approach taken is loosely based on the input-process-output meta-model utilized to transform a problem statement into a functional process. The section Scope definition discusses the intended purpose and potential constraints of the isolation effort, followed by an overview of the Toolbox available to the practitioner (input). The section Method development scouting and scale-up reviews platform-based, highly automated approaches to selectivity scouting, development of the isolation as well as options for scaling up the chromatographic separation depending on purpose and constraints (process). The final section. Performing the task, explores a work breakdown structure approach to the preparative isolation of impurities as a unit operation in the development process (output). 

Subsequently, the team will use the list of deliverables to determine the work to be done to achieve these goals. Several techniques can be used to carryout this process, the classical one is called the work breakdown structure (WBS), which was originally developed by the US defense establishment A work breakdown structure is a product-oriented family tree composed of hardware, software, services, data and facilities. [it] displays and defines the product(s) to be developed and/or produced and relates the elements of work to be accomplished to each other and to the end product(s) [D-22]. ... 

The work breakdown structure is therefore a method of describing the work to be done in the project in terms of deliverables and the tasks to be accomplished. It involves defining major deliverables and accomplishments during the project and fisting a hierarchy of sub-deliverables and accomplishments. The deliverables and accomplishments are a sum of their sub components and the WBS is a sum of all the elements. A more detailed description of this can be found in any of the general books on Project Management [D-13]. 

This list or resource requirements, together with the activities generated during the analysis for the work breakdown structure, form the basis for the next phase of the process, namely the detailed planning of the project... 

Changes to the WHEN or in the CONSTRAINTS are bad news to the project team, but can be resolved by modifying the existing plan, e.g. the work breakdown structure and resource planning need to be revised. 

A work breakdown structure (WBS) can be thought of as an organizational chart of tasks and activities needed to achieve the project objectives. The project WBS can be arranged either by deliverables (e.g./ formulations/ clinical trials) or by resource (e.g./ formulation chemist/ clinical trial monitor). A common way of illustrating these different approaches is by analogy with the construction of a new house. One part of the construction WBS would include plumbing and might be sorted by either house level or by room. A second option would be to sort the construction... 

For example, many of the elements of project management applied in the construction and telecommunications industries do not work in pharmaceutical development. This includes earned value, configuration management, and detailed representations of the work breakdown structures. These concepts actually provide too much structure when applied to pharmaceutical or any product development and could potentially have a... 

Step 2 uses a very valuable tool known in project management as the work breakdown structure. The work breakdown structure is a deliverable-oriented grouping of project elements which organizes and... 

The roles and responsibilities of the team members (best represented through a work breakdown structure tied to project milestones)... 

THE NEED FOR A WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE 1266 6. USING THE WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE ... 

The work breakdown structure is the tool used to divide the project work content among individuals and organizations so that efficiency and effectiveness will be achieved while ensuring the integration of work efforts to produce the project-required deliverables. 

While the tasks assigned to each functional unit are repetitive and can be learned by repetition, the work content of each project must be defined and properly allocated to individuals and organizations participating in the project. The work breakdown structure (WBS) is the tool commonly used to ensure proper division of labor and integration of the project deliverables. 

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