This week you will create Part 2 of your Project Plan which will be the following 2 elements:
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
You read about the WBS last week; refer back to pages 74 to 76 in the e-textbook (47 to 49 in the physical book). As you develop your WBS, keep in mind that tasks should be broken down into their smallest component — usually what can be accomplished in 8 hours. The size of your WBS will depend upon the complexity of your project and the number of tasks. In addition to the textbook, you may refer to the video: Five-level work breakdown structure, in this week’s course materials for help as you construct your WBS.
Network Diagram
The Network Diagram serves as the schedule or timeline for the project milestones and deliverables. In a complicated project, a Network Diagram is essential for estimating how long the project will take. To see how to create a Network Diagram, refer to the video: How to create a simple project network diagram, in this week’s course materials. According to Shirley (2011), “developing a schedule requires the definition of four things: (1) what needs to be done, (2) who will accomplish those tasks, (3) how much time each of those defined tasks will need, and (4) the sequence of those tasks, including which need to be done first (dependencies) and which can be done in parallel” (p. 53). Those four elements are the information you will need in order to construct your network diagram. Make sure each task from your WBS appears in your network diagram and those tasks are “. . . what needs to be done” (Shirley, 2011, p. 53).
For submission guidelines, refer to the WBS and Network Diagram Rubric in your course syllabus.
