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Project Management & Agile · Foundational

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the team to accomplish objectives and create deliverables.

Definition

The WBS is deliverable-oriented, follows the 100% rule, and ends at work packages. It is the foundation for estimating, scheduling, cost control, and risk identification.

Example

Level 1: Mobile App; Level 2: Login, Payments, Notifications; Level 3: work packages.

Exam tip

The WBS contains deliverables (nouns), not activities (verbs); activities come later in Define Activities.

Related terms