Work Breakdown Structure and Gantt Chart

Whether you are an academic learner or a software employee, you must have come across the terms work breakdown structure and Gantt chart. Let's find out the meaning of these terms with the help of an example each.

What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?

The work breakdown structure is a hierarchical and visual diagram of the breaking down of a specific project into various tasks. It is a project management tool that splits down the project into several small segments or tasks, to complete a large project.

This tool is quite helpful, especially for project managers, as it allows them to break down the scope of the project and the tasks. It works on dividing larger tasks that need to be performed in order to complete the project. The creation of a work breakdown diagram is the first step in initiating the determined project.

A perfectly developed work breakdown structure helps in understanding and visualizing various tasks of the project within the management. It includes the budget of the project, planning, resource and risk management, task management, and team management. It also helps in managing problems that are faced in the development of the project, such as missed deadlines, cost overruns, etc.

Example of WBS

Let’s understand a WBS with the help of an example. The following WBS comprised the list of activities that are defined to complete an XYZ project. The box at the top determines the title of the project for easy understanding, whereas the second row determines the number of teams divided for the project. For instance, Team A can be the designing team, Team B can be the development team. Team C and Team D can represent the quality testing and promotional services team.

Further, a larger breakdown of the task series is shown in the following rows. As you can see, PFL-01, PFL-02, and PFL-03 represent different project portfolios assigned to specific teams. Accordingly, the following green boxes represent sub-projects and tasks. In this way, you can focus on tasks assigned to you, get more clarification on your worklist, and approach clear deadlines.

What is a Gantt Chart- Task Sequencing?

Gantt chart is one of the most commonly used tools for project management, which demonstrates the work completed in a specific amount of time concerning the time that the planned for the completion of the work.

A Gantt Chart is divided into two different sections. The left section consists of the list of tasks performed, and the right side consists of the timeline for visualizing the work. It also consists of the start and the end date of each task performed and the dependency between the tasks.

A Gantt chart is used for creating and managing a big project, managing the task dependencies to make sure that the next start gets executed after the completion of the previous task. This chart is also used for monitoring the progress of the project so that changes can be made in the dates and milestones, if necessary. Let it be a Gantt chart for a library management system or a Gantt chart for an online shopping system, both these larger projects when split into smaller sections can make the task and teamwork way better!

A Gantt chart is most widely used for software project management, as it makes it easier to manage and complete tasks in the long run. Also, this tool can be used for organizational projects taking longer time, as it is similar to a task-breakdown list.

Example of Gantt Chart

The following diagram is an example, representing task breakdown, start dates, end dates, and the timeline on the right side.