SCMI - Project Management
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Project Planning
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Work Breakdown Structure. The work breakdown structure is a comprehensive list of all activities required to meet the project objective. Each activity is exploded until all tasks necessary to perform the activity have been identified. There will be a number of tasks or stepping stones which, although not critical in terms of time, are required to move the project forward. Preparing a work breakdown structure can be time consuming as people need to be consulted and opinions sought.Once the list is complete the team must estimate the time required for each activity. Sometimes it is tempting to allow extra time, in case of... This may be appropriate in some instances where certain activities are considered high risk. It then becomes as aspect of risk management or contingency planning, but every effort should be made to make estimates as accurate as possible, as getting it wrong can result in wasted resources. Team members involved in carrying out certain activities should have access to work breakdown structures and feel able to contribute to them. An accurate understanding of the flow of work is required by all involved if the system is to function effectively.