Without a solid schedule, your project won't succeed.
Project Schedule Gantt chart view in Merlin ProjectĮvery project needs a project schedule. What is not mentioned in the WBS, will not be part of the project's scope and therefore not be delivered. A WBS should be created before a detailled project plan as it is a basis to estimate the resources needed and to create a cost and time schedule. You do not list time components or dependencies in a WBS to keep a clear focus on the work to be done. Several work packages together result in deliverables and those might form partial projects which put together make up the end result of the project. Work packages form the lowest level of planning and consist of activities which are assigned to different individuals. Depending on the size of the project the decomposition could include partial projects, deliverables and work packages. It is a visual and hierarchic representation of all work needed to complete the project. Project managers use the WBS to divide the project into controllable elements. The work breakdown structure (WBS) is at the core of project planning. With this warning ahead, the distinction presented in this article will apply to most circumstances. It may very well happen that in one context a project plan is defined in a particular way and in another context it means something different. Depending on the project management methodology you follow, different meanings may be associated. There is no uniform definition of neither of the three terms. Did you know that Merlin Project is perfect for working with the Work Breakdown Structure? Both structurally as an outline and graphically in the network are included.