In project management, a work breakdown structure (WBS) is an exhaustive, hierarchical (from general to specific) tree structure of deliverables and tasks that need to be performed to complete a project.
The purpose of a WBS is to identify terminal elements (the actual items to be done in a project). Therefore, WBS serves as the basis for much of project planning.
A useful rule of thumb is that any project can be broken down into between 10 and 20 tasks.
Work breakdown structure is a very common project management tool. Many United States government statements of work require work breakdown structures.
See the Chapter 5, Configuring the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) section to learn how to configure your WBS.
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