Critical Analysis Of The Use Of Project Breakdown Structures Critical Thinking

[Insert name]
[Insert university]

Abstract

This critical analysis paper explores the topics of learning through critical analysis and self - reflection in the context of project breakdown structures in an IT company. The project was to deploy and develop a new networking product for a client. As the project was complicated and the project team had to work on a very short deadline, a number of project breakdown structures were used for the successful completion of this project. A complex project can be made manageable if it is broken down into individual components. The decomposition of the sum total work involved in a project from the beginning to the end facilitates better resource allocation, assignment of project responsibilities, and control over the project deliverables. Being engineering projects, to ensure a positive outcome intervention from higher management levels was required. The team experienced difficulties in knowing which project breakdown structure had to be adopted and when. This paper through self – reflection and an integration of theories summarizes and advocates the use of breakdown structures in IT projects.

Introduction

Through this self – reflection the usefulness of breakdown structures in a project are identified. A breakdown structure is central to the practice of project management. Breakdown structures are an outcome of a ‘reductionist’ approach to project management. Complex endeavours are subdivided into smaller project management processes and built around breakdown structures. Some of the common types of breakdown structures most used in IT (Information Technology) firms were utilized in this project. In my team we utilized a product breakdown structure, work breakdown structure and an organization breakdown structure. A project in essence is a collaborative and temporary undertaking that results in the creation of a unique services or product. A project has a structure, involves several stages, and generally falls between a start and an end date. Projects are executed in an iterative manner and the project is split into distinctive stages (Schwalbe, 2008).
Our project was an extremely interesting and complex one. We had to merge two teams into one, at the product design and development stage. A clear goal was not established initially, so the teams, though were working on a defined product timeline, were working towards different end goals. This created complications and it became difficult to divide the project into workable pieces. After a common goal was identified, the work was divided and handed to the team members in workable pieces. The project thereon was carried out incrementally. Resource allocation was much more effective after a work breakdown structure was formulated.
Figure 1. An outline of project breakdown structure followed at my firm
A strong project plan and a vision ultimately helped our team manage the project better and successfully complete it. An outline of the project breakdown used in my firm is presented in Figure 1.

Structuring a project

Before initiating a project, a business case for the same must first be established. The reason for initiating the project and its benefits to the firm must be formulated, so a common goal or vision is achieved during the initial stages of the project itself. By carrying out a feasibility study in economical, technical, and operational terms the extent to which the project will be completed successfully can be ascertained. To determine if the project will be a successful one, first an internal assessment of the resource availability was carried out. When analysing the feasibility of the project, it was found that the project was economically and operationally feasible, if the required technical assets were either internally built or procured externally. Two new team members were hired so the technical needs of the project was met. Once the project was justified, the team began working on it.

Planning the project

Plans were created in the beginning of the project. These preliminary plans were later re-modified after project estimates were made. Rather than attempting to create a perfect plan during the start of a project, if a plan is improved continuously, it will help the management develop a stronger project plan. One advantage I realized came with creating an initial plan was it gave a good overview of the resources required, the way in which a specific goal was to be accomplished, and a general idea of the time required for the completion of each project task. The planning tools required can be decided prior to project commencement, so the management team will have a good overview of the project deliverables and the resources it requires to meet the deliverables. Projects could fail it the human and resource determinants are not handled properly. To avoid this risks present right from the requirements, design, to resources needed could be identified through an initial plan. We were able to identify our strengths and weaknesses pertaining to resource availability. We also identified that some of the employees required additional technical training to handle the project effectively. Before project initiation itself training was completed, so this helped achieve project deadlines at the same time the final product quality was high, and it successfully met client expectations. The essence of project management is team management as it helps ensure the desired amount of work is extracted from a team. Teams collaborate and communicate well when there is a high level of social intelligence. Through proper planning we were able to coerce team members to produce the desired results. The task needs, team needs, and individual team member needs were identified so team motivation, cooperation, and performance was maintained high.

Product breakdown structure

A Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) refers to a hierarchical structure of items pertaining to the project. It refers to a cascade of sub-products, assemblies, components, and products (AIPM, 2010). The logic behind the delivery plan can be better expressed using a PBS. A product log and associated product descriptions that describe in greater detail the individual product steps are explained and understood. A PBS was considered to be essential for the IT project as the technicalities of the product outcome was complex. A good understanding of the product modules had to be achieved before the project commencement. Once the PBS was completed the team and the management became more confident that the project requirements were clearly understood and the relationship between the project needs and its constituent parts were identified. PBS essentially is a breakdown of a project’s required components. The product was disassembled by team leaders and project managers into disassembled products. A hierarchical structure of the project was generated. A set of guidelines were followed by the team leaders, so that the sub-deliverables and the final product were as per the product requirements. I was in one of the project teams, so I was able to gain insights on the PBS process. I felt there was more focus on the physical elements involved. If there was focus on the conceptual level, it could been better as the team could have viewed the product from multiple perspectives. It was interesting to note that, though this was a technology oriented process, a technological approach was not adopted for the breakdown. Rather, through brain storming and mind mapping the people involved in the PBS process produced the project structure, outlines, and made use of charts to breakdown the project.

Organisation breakdown structure

Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS) complements the work breakdown and resource breakdown structures. The main intent of an OBS is to communicate how the people tasked with the various project deliverables will be structured and organized as a project team. It is a cascade of the skill types, resource types, and activities that have to be performed to meet the project goals (AIPM, 2010). Creating an OBS was much simpler for the management team than creating the other breakdown structures, as they already had a good understanding of the technical competence of each employee. Nevertheless, this was a very useful step as a hierarchy of the team was established. It enabled improved communication between the team members and employees could clearly see their point of contact of official in the higher and lower hierarchy levels. The project activities that were broken down were assigned to individuals in a specific hierarchy, so discrepancies in work allocation were reduced.

Work breakdown structure

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) refers to a tool that assists in visualizing the project components. Although dependencies are not shown clearly and there is no accurate indication of the time required for project completion, WBS keeps employees motivated to achieve the planned deliverables. WBS is a cascade of work activities and products. Motivation is the key to achieving project success, as a motivated team will work better with a greater sense of satisfaction, so work quality is high. WBS helped organize the total scope and the deliverables of the project, so a detailed definition of the project work to be completed was identified. The project outcomes, scope, and deliverables were explicitly defined. WBS is critical to the success of a project as activity definitions, performance reports, project schedules, risk analysis procedures, project organization, and control tools can be imbibed into the project management process using this tool. A stepwise approach that linked the various deliverables with the project scope and project schedule were represented in a simplified method using the WBS. Key understandings
The existence of useful methods and tools for project planning and management alone do not ensure project success. Plans and controls are necessary for a successful project delivery but only with proper monitoring, risk management plans, and control tools can success be achieved. In the IT industry where the area of expertise, skill levels, and organizational structures have to be managed effectively breakdown structures become highly applicable. Team management alone is not the essence of project management. Work breakdown techniques are essential to ensure the project’s progress can be tracked. These traditional management concepts are useful conceptually and practically, and breakdowns help employees develop useful insights about the project deliverables. There was a high level of involvement as a team as communication was effective and regular. Nevertheless, sometimes team members’ work related activities were not in mutual cohesion as resources were not allocated properly. Team members hesitated to take ownership of the project activities and handle the project proactively as in some cases their roles were not well defined.
Once the project deliverables have been developed for a project, and the estimates are created creating breakdown structures becomes much simpler. It is a process of mapping the resources, requirements and deliverables into the required breakdown structures. Though creating breakdown structures initially requires effort and resources be spent this is a very important step in the project management process. Anxiety about achieving the project deliverables and meeting the project goals will be met efficiently with proper planning, monitoring, and scheduling. All these can be met if a project planning makes use of breakdown structures.

Recommendations

Conclusion
The main advantage of planning a project right from its initial stages, is a visual representation of the project requirements, goals, and the ways in which it will be met can be defined. Appropriate planning tools can be developed, so the project can be managed efficiently. Project management is an important part of successful project communication as it offers team members the ability to communicate and work effectively. Planning, structuring, and use of breakdown structures helps project managers and team members working with their fullest potential. Armed with knowledge about the project deliverables using breakdown structures, project managers will have a higher chance of achieving success, within budget, and completing projects on time.

References

Australian Institute of Project Management. 2010. AIPM Professional Competency Standards for Project Management, Unit 1 – Plan, Manage and Review Scope, Australian Institute of Project Management, Canberra.
Schwalbe, K. 2008. Introduction to Project Management, 2nd edn, Course Technology Press, Boston, MA: Course Technology Press.