If only there were some magic that would automatically arrange all the boxes and lines for us. However, given the number of work items in a typical WBS, it’s sometimes hard to justify the futzing-around time investment required to create and maintain a WBS in Visio. What about MS Visio? Many desktops have it installed and doesn’t it specialize in drawing boxes with text in them? Sure it does. After being asked, “What’s a work breakdown structure?” and “Why don’t you just use Excel?” for the umpteenth time, many PMs just cut their losses and throw in the towel because the effort versus gain become questionable. Getting permission to install a new application or getting approval to access/store data from an on-line application can be a small project in itself. Then, there are also low-cost/no-cost alternatives, such as WBS Tool.īeyond cost, however, there is the overhead of introducing new software into a locked-down environment. Mind you, that’s for four licenses and, relative to other desktop applications, it’s not that expensive. In smaller organizations, cost can be a factor–the entry point for WBS Schedule Pro, for example, is US $349. One of the key reasons is lack of access to WBS-specific applications. So, why do so many PMs fail to take advantage of this powerful tool? It’s a core artifact that all project managers should maintain and exploit on a regular basis. It paints a clear picture of the in-scope work for the project in a hierarchical format so everyone can see the work elements in relation to one another. The work breakdown structure (WBS) is the best way to communicate a project’s scope with stakeholders.

Wbs format excel