The WBS is a project management tool designed to capture project work in a visual, organized manner. The WBS is developed by starting with the end objective and successively subdividing it into manageable components in terms of size, duration, and responsibility which include all steps necessary to achieve the objective.

One of the most important Work Breakdown Structure design principles is called the 100% rule. This rule states that the WBS includes 100% of the work defined by the project scope and captures all deliverables in terms of the work to be completed, including project management. 

The best way to adhere to the 100% Rule is to define WBS elements in terms of outcomes or results. This also ensures that the WBS is not necessarily to be followed strictly; but, that it allows for greater creative thinking from all project participants.  The best approach to develop a WBS is to get together the people that have a good understanding of the work.  Here are some tips to help develop a WBS:

1. Start at the top level - the project’s ultimate goal.

2. Identify all the outcomes - that will support the achievement of the project goal.

3. List the outputs - that will support the different outcomes of the project.

4. List the project activities - usually defined in terms of deliverables.

Things to remember:

• The first two levels of the WBS define a set of planned outcomes that collectively and exclusively represent 100% of the project scope.
• The WBS elements are defined in terms of outcomes or results (Outcomes are the desired ends of the project that can be predicted accurately).
• Each WBS element has an identification number assigned which identifies its relative position within the structure.
• The WBS encompasses everything that will ultimately comprise the project deliverables.
• The WBS is not a project plan or a project schedule, and it is not a chronological listing.
• The WBS is not an exhaustive list of work. It is, instead, a comprehensive classification of project scope.
• The WBS is decomposed down to the activity level, and it is the point at which the cost and schedule for the work can be reliably estimated.
• All major tasks should be decomposed in activities of a minimum of 8 hours and a maximum of 80 hours, which is the 8/80 rule.

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