Free Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): Templates & Examples
Do you know what is the work breakdown structure (WBS)? Whether you are a project manager, event planner, or software developer, anyone who has a supervisory role and needs to plan the division of labor for a project, it is bound to help you work better. This article will introduce it by giving you some work breakdown structure templates and examples to help you learn more about what it is and how to make it in your work. If you are interested, keep reading to know more details about WBS!
Part 1. WBS Templates & Examples
Work breakdown structure (WBS) is a project management system that divides projects into smaller and more manageable components or tasks. There are many benefits of using it. For example, it can increase productivity and efficiency, better task allocation, and better focus on the specific tasks for members of the team. However, if you are using it for the first time, you may find it difficult to create it because of inexperience, or you may not know when to use it. So, we provide some WBS templates and examples below for your reference.
Templates
In this section, we will list some of the WBS templates provided by different tools. And from this part, you are sure to find one that suits the WBS type you want to make.
• WBS templates in MindOnMap.
MindOnMap is an easy-to-use tool with an intuitive interface. It can help you simplify complex information and make you draw your ideas visually. Moreover, it offers many free WBS templates of various types, including organizational maps, tree maps, fishbone charts, etc. You can download it on Windows and Mac or directly use it on any browser.
• WBS templates in PowerPoint.
In addition to creating slideshows, Microsoft PowerPoint can also be used to create WBS. Furthermore, all MS products come with SmartArt graphic templates, which have templates for lists, processes, cycles, hierarchies, relationships, pictures, and more. We mainly use hierarchical diagrams to create WBS. But its choices are not very abundant.
• WBS templates in EdrawMax.
EdrawMax, a specialized software for WBS, is also a good choice. It can support a lot of platforms, which include Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android, and it can also be used online. However, some of its templates need to be upgraded to the Pro version before they can be used, and the upgrade price is a bit expensive.
Examples
In this section, let us look at two work breakdown structure samples from different industries and fields so that you can get an idea of which is more suitable for your project.
• WBS example for the construction: Construction of a House.
WBS is often used in construction projects. After all, except for the need to clarify the workflow and division of tasks, its budget also needs to be carefully considered.
Here are the parts of the house construction WBS:
1. Internal.
2. Foundation.
3. External.
As shown above, this WBS example for construction shows that level 1 is the entire project: Construction of a House. Level 2 is the key part of the project: Internal, Foundation, and External. Level 3 and the branches below it are the major and minor deliverables, including Electrical, Plumbing, Excavation, Steel Erection, Masonry Work, and under the Electrical branch, Rough-in electrical, Install and terminate, etc.
• WBS example for the business: Market Research.
As a business activity related to marketing and analysis, market research also requires the use of WBS to collect and analyze market information and segment the market to help companies maintain a competitive advantage.
The following are the parts of the market research WBS.
1. Initiation Phase.
2. Planning Phase.
3. Execution Phase.
4. Closeout Phase.
In this WBS example, level 1, the entire project, is the Market Research Project. The key part, level 2, includes the Initiation Phase, Planning Phase, Execution Phase, and Closeout Phase. And level 3, the major and minor deliverables include Requirements (Gathering & Analysis), Project Plan Development, and so on.
Part 2. How to Make a Chart with WBS Templates
It is believed that now you know what type of WBS is suitable for your project. Next, we take the MindOnMap mentioned above as an example to create a work breakdown structure.
Open MindOnMap, click the New button on the left panel, and then you can choose the type you want to make a WBS chart. Here, we take the Org-Chart Map as an example.
Click the Org-Chart Map button. And then, double-click the Central Topic in the middle of the screen to rename the topic.
Click the Topic button in the upper toolbar to bring up branches of the central topic. Similarly, you can add Subtopics of the secondary topic by clicking the Subtopic button.
After finishing, click Save to save it to My Mind Map in your logged-in account. Then, you can click the Export button to export your WBS chart as JPG, PNG, PDF, etc., file formats. By the way, you can only export JPG and PNG images with watermarks only in the free version.
Tips: When using MindOnMap to make a WBS chart, you can also use the built-in options to adjust, such as the theme of the chart, the color of the text box and the background color, as well as the layout of the chart’s structure and the style of the lines in your WBS chart and so on!
Part 3. FAQs
What is the difference between the WBS and the project plan?
The WBS and the project plan are both important project management tools but they have different purposes: the WBS provides the details of specific tasks, while the project plan serves as the master blueprint of further planning.
Does Excel have a work breakdown structure template?
Yes, Microsoft Excel has templates for creating a work breakdown structure. These Excel templates used for WBS have different characteristics and formats to fulfil various project requirements.
How do I create a WBS in Word?
Here are some brief steps for you to create a WBS in Microsoft Word:
1. Open Word and select an exact page.
2. Create a WBS using the basic shapes and SmartArt Graphics.
3. Edit and customize the WBS chart using the Home Tab and Insert Tab.
4. Save the file.
Conclusion
This article introduces WBS from two aspects of WBS templates and examples. Finally, we also provide you with how to create a simple WBS chart. If you want to make a WBS table after reading this article, we strongly recommend you use MindOnMap. Its interface and operation options are simple and easy to understand, and we are sure that you will be able to feel satisfied after using it! If you still have any questions about WBS, please share them in the comment section, and we'll provide you with corresponding responses in time!
