W2_Muslem_Introducing WBS and WBS Coding to Project Development.

Opportunity Definition:

  Project Development Department (PDD) in OPWP is responsible for developing project requirements of any new power and water capacities, and conducting a fair and transparent competition process to procure a qualified developer for the supply of such capacities. PDD has been following a standard procurement process for both power and water projects until recently when new-in-nature projects are handed over to the department. The objective of this report is to identify the best approach to create a standard WBS for any new procurement, encouraging the implementation of WBS coding and potentially WBS Dictionary in the department.

Figure 1: Sample of PDD's Current Practice in Scope Definition

Feasible Approaches to Develop WBS:
   There are a number of approaches to develop the WBS for any new procurement; include analogy approach, top-down approach, and bottom-up approach [1,2]. Analogy approach is the use of the WBS of a similar procurement process that have been done in the past. Top-down approach is the process of decomposing bigger tasks into smaller and manageable components until deliverables are detailed enough. Bottom-up approach requires a brainstorming activity to list down all the tasks and deliverables needed for the successful procurement, which then grouped into phases.

Outcomes of Each Approach:

   Adopting an analogy approach would make it easier and quicker for the team to use already designed templates for new procurements as a starting point. Top-down approach uses past experience to initially list down all big deliverables, then develop the detailed WBS. Bottom-up approach, on the other hand, can be potentially more efficient to identify all deliverables because of high team input. This approach, however, is a very time consuming process [3].  

Selection of Criteria:

   Ease of implementation, and completeness or quality of the delivered WBS are two important criteria for selecting a preferred approach.

Analysis and Comparison of Approaches:

   Analogy approach is easy and effective when WBS for similar procurement has been created previously, which is not in our case currently. Top-down approach is a more plausible option as the key deliverables are known due to PDD’s long years of experience in the procurement of power and water projects. However, and due to the new nature of current projects, there is a need to identify some new or additional deliverables or tasks. Bottom-up approach would be helpful in this case through brainstorming sessions led by the PDD team. This would avoid the late identification of critical tasks, which might cause unnecessary delays or unplanned costs.

Selection of Preferred Approach:

  The preferred approach is recommended to be a combination of top-down approach, through using scope of similar previous procurements, and bottom up approach to identify any specific new requirements or tasks for the specific nature of the project.

Figure 2: Level 3 WBS for PDD's Procurement Process for Demonstration

Post Implementation;

   The initially developed WBS might not be complete. Therefore, it is recommended to keep track of unplanned deliverables or tasks, and log them as lessons learnt to improve the WBS for the next procurement cycle. It is also recommended to follow an analogy approach for the next procurement process using the already created WBS and coding structure as a base.

Reference List:

1.       Project Management Institute, (2013), A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

2.       Mannetti, V (2012), Information Systems Project Management. Research paper, Kaplan University.

3.       Kennely, P, Work Breakdown Structure, Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved from; https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog584/l5_p3.html [13 November 2017].

4.       OPWP (2017), Procurement Process Outline, Project Development Department.