01 · Purpose
Why and when to use it
Why?
It makes the full scope visible and creates a basis for assigning ownership, estimating effort and checking that important outputs are not missing.
When?
Develop it after the scope is agreed in Define; refine it as later-phase work becomes clearer.
Who takes part? The leader and team construct it together, and the sponsor or process owner checks that its outputs cover the agreed scope.
02 · Application
How to apply it
Start with: The charter, scope statement, required deliverables and acceptance requirements.
- State the project outcome at the top level.
- Divide it into major deliverables.
- Break each deliverable into work packages that can be owned and verified.
- Check complete scope coverage without overlaps or out-of-scope work.
- Record acceptance criteria and owners in a supporting dictionary.
- Use the work packages to develop activities, estimates and schedules.
03 · Example
A warehouse dispatch project
Original illustrative example. All quantities, targets, roles and timings below are fictional teaching assumptions, not findings from a real project.
| WBS code | Deliverable / work package | Completion evidence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dispatch improvement project | Accepted project outcome and operational handover. |
| 1.1 | Validated baseline | Agreed measure definitions and representative data. |
| 1.1.1 | Measurement definitions | Approved timestamp rules and exceptions. |
| 1.1.2 | Baseline report | Data quality checks and late-dispatch calculation. |
| 1.2 | Cause investigation | Evidence supporting causes selected for improvement. |
| 1.3 | Tested changes and controls | Pilot results, standards and ownership. |
04 · Interpretation
What the result tells you
Each lower-level package contributes to its parent. If training is needed for handover, include the training deliverable rather than hiding it inside “rollout”. The WBS does not establish when tasks happen.
Completion check: A deliverable hierarchy with work-package definitions, owners and acceptance criteria.
05 · Judgement
Mistakes and limitations
Common mistakes
- Treating a chronological task list as a deliverable hierarchy.
- Counting the same work under two branches.
- Omitting project coordination, verification or handover.
Limits of the tool
Excessive detail makes the structure hard to maintain. Decompose only as far as needed to assign and control work, then elaborate uncertain future work when evidence improves.
07 · Reading
Sources and further reading
Toolset backbone: Six Sigma+Lean Toolset: Mindset for Successful Implementation of Improvement Projects, second edition, edited by Stephan Lunau, with Renata Meran, Alexander John, Olin Roenpage and Christian Staudter (Springer, 2013). This reference identifies the toolset; the book text was not available for a chapter-level comparison in this development pass. The explanations, application sequence and fictional examples here are original LeanTrainingLab teaching material. Linked readings provide background; they do not prescribe every example or target.