Editing Work breakdown structure (section)

{{Short description|A deliverable-orientated breakdown of a project into smaller components}}
{{Other uses of|breakdown structures|Breakdown structure (disambiguation){{!}}Breakdown structure}}
[[File:Work Breakdown Structure of Aircraft System.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Example from MIL-HDBK-881, which illustrates the first three levels of a typical aircraft system<ref name="SEF01">[http://www.dau.mil/pubs/pdf/SEFGuide%2001-01.pdf ''Systems Engineering Fundamentals.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211165311/http://www.dau.mil/pubs/pdf/SEFGuide%2001-01.pdf |date=2006-02-11 }} Defense Acquisition University Press, 2001</ref>]]

A '''work-breakdown structure''' ('''WBS''')<ref>{{cite web| title = Glossary of Defense Acquisition Acronyms and Terms: Contract Work Breakdown Structure (CWBS)| publisher = Defense Acquisition University| url = https://dap.dau.mil/glossary/pages/1637.aspx| access-date = 19 September 2017}}</ref> in [[project management]] and [[systems engineering]] is a breakdown of a project into smaller components. It is a key project management element that organizes the team's work into manageable sections. The [[Project Management Body of Knowledge]] defines the work-breakdown structure as a "hierarchical decomposition of the total [[Scope (project management)|scope]] of work to be carried out by the [[project team]] to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables."<ref name=Kerzner>{{cite book | author = Kerzner, Harold | year = 2009 | title = Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling |edition = 10th | publisher = Wiley | isbn = 978-0-470-27870-3| author-link = Harold Kerzner }}</ref>{{rp|434}}{{sfn|Project Management Institute|2021|loc=§Glossary Section 3. Definitions}}

A WBS provides the necessary framework for detailed cost estimation and control while providing guidance for [[Schedule (project management)|schedule]] development and control.<ref name="BAH">Booz, Allen & Hamilton [http://science.energy.gov/~/media/opa/powerpoint/Final_Module_2.ppt Earned Value Management Tutorial Module 2: Work Breakdown Structure], [http://science.energy.gov/opa/project-management/tools-and-resources/ Office of Science, Tools & Resources for Project Management], science.energy.gov. Accessed 27. Dec 2011.</ref>