Insights Glossary What Is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?
Glossary

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

A hierarchical decomposition of project scope into deliverables, work packages, and individual tasks.

3 min 2026-01-31

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

A Work Breakdown Structure is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to accomplish project objectives. It breaks the project into smaller, manageable components called work packages.

Key Points

Starts with the project goal and decomposes into phases, deliverables, and tasks
Each level adds detail: Project → Phases → Deliverables → Work Packages → Tasks
The 100% Rule: the WBS must include 100% of the project scope
Work packages should be small enough to estimate and assign

How Vizually.AI Uses This

In Vizually.AI, zones represent the top levels of a WBS (phases and deliverables), while cards represent work packages and individual tasks. Connectors show dependencies between components.

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