A Model-Based Approach for Planning Work Breakdown Structures of Complex Systems Projects

Abstract Planning the development efforts within large-scale projects is a highly complex mission due to uncertainties regarding different aspects of the product to be delivered. Current planning practices employ a host of methods for project planning, with Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) being a prominent one of them. Using WBS, the deliverable—the end product to be delivered, its components, and associated enabling products—are often induced implicitly. Using a running example of an unmanned aerial vehicle, we review the WBS method and discuss problems stemming from the lack of explicit and direct representation of the product facet in the project plan. Based on this observation, we apply the Project-Product Lifecycle Management (PPLM) approach as an exclusive source of the various enhanced project management tools, which are views of the model. WBS, the focus of this paper, is one of these views. Like the other views, our WBS version is augmented with product-related information gleaned from the common underlying model.