English
Menu

Software Development and Project Management

In a WBS, which breaks down a project's deliverables and work hierarchically, what is the element at the lowest level, used as the unit for estimating duration and cost and assigning people?

  1. AWork package
  2. BMilestone
  3. CGantt chart
Show answer and explanation

Answer: A. Work package

A WBS (work breakdown structure) breaks down the deliverables of a project and the work needed for them into a tree, from the top level to lower levels. The elements at the lowest level are called work packages, and they are the units for estimating, scheduling, assigning people and tracking progress. A milestone is a significant point in time, such as 'basic design completed', used to check progress. A Gantt chart shows the schedule with tasks drawn as horizontal bars, and is used to draw the schedule of the work broken down in the WBS.

  • A. Correct. It is the lowest element of the WBS and the unit of estimation and control.
  • B. This is a significant point in time (a zero-duration checkpoint) for checking progress, not a unit of work.
  • C. This is a chart that shows the schedule of tasks as horizontal bars, not an element of the WBS.
Practice this topic Back to topic

Related calculators

Critical Path CalculatorCalculate earliest and latest start days, float, the critical path and the total duration from task durations and predecessors, shown in a Gantt chartEVM (Earned Value) CalculatorCalculate SV, CV, SPI, CPI and the estimate at completion (EAC) from PV, EV, AC and the budget at completion, and judge delays and overruns

Books on Software Development and Project Management Ad

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

More Software Development and Project Management questions

  1. In an arrow diagram with nodes ① to ⑥, the activities, written as 'name: start node → end node, duration', are A: ① → ②, 6 days; B: ① → ③, 4 days; C: ② → ④, 4 days; D: ③ → ⑤, 4 days; E: ④ → ⑥, 2 days; F: ⑤ → ⑥, 3 days; and a dummy activity: ② → ③ (duration 0). What is the shortest duration of the whole project?
  2. A project has the following activities, durations and predecessors: A: 4 days (no predecessor); B: 2 days (none); C: 3 days (A); D: 2 days (B); E: 5 days (C); F: 4 days (C and D); G: 2 days (F). If all other activities start as early as possible, what is the maximum number of days by which the start of activity B can be delayed without extending the total project duration?
  3. A project has the following activities, durations and predecessors: A: 6 days (none); B: 4 days (none); C: 4 days (A); D: 4 days (A and B); E: 2 days (C); F: 3 days (D), and its total duration is 13 days. The extra cost of shortening each activity by one day is ¥300,000 for A, ¥50,000 for B, ¥100,000 for C, ¥200,000 for D, ¥80,000 for E and ¥250,000 for F. Which is the cheapest way to shorten the total project duration by one day?
  4. A three-point estimate of an activity's duration gives an optimistic value of 4 days, a most likely value of 7 days and a pessimistic value of 16 days. What is the expected duration given by the PERT formula?
  5. In a project with a budget at completion (BAC) of ¥20 million, at a certain point the planned value (PV) was ¥8 million, the earned value (EV) ¥6 million and the actual cost (AC) ¥7.5 million. Which correctly describes the project's status at that point?