Work breakdown structure

Work breakdown structure (WBS) is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed to accomplish objectives and create the required deliverables. It organizes and defines the total scope of the project.

Definitions

According to the BABOK Guide (3rd edition),

Work breakdown structure (WBS). A deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed to accomplish objectives and create the required deliverables. It organizes and defines the total scope of the project.

According to the PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms,

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. See also organizational breakdown structure, resource breakdown structure, risk breakdown structure, and WBS dictionary.

According to the ASME EMBOK,

Work Breakdown Structure. Process that identifies all tasks required to complete a project, the order in which they must occur, the materials required, and the costs associated with each task.