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How To Create An Automatic Visual Work Breakdown Structure

How To Create An Automatic Visual Work Breakdown Structure

The work breakdown structure is the mother of all plans in a project. It's essential for a project manager to create one. But not every projectmanagement software supports it.

This Microsoft Excel tool creates a visual WBS automatically for you - only from a structured list.

Get more information on:
https://techpluscode.de/work-breakdown-structure-with-automatic-progress-visualization/

or

https://techpluscode.de/work-breakdown-structure-wbs-in-3-minutes/

Thomas Angielsky

February 11, 2020
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  1. Techpluscode.de
    How To Create An Automatic
    Visual Work Breakdown
    Structure
    With Microsoft Excel
    And VBA Macro

    View Slide

  2. 2
    ▪ Contains sub-projects, work package and tasks
    ▪ Consists of all project work you have to do
    ▪ Is the foundation of your time schedule
    ▪ And of the project plan
    What is a WBS?
    A Work Breakdown Structure is the base plan
    in projectmanagement.
    Creating a WBS is the central task you have to
    do as a project manager

    View Slide

  3. 3
    Automatic generated Work
    Breakdown Structure
    Projekt:
    New assembly
    workplace
    2
    Project
    management
    2.1
    Data storage
    2.2
    Controlling
    2.3
    Marketing
    3
    Initialization
    3.1
    Definition
    3.2
    Aims
    4
    Planning
    4.1
    Work prozess
    4.2
    Workplace design
    4.3
    Search of suppliers
    4.3.1
    Requirements
    specification
    4.3.2
    Requests
    4.3.3
    Comparison
    5
    Realization
    5.1
    Order of components
    5.2
    Installation
    5.3
    Test phase
    5.4
    Optimization
    6
    Closing
    6.1
    Lessons learned
    6.2
    Final report
    • Automatic formatted
    WBS chart
    • Choose your own
    style
    • Create native
    Microsoft Office
    shapes
    • Use all Office effects
    • And all only from a
    simple list

    View Slide

  4. 4
    Get it in 5 steps
    1. Download the Excel macro Automatic_WBS
    2. Create your work breakdown structure list
    3. Add additional information
    4. Define the WBS design via sheet Setup
    5. Click button Create – Finished!

    View Slide

  5. 5
    1. Download the Excel macro
    Automatic_WBS
    https://github.com/tangielsky/automaticWBS
    • Open github.com
    • Press „clone or
    download“ button and
    start downloading the
    macro to your computer
    • Open
    Automatic_WBS.xlsm in
    Microsoft Excel

    View Slide

  6. 6
    1. Download the Excel macro
    Automatic_WBS
    • You may need to adjust the security settings because the macro uses VBA code
    • But you get the code without any restrictions or passwords
    • Open VBA editor (Alt+F11) and look at the code if you like

    View Slide

  7. 7
    2. Create your work breakdown
    structure list
    • Open sheet Start
    • Enter minimum Code and Name or
    import them from Microsoft Project
    or other software
    • Structure your items
    • Start with 1 as top item and
    continue one level deeper
    • Or sort by completion
    Sort

    View Slide

  8. 8
    3. Add additional information
    Add e. g. your special WBS code
    You got 10 user columns F1..F10

    View Slide

  9. 9
    3. Add additional information
    A good way is to use
    VLOOKUP to make
    connections to other data
    sources

    View Slide

  10. 10
    4. Define the WBS design via sheet
    Setup
    Define fonts
    Choose color
    Define scale factors
    Format
    connection
    line
    Format shapes (e. g.
    shadow)
    Insert caption
    (use user fields
    with $F1 - $F10)

    View Slide

  11. 11
    5. Click button Create – Finished!

    View Slide

  12. 12
    Use WBS chart for showing current
    project progress
    Add $PROGRESS
    • Open sheet Setup
    • Enter $PROGRESS as
    text into one or more
    items you want a
    progress information

    View Slide

  13. 13
    Use WBS chart for showing current
    project progress
    • Enter data for
    progress in sheet
    Start
    • Type “J” in cell Use
    progress for color
    • Define text format
    and color for not
    started, in progress
    and completed

    View Slide

  14. 14
    Use WBS chart for showing current
    project progress
    • Re-create the WBS
    chart
    • See at one glance
    what you are
    working on, what is
    finished and what is
    not started

    View Slide

  15. 15
    Transferring to other Microsoft
    applications is easy
    • It is best to select
    and group all
    elements
    beforehand
    • Click Copy (Ctrl+C)
    • Paste to your
    favorite app (e. g.
    Powerpoint)

    View Slide

  16. 16
    ▪ https://techpluscode.de/work-breakdown-structure-with-automatic-
    progress-visualization/
    ▪ https://techpluscode.de/work-breakdown-structure-wbs-in-3-minutes/
    Would like more?
    More information can be found at
    ▪ https://github.com/tangielsky/automaticWBS
    Current version for download at
    ▪ https://techpluscode.de/blog-abonnieren/
    Subscribe to stay informed

    View Slide