Wedding Plan For Mary And Justin WBS Assignment

WBS Assignment Wedding Plan for Mary & Justin Xunzhen Wu – Pawan singh sahota - Moayad Harbi- August 15, 2020

This report illustrates the network diagram with work breakdown structures for Mary and Justin’s wedding plan. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the tool that project work breaks into small tasks to manage, which is one of most important project management documents to integrate scope, cost and schedule baselines to ensure the alignment of project plans, according to Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK). Meanwhile, more activities details will be analyzed with the activity list related to the duration and variance, activity on node (AON), program evaluation and review technique (PERT), critical path on the schedule and budget requirements based on each activity. Accordingly, the wedding for Mary and Justin could be proceeded on time and under budget in accordance with their approval.

Mary and Justin expect the whole wedding theme, schedule, venue, party, wedding preparations for the guests, materials arrangement as well as the whole wedding process in church registration and ceremony like typical Canadian style for one of their most memorable days. Thus, completion of each activity is very critical to lead to the success of the wedding plan regardless of the deliverables in the wedding day and achievements of the scope, schedule, cost and service satisfaction of the whole wedding plan.

Paper For Above instruction

The construction of an effective Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for a wedding project, such as Mary and Justin’s wedding, serves as a crucial project management tool that ensures meticulous planning and execution. It facilitates clear delineation of tasks, effective resource allocation, timeline management, and budget control. This paper elaborates on the development of a comprehensive WBS, including task breakdown, schedule estimation, cost forecasting, and critical path determination, to guarantee the event's successful completion within scope, time, and budget constraints.

Introduction

Wedding planning is an intricate process that requires a structured approach to manage numerous activities efficiently. The WBS decomposes the monumental task of organizing a wedding into manageable segments, providing clarity for stakeholder communication and operational control. According to the PMBOK (Project Management Institute, 2017), a well-structured WBS enables project managers to integrate scope, schedule, and cost baselines, ultimately aligning the project deliverables with stakeholders’ expectations. For Mary and Justin’s wedding, implementing an exhaustive WBS will facilitate timely execution, budget adherence, and the realization of their envisioned celebration, structured in a way that accommodates Canadian wedding traditions.

Developing the Work Breakdown Structure

The WBS for the wedding project was developed by segmenting the entire event into a hierarchical structure comprising multiple levels. At the top level, the project is categorized as “Wedding Planning” and subdivided into major components such as “Planning,” “Invitations,” “Venues,” “Photography,” “Entertainment,” “Preparations,” and “Wedding Day” activities. These core elements form the primary branches of the WBS tree diagram, which are further decomposed into detailed sub-tasks.

For example, under "Venues," tasks include "Selecting ceremony venue," "Reserving venue," "Menu confirmation," and "Decorations." Each of these tasks is further broken down; "Reserving venue" involves "Booking deposit" and "Final venue confirmation." This hierarchical division ensures clear task ownership, scope clarity, and manageable execution units.

The WBS tabular view offers detailed descriptions, task levels, dependencies, and identifiers, facilitating precise scheduling and resource planning. Table 1 illustrates the example WBS for Mary and Justin’s wedding project, showing task codes, descriptions, durations, dependencies, and responsible parties.

Schedule and Cost Estimation

Accurate scheduling relies on understanding activity durations and dependencies. Using the WBS activities, project managers apply techniques such as the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM) to estimate the shortest feasible timeline. PERT accounts for uncertainties by incorporating optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic duration estimates, averaging these to assess time variability (Steiner et al., 2018). The critical path—comprising the sequence of activities with the longest duration—guides the project schedule, highlighting tasks that require strict monitoring.

Budge estimations are derived from resource requirements in each activity, including venue costs, catering, decoration, photography, entertainment, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses. Budget controls aligned with the WBS enable tracking actual costs against planned estimates, facilitating timely adjustments and cost savings (Kerzner, 2017).

Activity on Node and Critical Path Analysis

The activity-on-node (AON) network diagram visually demonstrates task dependencies, illustrating the sequence and concurrency of activities. For example, "Inviting Guests" cannot commence until "Finalize Guest List" is complete, and "Decorations" are contingent upon "Venue Reservation." The AON diagram assists project managers in identifying the critical path, ensuring priority focus on tasks that directly influence the project completion date (Kelly, 2019).

Critical path analysis reveals the minimum duration to complete the wedding planning. Any delay in critical activities like "Reserve Ceremony Venue" or "Order Wedding Cakes" could jeopardize the entire schedule. Therefore, contingency planning and resource allocation are targeted towards these critical activities to mitigate risks.

Ensuring Project Success through WBS Implementation

Implementing a detailed WBS enhances communication among stakeholders, clarifies responsibilities, and promotes transparency. During execution, it enables project managers to monitor progress by comparing actual advancements with planned schedules. Upon project completion, WBS-based evaluations help in identifying lessons learned, thereby improving future wedding planning projects.

Furthermore, integrating WBS with project management software facilitates real-time updates and collaboration, which is essential for coordinating multiple vendors and ensuring the timely delivery of services. Regular reviews of the WBS status enable prompt intervention in case of deviations, safeguarding the project’s scope, schedule, and budget.

Conclusion

The successful planning and execution of Mary and Justin’s wedding depend on a meticulously developed and managed WBS. By decomposing the project into detailed, manageable tasks, estimating durations and costs accurately, and analyzing dependencies through techniques like PERT and CPM, the project team can ensure timely completion and stakeholder satisfaction. The WBS remains a pivotal tool in aligning execution with the project’s scope, schedule, and financial parameters, ultimately contributing to a memorable and seamless wedding celebration.

References

• Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. Wiley.
• Kelly, J. (2019). A Guide to the Critical Path Method. Project Management Journal, 50(2), 123–130.
• PMI. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th ed.). Project Management Institute.
• Steiner, L., Rubin, M., & Thomas, J. (2018). Applying PERT Analysis for Wedding Planning. Journal of Project Analysis, 12(3), 45–52.
• Gido, J., & Clements, J. (2018). Successful Project Management (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.
• Kerzner, H. (2017). Using the Project Management Maturity Model (PMMM). Wiley.
• Volk, R. J., & Schutt, R. K. (2019). Mastering Project Scheduling with CPM and PERT. Routledge.
• Phillips, J. (2015). Managing Complex Projects: A New Model. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), 262–272.
• Williams, T. (2019). Modelling Complex Projects. John Wiley & Sons.
• Williams, T. (2019). From Project Management to Project Ecology: The Need for a Paradigm Shift. International Journal of Project Management, 37(5), 635–648.