Project decomposition principles
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 9:02 am
The process of dividing the whole into components does not follow strict rules. The decomposition of the project's work directly depends on its goals, specifics, scale and available resources. Most often, a global task is simply divided into several smaller ones, but following several rules will help achieve high efficiency.
Clearly formulate the goal . The best option is to define a specific measurable result of the upcoming work. Not just “increase sales,” but “achieve 5% growth in 6 months,” not “expand market influence,” but “poach 12% of customers from competitor X.”
Isolate the project components from each other . Correctly conducted decomposition involves identifying several non-intersecting stages or tasks. Each of the resulting blocks should have its own performers, budgets, labor and material resources, deadlines. This is necessary to organize, simplify and speed up the implementation of the project as a whole.
Build a hierarchical structure . Individual tasks indonesia email database must be arranged according to their importance and dependence on other components. Obviously, the planning stage precedes the start of specific development activities, and it is impossible to start interior finishing of apartments until utility lines are laid.
Make sure the sum of the parts equals the whole . The final project goal represents 100% of what all the individual tasks should add up to. If the values do not match, there may have been some mistakes in the planning stage or some elements of the work overlooked.
Simplify the final tasks as much as possible . The ideal decomposition involves a list of specific actions that cannot be broken down further. This approach simplifies their implementation and facilitates the achievement of the final goal.
Be moderate when creating small tasks . When there are too many of them, it becomes difficult to control their execution, which negatively affects the overall implementation of the project.
At first glance, the last two principles are in contradiction with each other. On the one hand, it is proposed to reduce each stage of work to a list of the simplest actions, and on the other - to limit their number. This is really not easy and requires certain decomposition skills.
Project decomposition principles
Source: shutterstock.com
The project manager has to find a golden mean to maintain a balance between the simplicity of tasks and their number. The key factors here are the available resources, the qualifications of the employees, and the deadlines. For example, when developing an online store, you can set tasks for team members in accordance with the sections: product catalog, service information, blog.
When it comes to creating a mobile application or a social network, such a division is impossible due to the large number of additional functions and a high degree of integration with other resources.
Increase Your Profits by 10X: 5 Key Metrics You Must Track
Alexander Kuleshov
Alexander Kuleshov
General Director of Sales Generator LLC
Read more posts on my personal blog:
After working with over 300 online projects , I can guarantee: monitor these metrics weekly and your company will not only survive, but also increase its profits by 10 times!
In the context of sanctions and crisis, knowing the ROI of your advertising decides whether your business will be successful. Tracking these 5 critical indicators is the key to your prosperity.
What you get for free:
5 Key Metrics to Increase Profits by 220%
Advertising Channels Efficiency Calculator: Optimize Your Budget and Increase ROI by 70%
A Killer Commercial Proposal Template That Increases Conversion to Deals by 60%
We have prepared all the documents and templates with formulas for you. And yes, it is FREE:
Download documents for free
Already downloaded
153116
Project decomposition levels
Ideally, the overall goal is broken down into elements to the extent that their full implementation, testing and management are possible. When determining the levels of project decomposition, one should proceed from its scale, complexity and specificity, and also take into account the professionalism of the team of performers.
Breaking down a goal into too small tasks can lead to excessive management and unjustified growth in implementation costs. On the other hand, an insufficient level of decomposition can cause loss of control and increased risks in achieving the desired result.
The optimal solution would be to divide the goal into separate components, taking into account:
Project features : if it is simple to implement and small in volume, decomposition can be quite rough. For large-scale projects, serious detailing of tasks with the construction of a hierarchical structure is necessary.
Number of performers : the more people involved in the project, the more specific the tasks assigned to them should be. This increases management efficiency and avoids duplication of functions of individual team members.
Project risks : at a high level, decomposition should be more detailed, which will allow you to control the solution of each task and minimize the risk of failure at any stage.
Decomposition is considered to be carried out at an ideal level if the manager has achieved a compromise between management efficiency, risk control and achievement of project goals.
Before you begin the process of breaking down the goal into smaller tasks, you need to study all the requirements to determine the future components and systems and the principles of their interaction.
Clearly formulate the goal . The best option is to define a specific measurable result of the upcoming work. Not just “increase sales,” but “achieve 5% growth in 6 months,” not “expand market influence,” but “poach 12% of customers from competitor X.”
Isolate the project components from each other . Correctly conducted decomposition involves identifying several non-intersecting stages or tasks. Each of the resulting blocks should have its own performers, budgets, labor and material resources, deadlines. This is necessary to organize, simplify and speed up the implementation of the project as a whole.
Build a hierarchical structure . Individual tasks indonesia email database must be arranged according to their importance and dependence on other components. Obviously, the planning stage precedes the start of specific development activities, and it is impossible to start interior finishing of apartments until utility lines are laid.
Make sure the sum of the parts equals the whole . The final project goal represents 100% of what all the individual tasks should add up to. If the values do not match, there may have been some mistakes in the planning stage or some elements of the work overlooked.
Simplify the final tasks as much as possible . The ideal decomposition involves a list of specific actions that cannot be broken down further. This approach simplifies their implementation and facilitates the achievement of the final goal.
Be moderate when creating small tasks . When there are too many of them, it becomes difficult to control their execution, which negatively affects the overall implementation of the project.
At first glance, the last two principles are in contradiction with each other. On the one hand, it is proposed to reduce each stage of work to a list of the simplest actions, and on the other - to limit their number. This is really not easy and requires certain decomposition skills.
Project decomposition principles
Source: shutterstock.com
The project manager has to find a golden mean to maintain a balance between the simplicity of tasks and their number. The key factors here are the available resources, the qualifications of the employees, and the deadlines. For example, when developing an online store, you can set tasks for team members in accordance with the sections: product catalog, service information, blog.
When it comes to creating a mobile application or a social network, such a division is impossible due to the large number of additional functions and a high degree of integration with other resources.
Increase Your Profits by 10X: 5 Key Metrics You Must Track
Alexander Kuleshov
Alexander Kuleshov
General Director of Sales Generator LLC
Read more posts on my personal blog:
After working with over 300 online projects , I can guarantee: monitor these metrics weekly and your company will not only survive, but also increase its profits by 10 times!
In the context of sanctions and crisis, knowing the ROI of your advertising decides whether your business will be successful. Tracking these 5 critical indicators is the key to your prosperity.
What you get for free:
5 Key Metrics to Increase Profits by 220%
Advertising Channels Efficiency Calculator: Optimize Your Budget and Increase ROI by 70%
A Killer Commercial Proposal Template That Increases Conversion to Deals by 60%
We have prepared all the documents and templates with formulas for you. And yes, it is FREE:
Download documents for free
Already downloaded
153116
Project decomposition levels
Ideally, the overall goal is broken down into elements to the extent that their full implementation, testing and management are possible. When determining the levels of project decomposition, one should proceed from its scale, complexity and specificity, and also take into account the professionalism of the team of performers.
Breaking down a goal into too small tasks can lead to excessive management and unjustified growth in implementation costs. On the other hand, an insufficient level of decomposition can cause loss of control and increased risks in achieving the desired result.
The optimal solution would be to divide the goal into separate components, taking into account:
Project features : if it is simple to implement and small in volume, decomposition can be quite rough. For large-scale projects, serious detailing of tasks with the construction of a hierarchical structure is necessary.
Number of performers : the more people involved in the project, the more specific the tasks assigned to them should be. This increases management efficiency and avoids duplication of functions of individual team members.
Project risks : at a high level, decomposition should be more detailed, which will allow you to control the solution of each task and minimize the risk of failure at any stage.
Decomposition is considered to be carried out at an ideal level if the manager has achieved a compromise between management efficiency, risk control and achievement of project goals.
Before you begin the process of breaking down the goal into smaller tasks, you need to study all the requirements to determine the future components and systems and the principles of their interaction.