Work Breakdown Structure: What It Is and How to Implement WBS with Quire

Last updated: July 20, 2026

Kanban, Scrum, GTD, waterfall... project management methods multiply faster than anyone can learn them. And while you're comparing frameworks, the actual project sits there, too big to start. What you need first is simpler than a methodology: a way to break the thing into pieces small enough to finish. That's exactly what the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is for.

No need to stress. We'll walk you through creating a WBS, setting up your projects, and figuring out what to include. By the time we're done, your project will practically run itself. (Practically. You still have to do the tasks.)

What is the Work Breakdown Structure?

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a technique for organizing your project by breaking it down into a hierarchy. The idea behind WBS is right there in the name—break things down. You start with a big goal and break it into smaller, more manageable tasks. If a project feels too big to even begin, our 4 steps to break down an overwhelming project is the informal version of the same instinct a WBS formalizes.

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI) in their Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK), a WBS is a "deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team." Sound familiar? It’s been Quire’s approach from day one. We were one of the first project management tools to let you break down parent tasks into unlimited subtasks.

Project managers use WBS to help teams break down complex project scopes, visualize dependencies, and give everyone a clear overview of the project, rather than just a long to-do list. It's typically built during the planning phase, one of the five phases of the project life cycle, and stays the reference document teams return to through execution — the same backbone you'd capture in a project plan template.

What Are the Two Types of Work Breakdown Structure?

There are two types of WBS: 1) Deliverable-Based and 2) Phase-Based. The Deliverable-Based approach is the most common and preferred. The whole difference lives in Level 1: what you put at the top of the hierarchy decides how everything underneath breaks down. Pick based on how clear your end goal is, not on which diagram looks nicer.

Type 1: Deliverable-Based Work Breakdown Structure

A Deliverable-Based Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) shows how project deliverables—like products, services, or results—relate to the scope of work that needs to be done. In simple terms, it’s a way to take the big picture of your project and break it down into smaller, manageable deliverables that support your main goal.

This approach is especially useful for shorter projects with clear outcomes, like developing your annual revenue report.

There is a concept in WBS that you should know: the 100% rule. It means that the WBS should include 100% of the work required to complete the project—nothing more, nothing less.
Every task, deliverable, and sub-task should contribute directly to achieving the project’s objectives. This rule ensures that nothing is left out and that there’s no unnecessary work cluttering up the project plan.

Type 2: Phase-Based Work Breakdown Structure

In a Phase-Based Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), you organize your project by breaking it down into different phases. Each phase has its own set of tasks, which are grouped together into work packages. These task groups are then tackled one stage at a time, making it easier to manage long-term projects with goals that aren’t as clearly defined from the start.

This approach is perfect for projects where the outcome is more of a moving target, like boosting customer retention by 50% over the next three years. Instead of having a single, clear deliverable, you'll be working through phases—like research, strategy development, implementation, and ongoing adjustments—each with its own set of tasks that build toward your goal. This way, you can adapt as you go and keep the project on track even when the target moves, the same flexibility that makes agility valuable in day-to-day project management.

What are the Three Levels of Work Breakdown Structure?

Before you build a WBS, get a solid grasp of your project: its objectives, scope, and requirements. You can't break down deliverables you haven't defined yet.

A WBS usually centers around what you need to deliver to achieve the project’s goals. It breaks things down into three levels:

1. Level 1: The project title or the final deliverable (think of this as the main goal or parent task).
2. Level 2: The major dependencies that support the final deliverable.
3. Level 3: The specific tasks needed to complete these major deliverables.

What Task Hierarchy and Subtask Breakdown Does Quire Provide?

Quire builds task hierarchy in three native layers. A Section holds your Level 1 deliverable. Parent tasks sit beneath it as Level 2 workstreams. Subtasks nest under each parent as Level 3 work, and Quire allows unlimited nesting, so a complex deliverable can go four or five levels deep without splitting into separate projects. This matters for WBS because the method itself has no depth limit, yet many popular tools do: Monday.com offers only a single level of subitems, and Asana and ClickUp cap how many levels of subtasks you can nest before you hit a wall. When your WBS needs to go deeper than the tool allows, the breakdown gets forced into workarounds. Quire's unlimited nesting means the tool never dictates how granular your WBS can be. That's the structural upgrade many growing teams need once a flat board stops scaling and a single list of cards can't hold the whole project anymore. List view auto-numbers the hierarchy (1.1, 1.2), and the same breakdown stays intact when you switch to Board, Table, or Timeline view. The deeper that hierarchy gets, the more it pays to get deliberate about managing dependencies between the tasks it creates, so a delay in one Level 3 task doesn't quietly stall the Level 2 workstream above it.

What Is the Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary?

A WBS diagram is all boxes and lines, with no room on it for detail. The WBS dictionary fills that gap: it gives every task the context the chart can't hold, so nobody has to ping you at 4pm asking what "Deliverable 2.3" actually means.

Here are some key fields to include in your WBS dictionary:

• Task Names: Keep it short and clear, just a few words.
• Responsible Organization/Individual: The assignees, including contact info.
• Descriptions: Add a bit more detail, but stick to one or two sentences.
• Deliverables: Be specific about what exactly needs to be completed.
• Budget: Outline projected expenses, including how much, for what, and by when.
• Milestones: Highlight key points on the project timeline where major tasks are completed.
• Approvals: Note any tasks that require approval.
• Risks: Any known threats or opportunities with response strategies.
• Additional information: References, related work details, etc.

You can learn how to create Approvals and Custom Fields in Quire to better manage your projects.

While you can include various fields, the goal is to create a resource where team members can easily find the information they need to complete their tasks.

How to Use Quire to Set Up the Levels in Work Breakdown Structure

Approach 1: Use Quire Task List to Set Up WBS

For example, imagine you are working on a house construction and you have to break down the goal into smaller tasks. Here are some deliverables you might need to set up:

There are different ways to organize and present your information when creating a WBS.

One of the easiest and most popular formats is the outline structure. It shows the hierarchy of deliverables using indents and numbering. So, if your level 2 deliverable is numbered as 1, the level 3 deliverables beneath it will be labeled 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and so on.

In Quire, you can start by setting up your WBS Level 1 using Quire Sections, then break down your goals into Level 2 using Quire parent tasks and Level 3 using as many subtasks as you need.

Approach 2: Use Quire Kanban Board to Set Up WBS Chart

Another format you can use in Quire to set up your WBS is the Kanban Board view, where the hierarchy turns into columns and cards instead of an indented outline. Remember to toggle on the Task Bundle option and shuffle your board by section before you start.

Your columns are now visualized and grouped by the sections (which you have previously used to define your WBS Level 1). Each section represents a stage or a phase of your project. With the Task Bundle, all of the subtasks are nested under their parent tasks, which help you to better visualize their hierarchy.

A Kanban Board can help you track progress against your WBS, adjust tasks if there’re bottlenecks, communicate with your team members in a single canvas, and plan the roadmaps for your project.

Note: The WBS chart in Quire is fully actionable—it’s not just for visualizing your tasks. Quire is the only project management software that offers this level of functionality.

Approach 3: Use Quire Table View to Manage WBS

Another way to set up and manage your WBS is by using a tabular structure, which organizes everything in a table format. Quire's Table view makes this easy by allowing you to see all the details of each element in your WBS in a clear table. The leftmost column lists the major deliverables, while the columns to the right break down the subsequent levels of deliverables.

In Quire, you can switch from List View to Table View and add more custom fields to provide more details to your tasks. In this Table View, you can see that we also included the Assignees, Milestones, Risks, Costs, Budget, and Effort using some simple formulas.

Tips: Here's how to create Formulas and Custom Fields in Quire.

Approach 4: Use Quire Timeline to Track Your WBS Project

Quire Timeline can help you visualize your projects in a horizontal landscape. You can immediately see how tasks depend on one another, track their deadlines and progress, adjust the timeline, filter and sort tasks in an order that matches your goal.

New to laying work out on a horizontal track? See our guide to the project timeline for the four common types, six examples, and how to pick the right one.

Work Breakdown Structure is the Answer to Your Project Management

Creating a work breakdown structure (WBS) is easier than it sounds. Once you get the hang of it, your team will love the clarity and organization that comes with visually breaking down project tasks. If WBS is your first step into structured planning, a project management course is a solid way to build on it.

Whether you’re more of a visual or verbal learner, the right work management tool can make all the difference. And if you’re looking for software that’s been designed with the WBS method in mind, Quire is the perfect fit. From day one, Quire has focused on making it easy to break down tasks and keep everything organized. We'll help you manage your project in the most logical way possible, right up until the day your project starts managing itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a work breakdown structure (WBS)?

A work breakdown structure is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work a project team must execute — the definition comes straight from the Project Management Institute's PMBOK Guide. You start with one final deliverable and break it into progressively smaller, manageable pieces so nothing in the project scope gets missed.

What are the three levels of a work breakdown structure?

Level 1 is the project's final deliverable or title. Level 2 holds the major deliverables that support it. Level 3 lists the specific tasks needed to complete each Level 2 deliverable. In Quire, you map these to Sections (Level 1), parent tasks (Level 2), and subtasks (Level 3) — with unlimited nesting when a project needs to go deeper.

What is the 100% rule in a WBS?

The 100% rule states that a WBS must capture 100% of the work required to complete the project — nothing more, nothing less. Every deliverable and task should map directly to the project's objectives, which keeps scope creep out and stops busywork from cluttering the plan.

What’s the difference between a deliverable-based and a phase-based WBS?

The two differ in what sits at Level 1. A deliverable-based WBS organizes the first level around concrete products, services, or results, and works best for shorter projects with clear outcomes. A phase-based WBS organizes the first level around phases — research, strategy, implementation, and so on — which fits longer projects whose end goal keeps evolving.

How do you build a work breakdown structure in Quire?

Create your Level 1 deliverable as a Quire Section, break it into Level 2 parent tasks, then add Level 3 subtasks under each. From there, view the same WBS as a numbered List, a Kanban Board grouped by section with Task Bundle, a Table with custom fields like budget and risk, or a Timeline for dependencies and deadlines. Unlike a static diagram, Quire’s WBS chart is fully actionable — every node is a real task you can assign and track.

What is a WBS dictionary?

A WBS dictionary is a companion document that captures the detail a diagram can’t — task names, the responsible person, descriptions, deliverables, budget, milestones, approvals, and known risks. It gives your team one place to find everything they need to finish a task. In Quire, you can record these directly on tasks with Custom Fields.

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