Automated Quote to Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

What You Will Learn

Many companies struggle to achieve profitability on their projects. One of the primary reasons for this challenge is a disconnect between the estimates or quotes approved by clients and the actual project execution.

This guide will teach you how to create consistency between your quotes and the project's Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to enhance profitability.

Prerequisites

To achieve profitability, it’s essential to create visibility between sales and operations. The most effective way to do this is by streamlining the creation of the WBS directly from the quote.

Since this task can be time-consuming, project managers often bypass it, leading to the development of a project structure that is incompatible with the original quote.

Step-by-step instructions

Utilize a Quoting Module: Encourage your sales team to use a quoting module for all customer quotes. This will provide visibility into the sales pipeline and make it easier to track all sales efforts.
Automate Project and WBS Creation: Configure your system to automatically generate the project and WBS, including tasks for each area of the project as outlined in the quote.
Consider a Two-Layer Approach: Implement a two-layer structure to nest main work requests and subrequests for improved visibility.
Setup for Consistency: Aim for a one-time advanced setup of your system that requires minimal ongoing effort to maintain a consistent structure.
Assess System Capabilities: If your current system does not support full automation in this area, achieving consistent results will be challenging.
Create a Billing Profile: Additionally, you need to establish a Billing Profile or Contract, which will guide your invoicing process.