International Project Management Association (IPMA) Practice Exam

Which document would have the most detailed description of the work of the project?

1. Work breakdown structure

2. Milestone chart

3. Scope management plan

4. Risk response list

The correct answer is: Work breakdown structure

The work breakdown structure (WBS) is the most detailed document regarding the work of a project. It is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work into smaller, manageable components. Each level of the WBS breaks down the project deliverables into finer detail, allowing project managers and teams to organize and define the total work required to complete the project successfully. By detailing all the tasks and sub-tasks necessary to complete the project, the WBS helps ensure no critical aspects are overlooked and aids in resource allocation, task assignment, and project scheduling. This structure also serves as a foundation for further project planning, including estimating costs and durations, and is critical for performance monitoring and control. In contrast, while a milestone chart outlines important events and completion points in the project timeline, it does not provide the detailed breakdown of activities. The scope management plan defines how the project scope will be defined, validated, and controlled, but it does not detail the actual work involved. A risk response list simply identifies potential risks and their corresponding strategies, which is an aspect of project management but not a detailed description of project work.