ABSTRACT
Any project has to be analysed and split into manageable tasks before it can be planned and implemented. This chapter considers the breakdown of such large projects, and discusses the way in which all projects, regardless of their size, need to be divided into sensibly coded elements or work packages. Work breakdowns must be carried out in a systematic fashion, so that there is a logical, hierarchical pattern to the breakdown. In addition to regarding the work breakdown as a family tree, it is possible to visualize it as a jigsaw puzzle, with every piece put in its right place and with no piece missing. A code is a shorthand method for conveying information about an item. The best coding systems are those which manage to combine both functions as simply as possible in numbers that can be used throughout a company's management information systems.
