Free WBS Creator: work breakdown structure template for Excel
Turn a simple task list into a professional work breakdown structure chart in Excel. Brainstorm the project top-down, then present it to your team and clients.
35,000+ downloads · Excel 2007–2019 on Windows · Excel 2016–2019 on Mac · Microsoft 365
What is a work breakdown structure?
A work breakdown structure (WBS) breaks a project down into the deliverables it must produce, then into smaller and smaller pieces of work. Planning top-down like this makes for more complete plans: it is much harder to forget a piece of work when you can see the whole tree. Breaking large projects into manageable tasks also lets the team focus on key deliverables and milestones.
How a WBS is structured
The chart starts with the project name and its main tasks.
Under each main task, list its subtasks.
Then list the sub-subtasks that complete each subtask.
How to create a WBS chart in Excel
Download and open WBS Creator. The WBS Creator tab loads in the Excel ribbon.
Click Task Structure on the WBS Creator tab. Sample tasks are created for you to edit, delete or add to. You can change the fill and text colours of each WBS box here too.
Use Set Child and Set Parent to indent tasks under the deliverable they belong to.
Click Create WBS. The chart is drawn in milliseconds.
Works in Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 on Windows, Excel 2016 and 2019 on Mac, and every version of Excel in Microsoft 365.
Download WBS Creator freeWatch: create a WBS chart in Excel
From WBS to schedule
A WBS tells you what work there is. A Gantt chart tells you when it happens. Once your WBS is done, put the tasks into Gantt Excel to schedule them, and use WBS Creator for Gantt Excel to keep the chart in step with the plan. Outlining tasks in Gantt Excel uses the same parent-and-child idea.
Can it be linked in MS Project
Sorry for the late reply. Currently we have integrated it with Gantt Excel. We will be adding a connection interface to read MS Project plans soon.
Hi, I have downloaded the WBS creator, but I have two questions.
Do you have a password to modify the code?
Does the software have a limitation in number files that you can add to make a WBS?
Thank you in advance.
Martín
Hey Martin, the code is protected. WBS Creator is completely free and you can create as many WBS charts in one excel file or use multiple WBS creator excel files for all your projects.
Dear WBS Creator,
Thank you for very useful information!
I tried to get the template, but it did not appear.
If possible, I would like to get it!
Thank you!
Can I make a WBS with more than three levels?
Thanks very much!!!
Dear Martin, Sure you create a WBS with as many levels as you want. We have no restrictions.
This software made life easier for me when I tackled my assignment. Thank you
Thank you very much. Glad you found the WBS tool helpful.
Hi, Pradeep,
Is it possible for the WBS to show the assigned resource(name) on each task?
Dear Collins, If you have created a Gantt Chart in Gantt Excel then you can show the assigned resource as well. https://www.ganttexcel.com/
Thank you for making this freely available to users with limited resources.
Most Welcome Shiv 🙂
Just wondering if there is a way to link Sub-tasks in different trees? Where one sub-task in a tree becomes dependant on the completion of a subtask in a different tree.
Andrew, this feature is not available in WBS Creator as of now. However you can create task dependencies in Gantt Excel
Is it possible to have the WBS Include more than one cell of text. Example: The Task Column as-is and an additional Column for Responsible Party or Resource.
Lucas, Thank you for your input. We will add this feature to the next version.
Hi,
Im using gmail as my conpany valid address. Please provide link to download the tool
Mati, The file should automatically download when you hit the download button.
Hi There,
I’m struggling to get past 2 sub tasks before it creates another sub tasks, i.e i’ve got 1.1 and 1.2 but when i go to make 1.3 it automatically creates 1.1.1, can this be changed?
James raise a ticket at the link below and send me your file. I will help you out.
https://infinityexcel.freshdesk.com/support/home
I’ve raised a ticket, thanks
Hi James – We replied to your ticket within an hour.
Hi,
I bought the license for Convert Gantt Charts to WBS Charts. But I would like to have the reverse, means, I want to create the WBS and after create the Gant automatically.
I can I do this?
Thank you so much!
Catarina
Catarina, we have replied back to your email.
where to put email
Sorry about this, the issue has been resolved. Please try again.
help me to try it.
Sorry about this, the issue has been resolved. Please try again.
I would to download this please
Sorry about this, the issue has been resolved. Please try again.
Sorry about this, the issue has been resolved. Please try again.
I appreciate your WBS creator beyond belief. I am utilizing it for a school project and it is cutting the workload in half.
As I will only need it for one course, I would not be purchasing the package, but is there a way to contribute even 10.00 to the developer? A way to keep the free available to students and those who need a one-time solution.
Thank you so much for your kind words. We are really happy that WBS creator has been very helpful.
Is it possible to create a WBS out of a project that is created in Gantt Excel? If Yes, how?
Dear Jörg, Please check out this link. The instructions too are on the same page.
https://infinityexcel.com/excel-templates/wbs-creator-gantt-excel/
Very nice template and easy to use!
Hello,
Thanks for providing this tool. Is there a way to automatically adjust the box shape hight? The WP names are to long and are not shown in the standard sized boxes. When I manually change the size, it gets overwritten with the next refresh of the WBS.
Thanks in advance.
Martin thank you for your feedback. We will work on this in our next version.
I’d like to underscore Martin’s comment/request. I really like this tool and haven’t found anything else that does this without costing an arm and a leg (I consult for non-profits so price is a big concern for me), but this issue ends up costing me a lot of time whenever I edit my WBS tables, which I do a lot based on project team feedback. I’d like to add that, in addition to manually changing WBS box dimensions, it would also be nice to be able to change box properties (something other than “Move and size with cells) as well as text margins and alignment and not have them overwritten every time I hit Create WBS.
You have a great product; I look forward to future improvements!
“¿Puedo cambiarlo para que el proyecto comience con el número 1 en lugar de 0, y por ejemplo, mis temas principales son todos 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, y luego creo cada subgrupo como 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.1.2, y así sucesivamente?
Todas las tareas comienzan con 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 y no con 0.1, 0.2, etc.
i just purchased Gantt excel, is there a way to over ride the automatic WBS number, for instance i want to put kick off meeting as a task, but i dont want that numbered, because it throws off my actural work plan taks and subtask numbers- so kick-off meeting is atomatically numbered “1” then im trying to match my task list where technology research would be listed as TASK #1 and all subtasks (children) would be numbered from there i.e 1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3 etc…
Tony – Unfortunately, the WBS numbering in Gantt Excel is automatically generated and cannot be manually overridden or selectively removed for individual tasks.
Every task in the project requires a WBS number to maintain the hierarchical structure and ensure the parent-child relationships function correctly throughout the chart.
Please write to us at support AT ganttexcel dot com for further questions.
is there anyway to list or insert a “blank” excel row that would then not be included in the chart?
How do you change a task to a milestone without deleting the entire task?