According to the PMBOK® Guide, specifically within the Project Schedule Management knowledge area, the process of breaking down work packages into specific, actionable steps is essential for creating a realistic schedule.
Define Activities: This is the process of identifying and documenting the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables. While the Create WBS process identifies the deliverables at the " work package " level, Define Activities takes those work packages and decomposes them into activities, which provide a basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, monitoring, and controlling the project work.
Decomposition: The primary tool used here is decomposition. In this context, it involves taking the lowest level of the WBS (the work package) and breaking it down into the actual tasks or actions required to complete that work.
Outputs: The key outputs of this process are the Activity List, Activity Attributes, and a Milestone List. These documents ensure that the project team has a clear, documented path for what needs to be physically done.
Why other options are incorrect:
Option A: Plan Schedule Management: This is the initial process that establishes the criteria and the activities for developing, monitoring, and controlling the schedule. It creates the " rulebook " (the Schedule Management Plan) but does not identify specific project activities.
Option C: Develop Schedule: This process analyzes activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the actual project schedule model. You cannot develop a schedule until the activities have already been defined and sequenced.
Option D: Estimate Activity Durations: This process focuses on the time required to complete individual activities. It assumes the activities have already been identified and documented in the Define Activities process.
