WBS Dictionary
A WBS Dictionary records each WBS node's definition, deliverables, and acceptance criteria. The tree shows what exists; the dictionary answers what each item exactly is.
Why the tree alone is not enough
A node name is a few words. A node called "admin screen" reads as "includes the statistics dashboard" to the client and "account management only" to the dev team — two scopes imagined from one tree. The dictionary closes that gap with a definition, inclusions and exclusions, deliverables, and acceptance criteria per node.
Why it matters
Work without acceptance criteria can only end in argument. Most acceptance-stage disputes are not about code quality; they are about the missing agreement on what "done" means. One line — "admin screen: account CRUD and permission audit log included, statistics dashboard excluded" — and the argument never starts.
A practical tip
Writing every node at equal depth exhausts teams into abandoning the dictionary. Start where disputes are likely: externally accepted items, fuzzy boundaries, and expensive nodes first.
wbsgantt gives every node a dictionary form — definition, deliverables, acceptance criteria — with a completeness ring.