Complete WBS Checklist: Custom Guide by Project Type

Source: Dev.to

Requirements gathering and analysis

• Stakeholder interviews
• User story writing
• Functional specification writing
• Non‑functional requirements definition

Tech stack selection

• Frontend framework
• Backend framework
• Database selection
• Cloud service decision

Prototyping

• Wireframe creation
• Mock design
• Prototype development
• User feedback collection

Architecture design

• System architecture diagram
• Database ERD
• API design document
• Sequence diagram

UI/UX design

• Design system build
• Component library
• Responsive design guide
• Accessibility guidelines

Security design

• Authentication/authorization strategy
• Data encryption plan
• OWASP Top 10 response
• Security audit plan

Environment setup

• Development environment configuration
• Git repository creation
• CI/CD pipeline
• Docker containerization

Frontend development

• Routing setup
• State management implementation
• Component development
• API integration
• Error handling

Backend development

• Database build
• API endpoint development
• Business logic implementation
• Middleware setup
• Logging system

Integration work

• Front‑back integration
• External service integration
• Payment system integration
• Notification system implementation

Test planning

• Test case writing
• Test data preparation
• Test environment setup

Test execution

• Unit tests
• Integration tests
• End‑to‑end (E2E) tests
• Performance tests
• Security tests
• Accessibility tests

Bug management

• Bug reporting
• Bug fixes
• Regression testing

Deployment preparation

• Production environment setup
• Domain/SSL setup
• Environment variable configuration
• Backup strategy

Deployment execution

• Data migration
• Zero‑downtime deployment
• Rollback plan
• Monitoring setup

Post‑deployment

• Smoke testing
• Performance monitoring
• Error tracking
• User feedback collection

Documentation

• User manual
• API documentation
• Operations guide
• Troubleshooting guide

Training

• User training
• Operations team training
• Handover documentation

Platform‑specific development

• iOS development
• Android development
• Cross‑platform consideration

App store preparation

• App icon/screenshots
• Store description writing
• Review preparation
• Version management

Device support

• Various screen sizes
• OS version compatibility
• Offline mode
• Push notifications

Data preparation

• Data collection
• Data cleansing
• Labeling
• Data augmentation

Model development

• Model selection
• Training environment setup
• Hyperparameter tuning
• Model evaluation

MLOps

• Model versioning
• A/B testing
• Model monitoring
• Retraining pipeline

Current state analysis

• Legacy system analysis
• Data structure understanding
• Business logic documentation
• Dependency mapping

Migration strategy

• Big Bang vs. incremental approach
• Parallel operation plan
• Data transfer strategy
• Rollback scenario

Conversion work

• Data migration
• Feature mapping
• Performance comparison
• User conversion

Most Frequently Missed Tasks

• Environment‑specific configuration management
• Error handling and logging
• Performance optimization
• Security review
• Browser/device compatibility
• Multi‑language support
• Accessibility compliance
• Backup and recovery
• Monitoring setup
• Documentation
• Code review
• Data migration
• External service integration testing
• Load testing
• License review
• GDPR and other regulation compliance
• SEO optimization
• Caching strategy
• Rollback plan
• Handover and training

Checking these tasks in advance prevents panic mid‑project.

Tasks That Can Be Skipped

• Prototyping
• Load testing
• A/B testing

Tasks to Simplify

• Documentation (core only)
• Testing (main paths only)

Tasks That Must Be Included

• Basic security
• Error handling
• Backup
• Full implementation of the basic checklist, automated testing, and CI/CD

Tasks to Consider

• Performance optimization
• Monitoring

Additional Tasks

• Architecture review board
• Security audit
• Performance benchmarking
• Disaster recovery plan
• Compliance certification

Choosing and Customising the Checklist

• Project type: web app, mobile, AI/ML, migration
• Project scale: small / medium / large
• Client requirements: GDPR, ISO 27001, real‑time processing, multi‑language, etc.

Adjust the checklist accordingly and use AI‑driven task‑breakdown tools to generate extra items from your project specs. Compare AI‑generated results with this checklist to catch any missing tasks.

Template Structure for Managing the Checklist

Using this structure helps track progress without omissions.

Checklist Evolution Process

1. Start with this checklist.
2. Add tasks discovered during the project.
3. Record missed tasks in a retrospective.
4. Reflect on them for the next project.

The checklist evolves into your own perfect version.

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