Effective Work Breakdown Structures

by Gregory T. Haugan

Book Overview

At last - the first comprehensive and practical guide to the work breakdown structure (WBS) in 45 years This book offers vital new perspectives on how to apply the WBS to today's different types of projects that produce products, services or results. You'll learn how to use WBS throughout the project lifecycle to plan, control and communicate. Your new insights into the WBS principles, plus checklists and proven action steps, will improve the planning...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1567261353
• ISBN13: 9781567261356
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Pretty Effective Book

This book is short and sweet. It is easy to read and to understand. It gives full details about WBS and it is a real help for PM.

Valuable Resource

Clear, concise, and to the point. I would still like to study some effective examples of fully developed WBSs for commercial construction.

Great Helper for implementing SAP

I've just bought this book last month while implementing SAP Project system. It is very helpful for me to design suitable WBS in my company.

Elegant in its simplicity

A total of 100 pages, which would seem a bit pricey, but in the 100 pages Haugan does a very competent job of covering the subject. Most of the critical concepts in PM are really pretty basic, and most projects and PM texts fail on understanding and executing on those basic concepts. This book is very clear and succinct on the basics of WBS. I very much admire Haugan's approach. I expect my copy will be around for a long time, marked-up, with yellow sticky-notes protruding out.

Decisions ... decisions ...

Of the three books that focus solely on work breakdown structures this is the most complete. The other two are "Nuts and Bolts Series 1--How to Build a Work Breakdown Structure" by Carl L. Pritchard, and "Project Management Institute Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures". The burning question is how do they compare and which is best. For a no-nonsense and pragmatic book the "Nuts and Bolts Series" book wins. It has the distinction of being the first book on the subject, and is one that I used as a reference for the past 4 years. If you are planning to certify as a PMP, your best bet is the PMI Practice Standard, because you're sure to encounter exam questions that are based on that book. However, if you want a comprehensive book that covers every facet of principles and practice, this is the book to get.What sets this one apart from the other two (all other factors being equal) is the clearer descriptions of the principles, and the checklists. I also like the way that the author goes deeper into details about how to align the WBS to various project types (product-, service- and results-oriented projects), and the more complete life cycle view that this book provides. As an aside, a results-oriented project, previously mentioned, is a project such as organizational change management, which doesn't produce a tangible deliverable in the same manner as, for example, a software development project does.To put into context the comparison among the three books, I favor this one because of personal preferences. Each merits, in my opinion, equal value, and any of the three will give you the knowledge necessary to develop a work breakdown structure.