Preface
The basic concept and use of the work breakdown structure (WBS) are fundamental in project management. When Effective Work Breakdown Structures was published in 2002 as part of the Project Management Essential Library series, that book received wide acclaim for its clear and logical explanation of the WBS concept and the seminal role of the WBS in project management. The 100 percent rule, as first postulated and explained in the 2002 book, has been widely adopted by project management practitioners and is now included as a key component of the latest revision of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI®) Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures.1
The original book was followed by a related book in 2003, The Work Breakdown Structure in Government Contracting, which expanded upon the material presented in the first book with additional chapters focusing on the unique aspects of government contracting and government organizations.
This book, Work Breakdown Structures for Projects, Programs, and Enterprises, clarifies some of the advanced WBS concepts and addresses the unique concerns of the private sector. The book offers numerous examples, and it takes into account the latest materials published on the WBS by PMI and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Work Breakdown Structures for Projects, Programs, and Enterprises Work Breakdown Structures for Projects, Programs, and Enterprises contains three parts: Part I explains basic principles and concepts; Part II focuses on applications of WBS concepts; and Part III provides specific examples of WBSs along with related comments.
Key new material in this book appears in the following chapters:
Chapter 3: WBS Software and the WBS in Software—Describes the use of software to develop a WBS and the use of the WBS in project management software.
Chapter 7: Portfolio Management and a Standard WBS—Describes portfolio management, including the establishment of an enterprise standard WBS.
Chapter 9: The WBS in Construction Management—Describes the use of the WBS in construction management, including the use of the CSI MasterFormat™2 and the OmniClass™3 classification systems and the development of a universal construction WBS template.
Chapter 5 includes enhanced sections about the use of the WBS in risk management, and Chapter 6 expands on life cycle management. New appendixes offer sample CSI MasterFormat™ and OmniClass™ breakdowns and additional WBSs used in the construction industry.
Gregory T. Haugan
Heathsville, Virginia
NOTES
1. Project Management Institute, Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures, 2nd ed. (Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, 2006).
2. The Construction Specifications Institute, “MasterFormat™ 2004 Edition.” Online at http://www.csinet.org (accessed February 2008).
3. OCCS Development Committee Secretariat, “OmniClass™—A Strategy 3. for Classifying the Built Environment,” OCCS Development Committee. Online at http://www.omniclass.org/index.asp (accessed February 2008).