PREFACE

The basic concept and use of the work breakdown structure (WBS) is a fundamental component of the discipline of 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 application of the project management methodology. The “100 percent rule” (that the sum of the work effort of child elements must add up to 100 percent of the work effort of the parent element), 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 2008 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 DoD.

This book focuses on government managers and their technical support and is simplified and streamlined to provide easy reading and an invaluable resource at the same time. It is important for contracting officers and other government personnel to understand the WBS concept and its application both within the government and by contractors and others.

The book is also useful to the private sector in understanding the federal government’s project management practices and expectations. It illustrates that the basic principles of project management and the use of the WBS are applied identically regardless of the employment of the user or customer for the project.

For a quick overview and summary of the contents of this book, see Chapter 6, WBS Principles, Steps, and Checklist.

—Gregory T. Haugan