Nuts and Bolts Series 1: How to Build a Work Breakdown Structure (Beginnings) 1st edition [Paperback]

Carl L. Pritchard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1890367125 | ISBN-13: 978-1890367121 | Publication Date: October 1, 1999 | Edition: 1

While project managers are consistently expected to create the WBS as the cornerstone of their project plans, there are limited references on how to actually go about crafting one that works. The book provides readers with the different approaches to WBS construction, highlights the advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches, examines the implications of the different styles of WBS and the level of depth that a project requires.

Product Details

• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: ESI International; 1 edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890367125
• ISBN-13: 978-1890367121
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,881,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Has value but disappointing, July 20, 2003

By 

Shannon Gaw (Roswell, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nuts and Bolts Series 1: How to Build a Work Breakdown Structure (Beginnings) 1st edition (Paperback)

While an avid reader of Pritchard's columns in various PM periodicals, and thankful that he wrote and ESI published this book, I was disappointed. For what PMI calls the foundation of project management, the 55 page presentation of the WBS is miniscule. And one would expect a lengthy discussion from either the academic or empirical perspective, but it gives neither, nor is it a good hybrid. The book itself is no more than a few dozen poorly bound 8-1/2x11 pages that fell apart during my first session of reading.

To be sure, the manuscript does contain some gems of wisdom, but in the aggregate, they do not justify the price. There is only cursory discussion of techniques to create the WBS content (e.g., Delphi, Crawford Slip, NGT), and there is an amazing dearth of example and sample WBS's, unlike the PMI's practice standard document, and it only touches on integrating the WBS into the actual PM process.

"How to Build a WBS" is a document that all PMs should read, but it should be available as a low-cost or free downloadable PDF. For those PMs searching for a WBS bible, you must keep on looking.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, January 9, 2005

By 

plk "plk" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nuts and Bolts Series 1: How to Build a Work Breakdown Structure (Beginnings) 1st edition (Paperback)

This pamphlet provides a very good high-level overview of the WBS concept, but the sparse content does justify the $25.00 price tag. There are 58 half pages of text in this publication and it is a mere 1/4" thick. I was very disappointed when I opened the shipping box. Before opening the shrinkwrap I surmised that I had received a CD version, but was surprised to find a very thin, very spartan publication. The content, sans the intro, about the author, and index, would probably equal to ten back-to-back pages of information. This publication clearly did not meet my expectations.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Little Guide Ever, February 10, 2000

By 

Pamela A. Meyer (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nuts and Bolts Series 1: How to Build a Work Breakdown Structure (Beginnings) 1st edition (Paperback)

I will keep this small, but powerful little tool in my traveling case forever! No other books have gotten right to the heart of how to organize tasks to get a relevant (fits the project at hand) schedule. This book outlines several different styles of organizing tasks into useful "lumps" of work that will fit any style of project from construction to implementation and more. This is a great reminder for seasoned Project Managers as well as a nice getting-started guide for a novice. I highly recommend this book to the traveling Project Manager--it's almost as light as my Sony Laptop!