Work Breakdown Structure

Question

Do you use any tools to create a work breakdown structure? If so, do you find they help or interfere with the process?

Answer 1

I've used quite a few over the years, and most of them interfere. The ones that I found the most helpful were lightweight. Keeping an outline of tasks and subtasks on a local Wiki is my current favorite.

Answer 2

I believe most IT project managers with with the ever popular Gantt charts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gantt_chart

Answer 3

Initially... I start of with good old-fashions sticky-notes and a wall or white board. They are easy to move around and regroup, and everyone (EVERYONE) understands them; from your CEO, to your programmer, to the dumbest stakeholder you have, <insert name here>.

Then, I normally rotate the result into a tree structure in your favorite office tool (OOo or MS).

In Excel, the first column is the top of the tree, and every successive column is another level down. If you reach the limits of Excel, you've probably gone to far (break it into sub projects).

In Word, the top of the tree is the section header, and each level below it becomes an Outline Number line (indented for each level down the tree).

Answer 4

A PM I used to work for used WBS Pro from Critical Tools. Not bad, and it will integrate with Microsoft Project if you're so inclined. (FWIW, I don't have any afilliation with Critical Tools.)

http://www.criticaltools.com/wbsmain.htm

Answer 5

I've been making WBS's in Micro$oft Project for years and years and years.

They're approximately useless.

But some managers love to have them. They nag and complain until I produce something with an acceptable budget.

Then they change it. Then they stop using it.

Indeed, when leading my own projects, I stop using it also. I use a simple text document for a backlog and leave it at that.

Answer 6

I've worked with active collab, MS Project, and Projektron and I found them all to interfere. I prefer doing it on plain old paper, post it's but I useually do it in excel in a low tech manner due to my horrible handwriting.

What I've was the problem with any of the tools was that they

• Took time to learn
• Weren't very creative
• Always took to much time to update once the breakdown changed
• Took attention away from doing the work to making the breakdown fancy (for me the value is in the process of making the breakdown and not so much the result).

Answer 7

I am a developer, but used MS Project for a Project Management course and found it easy to use and helpful in documenting a WBS. It has a lot of features for experienced project managers yet is easy to get up and running with the basic features very quickly.

Answer 8

Hello, i've used OpenProj, Open Workbeanch and XMind.