Sticky notes is a great tool to do WBS. Other methods include using MS Project, Excel. Saving Changes...
Sean KHEDNAHIn charge of projects for GOUTI| CG Project ManagementFrance
Hi, There are some PM tools as our who are based on a WBS model, which help us in your practice. Saving Changes...
Michael HanafinProject Manager| Life Sciences industryCork, Ireland
Hi Douglas
You can try brainstorming with key team members/subject matter experts to identify every task required to produce the contracted deliverables. Break every deliverable into tasks thinking about what the inputs and outputs are , asking questions all the way.
The level of detail to drill down to will depend on a combination of project size (hours/duration), complexity and risk. I have found it best to keep the WBS that the main client-facing project schedule is based on as high-level and possible and have micro-plans with more detailed WBS for each major area of scope or responsibility. That way, you have fine-grained control for a scope area without overly complex client communications.
Hope this helps Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
There is not a most effective method than sticky notes. While? Because in this way you will be sure that all people that you need to participate will participate. Believe me, I have tried a lot of other methods and I do not find nothing more effective than sticky notes and a blackboard, not matter I use those tools in electronic way because I am not able to lead the meeting face-to-face or in-site. Saving Changes...
Firstly sticky notes, and then any graphical app to layout the WBS. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
I use a mind mapping tool to create a WBS top-down, many have a hierarchical view (e.g. free simplemind).
Top down I can use different approaches to make sure the WBS is complete: have a product oriented structure and have a task/phase oriented structure. Combine both. Saving Changes...
It depends on how big your WBS is. Sticky notes are nice for roughing out an architecture or a smallish WBS, but if you have thousands of items on your WBS, that's tough to manage. The high level architecture might be 3 tiers. The complete WBS might be 9 tiers multiplied by many groups in your OBS.
In a very large WBS, the sticky notes can help brainstorming and identify things like every team is going to have the same series of like elements such as design, build, test, certify, etc. but once you start replicating that across a large number of contributors, you're going to run out of room on your blackboard. Visio is a handy tool in an electronic format and scaleable, but even then it gets too big to manage graphically and you're probably going to need something like Excel.
While individual groups could develop their own WBS on sticky notes and provide that to the PM to roll up, that can be very problematic at the enterprise level where that WBS is used to organize things in various business systems. Standardization is important because if everyone does it their own way, it is extremely difficult to manage. Saving Changes...
Michael HanafinProject Manager| Life Sciences industryCork, Ireland
Thomas
A mind mapping tool is a great recommendation. I use one (Freemind) for so many things (even planning meeting agendas) and they would work well for a WBS too. Saving Changes...
Tamer Zeyad SadiqAssistant Cost Manager| Turner & TownsendRiyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia
Excel sheets and Primavera program!!!! Saving Changes...
