CREATING A PRIMAVERA PROJECT WBS

This chapter outlines how to create a WBS structure to enable activities to be assigned to a WBS Node so a schedule may be created.

The Project WBS function is designed to record a hierarchical WBS that has been developed on a traditional basis as outlined in many project management documents. A well-structured WBS should:

• Include all the project deliverables, and

• Be set at the appropriate level for summarizing project activities and reporting project progress.

The Project WBS function is used to group and summarize activities under a hierarchical structure in the same way as the WBS function in P3 and SureTrak, WBS in Asta

Powerproject and the Custom Outline Codes in Microsoft Project. It is also similar to Outlining in all versions of Microsoft Project; however, in Primavera the Activities are assigned to a hierarchical WBS Node and are not demoted under a Parent task as with Outlining with Microsoft Project. The WBS structure is used to organize and summarize your project activities, including costs and resources during the planning, scheduling, and updating of Projects.

The project should be granulated (broken down) into manageable areas by using a project breakdown structure based on attributes of the project such as the Phases or Stages,

Systems and Subsystems, Processes, Disciplines or Trades, Documents, Design Packages, deliverables and Areas, Levels or Locations of work. These headings are normally the basis of the project breakdown structure and are used to create the Primavera WBS structure, and the WBS should present the primary view of your project.

Defining the project breakdown structure may be a major task for project managers.

Primavera also has an Activity Code function similar to the Activity Code function in

Primavera P3 and SureTrak software, Codes in Asta Powerproject and the Custom Fields in Microsoft Project. This feature enables the grouping of activities under headings other than the Primavera WBS Structure. Unlike in Primavera P3 and SureTrak software, Activity Codes are not the primary method of organizing activities in Primavera.

If you are unable to define a WBS then you probably do not have a project.

Topic Menu Command

Creating and Deleting a WBS Node

In the Project, Activities Window:

• Ensure a View is selected displaying the WBS, then

• The menu commands Add Child WBS or Add Sibling WBS which is available on the Right-click menu.

• Click on the Delete icon to delet a WBS Node.

Indenting and

Outdenting a In the Activities Window use the blue toolbar arrows to move the

WBS Node WBS Nodes around.

WBS

Categories

To create WBS Categories select Administer, Enterprise Data, Projects, WBS Categories tab.

WBS Categories are assigned to WBS Nodes by inserting the WBS Categories column in the General tab of the Activities Window, Lower pane.

A WBS Node is a term used by Primavera that is often called a WBS Code and is a single point in the WBS structure that activities are assigned to. A Primavera WBS Node may record more information than P3, SureTrak, or Microsoft Project including the following data:

• Anticipated Dates, which are used to create a bar in the Activities Window when there are no activities under the WBS Node, but do not summarize in the Projects Window.

• Notes, which are recorded under Notebooks,

• Funding and Budget Log,

• WBS Milestones, which may be used for assigning progress at WBS Node Level. These are created in the Activities Window,

• Documents (WP & Docs in the Windows Client) that provide links to documents, and

• The rules for calculating Earned Value for each WBS Node.

The start and finish dates of a WBS Node are adopted from the earliest start date and latest finish date of the detailed activities under that WBS Node and use the WBS Anticipated Dates to create a bar when there are no activities assigned to a WBS Node.

The duration of a WBS Node is calculated from the start and finish dates, the database Default Calendar and the User Options.

A WBS Node may not have costs or resources assigned directly to the node. All costs and quantities are calculated from the activities associated with the WBS Node.

6.1 Viewing and Navigating the WBS

There is no WBS Window as in the Windows Client and to view, edit, or create a WBS structure:

• The project must be open,

• The Activities Window must be displayed by selecting Project, Activities,

• Ensure you have a view with a WBS icon beside it, such as the Gantt Chart by WBS, as this ensures that you may see and add a WBS Node.

• The following picture is of the OzBuild Project with 3 WBS Nodes and before adding any activities:

6.2 Creating and Deleting a WBS Node

To create a new WBS Node:

• Select a WBS Code or the Project Name and either:

Right-click to display the menu and use the menu commands Add Child WBS or Add Sibling WBS, or

Use the menu toolbar Add Child WBS icon.

• Use the icons on the Move toolbar to put the WBS Nodes at the right level or to reorder them.

The commands Add, Delete, Copy, Cut and Paste all work to create, delete, move, and copy WBS Nodes.

• Add will add a new WBS Node under the level currently highlighted.

• Delete will delete the WBS Node. When a WBS Node has been assigned activities you will be given the option to either delete the activities or reassign the activities by selecting the Merge Element(s) option in the Merge or Delete WBS Element(s) form.

• Copy copies a WBS Node and the associated activities,

• Paste pastes the WBS Node and the associated activities, including all associated data such resources and relationships amongst the activities,

• Cut prepares to move a WBS Node and the associated activities to another location.

6.3 WBS Node Separator

The Default WBS Node Separator is assigned by selecting Administer, Application Settings, General tab.

Each individual project WBS Node separator may be defined from the Projects Window by:

• Selecting the EPS tab,

• Selecting your project,

• Right-click and select Set Project Preferences…,

• Select the General tab and

• Enter the required separator in the WBS Code Separator field:

An alternative separator may be needed to meet clients or contract requirements or to allow import of data from an enterprise system by matching the code structure.

6.4 Activity Window Work Breakdown Structure Lower Pane Details

The Activity Window lower pane displays different tabs when a WBS Node is selected to when an activity is selected.

• The tabs may be hidden or displayed by right clicking on a tab to open a menu:

• General – in this tab you may assign many data items pertinent to the WBS Node including:

The WBS Code has to be unique for each project.

WBS Name is the description for the WBS Node.

The Responsible Manager enables access to data to be controlled at the WBS Node level. When a User has access to change data in one WBS Node only they are still able to see the whole project but may only change data in the one node.

Anticipated Dates, as with the Project Anticipated Dates, will display a bar when the WBS Node has no activities but does not summarize in the Projects Window.

The Project Status – there are four WBS Status types: Planned, Active, Inactive, and What-if. The status of a WBS Node controls viewing and access to the Nodes and Activities assigned to the nodes by Primavera Timesheet users.

Other columns of data may be added by clicking on the Customize Columns icon to add or remove columns from the WBS General tab.

• The Notebooks function is used in the same way as the activity Notebook and is used to record notes about the WBS Node.

• Budget Log tab is used as part of the top-down method of assigning budgets and are independent of the costs assigned at the activity level.

• WBS Milestones tab is where WBS Milestones are created at the WBS Node level and provide a summary method of assigning a Performance Percent Complete to activities assigned to that node. For this function to operate there must be at least one activity

assigned to a WBS Node.

• Earned Value tab is where the rules for calculating the Estimate to Complete (ETC) and other Earned Value parameters are set.

• Documents tab enables the assignment of documents to a WBS Node and operates in the same way as the activities Documents tab.

• Issues tab is where Issues may be assigned to activities.

6.5 WBS Categories

WBS Nodes may be assigned categories, which enable WBS Nodes within an EPS to be grouped and sorted in different ways. WBS Categories are to WBS Nodes as Activity Codes are to Activities. In earlier P6 versions these were referred to as Project Phases.

• Create WBS Categories by selecting Administer, Enterprise Data, Projects, WBS Categories:

• WBS Categories are assigned to and removed from WBS Nodes by inserting the WBS Categories column into the General tab.

One use of a WBS Category in the Windows Client could be, for example, to tag the WBS Nodes with the phases such as Design, Procure and Install and then the Activities may be grouped by WBS Category and then WBS or some other Activity Code.

In the Web it is not possible to Group or Filter activities with the WBS Category.

• This topic is covered in more details in the FORMATTING THE ACTIVITY WINDOW AND VIEWS chapter.

WBS Categories may also be used in the Tracking Window of the Windows Client.

6.6 Why a Primavera WBS is Important

People converting from P3 and SureTrak will be used to using Activity Codes and Activity ID Codes. Primavera does not have Activity ID codes.

You may be tempted to ignore the WBS and use Activity Codes instead. This paragraph will explain the main purposes of the WBS function:

• User Access may be assigned at this level, so two schedulers may open the same project and one may only change activities in WBS Nodes that have been assigned to that user.

• Earned Value calculations and Project Performance may be measured at this level.

• Progress at the WBS level may be measured with the use of WBS Milestones.

• WBS Activities are very useful as summary activities.

• Anticipated Dates may be assigned at the WBS level to provide a bar when no activities have been added to a WBS Node.

• The Windows Client Tracking Window operates down to WBS Node level.

• There are a number of standard Reports that function at WBS Node level.

6.7 Workshop 4 – Creating the Work Breakdown Structure

Background

A review of the scope identifies three deliverables:

• Technical Specification

• Delivery Plan

• Bid Document Assignment