NOTES FOR TRAINING COURSE INSTRUCTORS AND/OR DATABASE ADMINISTRATORS:
6 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, 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, and Areas 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 Outline Codes in Microsoft Project. This feature enables the grouping of activities under headings other than the “WBS Structure.” Unlike in Primavera P3 and SureTrak software, Activity Codes are not the primary method of
organizing activities in Primavera. They are covered in the Activity Codes and Grouping Activities chapter.
Topic Menu Command
• Creating and Deleting a WBS Node
The menu commands Add, Delete, Copy, Cut and Paste all work to create, delete, move, and copy WBS Nodes.
• WBS Categories
WBS Categories are created in Professional P6 using the Admin, Admin Categories…, WBS Categories tab and are assigned to WBS Nodes by inserting the WBS Categories column in the WBS Window.
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 WBS Window when there are no activities under the WBS Node, but do not summarize in the
Projects Window.
• Notes, which are recorded under Notebook Topics,
• Budget, Spending Plan and Budget Change Log,
• WBS Milestones, which may be used for assigning progress at WBS Node,
• WP & Docs 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 Opening and Navigating the WBS Window
To view, edit, or create a WBS structure:
• The project must be open.
• The WBS Window is displayed by selecting Project, WBS or by clicking on the WBS icon on the Project toolbar.
• The following picture is of the City Center Office Building Addition project showing the WBS Nodes on the left side of the screen and the WBS bars on the right side of the screen.
• The icons in the Top Layout toolbar enable different views of the WBS. Click on each icon to see its purpose.
6.2 Creating and Deleting a WBS Node
To create a new WBS Node:
• Select a WBS Code or Name and right-click to display the menu, or
• Select the Edit menu command, or
• Use the icons from the Edit toolbar ,
• 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.
• Cut prepares to move a WBS Node and the associated activities to another
location.
• Paste pastes a Cut or Copied WBS Node. After selecting Paste, the Copy WBS Options form, Copy Activity Options form, and Renumber Activity IDs form may be presented which enables the selection of the data to be pasted with the WBS Node. You will also be asked to renumber activities.
The High Level Resource Planning Assignments option was added in Primavera Version 6.0 web access software and now called
Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management (earlier versions were called myPrimavera) and is web-based.
6.3 WBS Node Separator
The Default WBS Node Separator is assigned in the Admin, Admin Preferences…, General tab.
Each individual project WBS Node separator is defined in the Projects Window, Project Details form, Settings tab and overrides the default set in the Admin Preferences form, General tab.
6.4 Work Breakdown Structure Lower Pane Details
The lower pane has a number of tabs that may be hidden or displayed.
• General – in this tab you may assign:
The WBS Code has to be unique for each project.
WBS Name is the description for the WBS Node.
The Responsible Manager is an interesting function as it 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 then they are 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 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. These may be used in filtering and reporting.
• Notebook is used in the same way as the activity Notebook and is used to record notes about the WBS Node.
• Budget Summary, Budget Log, and Spending Plan are used together as a top-down method of assigning budgets and are independent of the costs assigned at the activity level.
• 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 is where the rules for calculating the Estimate to Complete (ETC) and other Earned Value parameters are set.
• WPs & Docs enables the assignment of documents to a WBS Node and operates in the same way as the activities WPs & Docs tab.
• Displaying Planning Resources that may be assigned to WBS Nodes using Primavera Web (earlier versions were called myPrimavera), the web interface.
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.
• WBS Categories are created using:
In the Professional version in the Admin, Admin Categories…, WBS Categories tab, and
In the Optional Client Administer, Enterprise Data, Projects BS Categories.
• WBS Categories are assigned to and removed from WBS Nodes by inserting the WBS Categories column into the WBS Window.
One use of a WBS Category 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.
This topic is covered in more details in the Grouping, Sort and Layouts chapter.
WBS Categories may also be used in the Tracking Window.
6.6 Displaying the WBS in the Activity Window
On moving back to the Activity window the WBS may be displayed if an applicable Layout is selected or the View is Grouped by WBS.
If the WBS in not displayed then select View, Group and Sort by, click on the button or under the Group By box select WBS as in the form below:
In P6 Versions 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 that the author used to write this book, he found that after closing the Group and Sort form that the WBS bands were not displayed correctly and the user should press the F5 key to refresh the screen allowing the bands to be correctly displayed
6.7 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 Tracking Window operates down to WBS Node level.
• There are a number of standard Reports that function at WBS Node level.
6.8 Workshop 4 – Creating the Work Breakdown Structure
Background
A review of the scope identifies three deliverables:
• Technical Specification
• Delivery Plan
• Bid Document Assignment
1. With your OzBuild project open click on the button to open the WBS Window.
2. Click in the WBS field header until the sort indicator is displayed as three horizontal bars, as displayed in the picture below. The WBS will now be displayed hierarchically now:
3. Select the Project WBS Node press the Ins key or right-click and select Add to add the WBS Node. Then continue to add three WBS Nodes for the three Phases above.
4. If the WBS Nodes are not indented click the WBS Code heading as described in paragraph 2, until they are indented.
5. Use the arrows on the Move toolbar to put them in the correct order and indent.
6. Your answer should be displayed like the following picture:
7. Move to the Activities Window by clicking on the icon on the Project