SOFTWARE USING THE WBS

In the previous section three software programs that assist the user in developing a WBS were described. In this section the use of an already-developed WBS in project management software is discussed. The purpose is to be able to relate activities in project management software to the WBS structure to facilitate cost “roll-up” and for other purposes.

Project Management Software

Most of the existing project management software application programs incorporate a WBS in their basic operations. It is common for the software to use the WBS structure as the basis for the numbering scheme for activities and to identify levels for summarization. This section shows the use of two of the most popular applications, Microsoft Project and Primavera Project Planner.

Microsoft Project Software

The most commonly used software for project management is Microsoft Project.Figure 3-12 shows the screen and the WBS for a sample project. The WBS column is added by the user by inserting a column (usually on the far left) and then selecting “WBS” from a long list of possible column content definitions. When “WBS” is selected, the entries in the Task Name fields are numbered automatically according to the levels of indenting and the WBS Code Definitions entered. The default values are shown in the figure.

FIGURE 3-12 Example Microsoft Project WBS Numbering

The WBS Chart Pro version of the same WBS is shown in Figure 3-13. It presents only Levels 2 and 3 because the Level 1 project name was not included in the Microsoft Project version.

FIGURE 3-13 WBS Chart Pro Sample

If the Microsoft Project file is changed to add the project name, AOS Project, to the first line of the Gantt Chart display, and the elements are moved down a level (one step to the right), we get the default Microsoft Project WBS numbering that is shown in Figure 3-14 and the related WBS Chart Pro WBS shown in Figure 3-15.

FIGURE 3-14 AOS Project WBS Numbering

Figures 3-14 and 3-15 show how the levels of indenting in Microsoft Project affect the WBS numbering.

FIGURE 3-15 WBS Chart Pro Presentation

Figure 3-16 shows the flexibility that is available for establishing WBS numbering in Microsoft Project when the WBS Code Definition dialog box is used.

FIGURE 3-16 WBS Numbering Example

In Figure 3-16, a project identifier “GH” was added as a prefix. The identifier might help identify and differentiate the WBS elements in this project from other enterprise projects, or the “GH” might be a program identifier. An identifier is especially useful if you work with multiple projects that are consolidated in a master program or with projects that have links to external tasks.

Besides a choice of field size for each level of indenting number, the separator is also optional, and almost any symbol can be chosen. It is not necessary to use a period, as shown in the figure. Within each level, there is a choice of four options for the primary sequencing system, as shown in Figure 3-17 in the dialog box.

FIGURE 3-17 Microsoft Project WBS Code Definition

This ability to structure the WBS number is a very useful feature. The comparable WBS, as presented in WBS Chart Pro, is shown in Figure 3-18.

FIGURE 3-18 Microsoft Project WBS Numbering in WBS Chart Pro

Microsoft Project also provides the user with the ability to choose not to automatically generate WBS codes and the ability to choose to enter duplicate codes.

Primavera Project Planner® Software

Primavera Project Planner® software, also referred to as P3®, is an upscale project management software package designed for large projects having thousands of activities and large numbers of different types of resources. The software is especially popular in the construction industry, where it dominates the field. Figure 3-19 shows the information available on a typical computer screen presentation showing the WBS field on each activity record. The ability to build-in a lot of intelligence in the Activity ID (among other things) gives P3® very powerful sorting capabilities that facilitate using the software throughout the project.

FIGURE 3-19 Example WBS in Primavera Project Planner®

The project partially presented is the recently completed project for a new DOT Headquarters Building in Washington, D.C., used as an illustration in other sections of this book. Note that the WBS is shown in the left-hand column and relates activities to work packages. As can be seen, each work package, identified by a WBS number, has several activities. All the activities in a particular work package have the same WBS number.

Figure 3-20 shows part of the setup of the WBS in P3®. At first glance, the screen display is daunting because two dialog boxes are shown in front of the basic display of project activities.

FIGURE 3-20 WBS Setup in Primavera Project Planner®

A first step in setting up the WBS is to determine the size of each field for the corresponding WBS level and enter that data into the Work Breakdown Structure dialog box. The separators to be used between the WBS level numbers are also identified. They do not have to be periods; they can be commas, dashes, spaces, and so on. Choosing a separator is done as part of setting up the software and needs to be done only once.

The WBS entered into the WBS data menu includes a number and WBS element description. It can be accessed from the main menu. The WBS dialog box opens and is referred to in P3® jargon as the “WBS dictionary.” This is not a true “WBS dictionary,” as described elsewhere in this book, because it does not describe what work is addressed, only the name of the WBS element. The WBS dictionary does not have to be built up all at once, nor does it have to be prepared at any one particular time, although it should be used to assist in the planning. The WBS dictionary can be printed separately or just viewed on-screen at any time. The numbering system will be automatically indexed for new WBS elements after the WBS numbering system for any level is defined. The numbers may be any alphanumeric combination, for example, “AM.04. 1. A” for an activity at Level 4. Such a system gives the user great flexibility in WBS numbering because it includes a method of identifying discrete projects within a program and provides a way of adding other information—such as organizational responsibility—into the WBS fields. Up to 20 levels can be identified in the WBS, and each level can contain up to 10 digits.

Figure 3-21 shows the data that are available for each activity and the dialog box that can be used to enter or identify the specific WBS number for a specific activity. Each of the tabs in the lower circled table can be clicked to open the appropriate data entry screen (as was done for the WBS). Activity data can be entered, changed, or reviewed in this form. This feature provides wide flexibility for entering or debugging WBS numbers. By using the recommended WBS numbering scheme for activities, all the activities that are part of the same work package are assigned the same WBS number. This action greatly facilitates the implementation of EVMS.

FIGURE 3-21 P3® Sample with Activity Data Pop-up

For organizations that have a more or less standard WBS, it is possible to copy the WBS from one project to another to save repeating the data entry process. It is also possible for parts of the WBS to be copied and pasted where there is a lot of duplication of text and the numbering is automatically changed. P3® is a complex project management software package, and getting further into the detail of it is beyond the scope of this book. The purpose of this brief review is to point out the manner in which the WBS numbering is accomplished in other popular software and how the numbering is linked to work packages and activities.

Cost-Estimating Software

Cost-estimating software that uses a bottom-up approach as opposed to parametric cost-estimating relations is usually based on a WBS. For example, International Project Estimating, Ltd., of Toronto, Canada, offers project estimating software that is WBS-based (http://www.ipestimate.com). The company’s model has the option for the user to develop the WBS or to choose one of several standard international construction structures or master WBSs as a starting point, including the following:

Construction Specification Institute, CSI—North American Building Breakdown

California DOT—Caltrans Standard Bid Item Breakdown

International Project Estimating, Ltd., IPEL—Design Build Infrastructure Breakdown, Chief Estimator WBS

Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, MTO—MTO Standard Codes

SMM7—British Standard Method of Measurement

These structures provide the specific WBS summary and lowest-level work packages. The estimator defines the activities within each work package, and the costs and resources required for each activity of the work package in total are individually estimated within the model. Not all work packages under each summary WBS are used in all projects, but the estimator selects the relevant WBS work package. See Chapter 9 for examples of these specific work breakdowns, and see Chapter 5 for a discussion of bottom-up cost estimation.