68 Part 2: Structuring Projects
Enterprise Project Structure Overview
Use the Admin Preferences, Data Limits tab to specify the maximum number of EPS levels you can define. Specify up to 50 combined EPS/WBS levels.
Typically, users in a large organization will have access to a large database that contains all the projects and related information for their company. The information this database contains must be structured in a way that allows individuals to access the project data they need, quickly and accurately. In addition, users must be able to review project data at the level appropriate for their role in the organization and the specific questions they need to answer.
Your database of projects is arranged in a hierarchy called the enterprise project structure (EPS). The EPS can be subdivided into as many levels or nodes as needed to parallel work in the organization. Nodes at the highest, or root, level might represent divisions within your company, project phases, site locations, or other major groupings that meet the needs of your organization, while projects always represent the lowest level of the hierarchy. Every project in the organization must be included in an EPS node.
The number of EPS levels and their structure depend on the scope of your projects and how you want to summarize data. For example, you may want to define increasingly lower levels of EPS nodes, similar to an outline, to represent broad areas of work that expand into more detailed projects. In the following example, the Caprini Corporation EPS node includes a lower-level node called Apex Project. The Apex Project node is further divided into the Apex Construction node. This node contains the projects that constitute their part of the Apex Project. For example, the Apex Construction node contains the Automated System, Office Building Addition, and Conveyor System projects. You can specify as many projects as necessary to complete the required work and fulfill the scope set forth by operations executives and program managers in your organization.
This EPS shows the Caprini |
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Primavera - Project Management
Setting Up the Enterprise Project Structure 69
Multiple levels enable you to manage projects separately while retaining the ability to roll up and summarize data to higher levels. For example, you can summarize information up to each node in the EPS. Conversely, top-down budgeting can be performed from higher-level EPS nodes down through their lower-level projects for cost control.
Ideally, one person or group controls the EPS across the organization. The project controls coordinator creates the hierarchical structure that identifies the company-wide projects. The coordinator works with the project manager in each area of the organization to define basic project information for each group and to develop standards before any projects are added. The following diagram is a simplified representation of responsibilities and projects within a hierarchy.
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Move around in the EPS When you first start the module, click Open Existing on the Welcome dialog box, or choose File, Open, from within the module. EPS nodes that contain other nodes and projects are identified by a pyramid symbol. A + symbol indicates that more nodes or projects are rolled up beneath the selected node. Click + or double-click the node to display additional levels in the hierarchy.
Primavera - Project Management
70 Part 2: Structuring Projects
Root level of the enterprise project structure
Indicates that this level is expanded.
Click the + to expand the item; click the - to collapse it.
Indicates that this node contains more rolled up nodes or projects
Identifies a project, the lowest level of the hierarchy
Select the EPS node or project you want to open, then click Open. To view the EPS structure, click Projects from the Home workspace.
You can right-click in the Projects window and choose Open
Project to display the Open Project dialog box.
Primavera - Project Management
Setting Up the Enterprise Project Structure 71
Click Projects to display the enterprise project structure.
You can group and sort by any defined project code; click the Display Options bar, then choose Group and Sort By to select a code.
The Specifications project was opened from the Open Project dialog box; this project is located under the Manufacturing to Specifications node in the EPS.
If you converted projects from a version prior to 4.1 to version 4.1 or later, the Project Management module displays the project groups and member projects in the EPS as a two-level hierarchy showing the project group as the EPS node, and the member projects as projects of the node.
Other project structures Other project data, such as the organizational breakdown structure (OBS), the work breakdown structure (WBS), resources, and project codes, use a similar structure. These data correspond directly with the various levels of the EPS to denote logical and meaningful divisions in the organization.
Primavera - Project Management
72 Part 2: Structuring Projects
Work breakdown structure Each project has its own WBS, which shows the hierarchy of products and services produced during and by a project. The summary rollup of the highest WBS level is equal to that of the project level in the EPS. This effectively extends the EPS hierarchy down to the activity level in the EPS, as shown in the following example.
Both EPS and WBS nodes can be assigned dates and budgets—essential elements for topdown planning.
For more information about the OBS hierarchy, see “Setting Up the Organizational Breakdown Structure” on page 97.
Organizational breakdown structure User access and privileges to nodes within the EPS hierarchy are implemented through a global OBS that represents the management responsible for the projects in the EPS. Each manager in the OBS is associated with his or her area of the EPS, either by node or by project, and the WBS of the particular level of the hierarchy.
Each level of the OBS is associated with a level of the EPS hierarchy, whether it be a node or a project.
Primavera - Project Management
Setting Up the Enterprise Project Structure 73
Resources Resources are the personnel and equipment that perform the work across all projects. You can set up a resource hierarchy that reflects your organization’s resource structure and supports the assignment of resources to activities.
For more information about the resource hierarchy, see “Defining Resources and Roles” on page 109.
Project codes Project codes are another way to group and sort projects in the organization. When you have many projects in the hierarchy, codes enable consolidation and/or filtering of potentially vast amounts of information located in different areas of the organization.
Primavera - Project Management