DESCRIPTION

This article helps you effectively manage and understand the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) within the Lab Planning Portal. A well-organized WBS is crucial for accurate project planning, tracking, and reporting. It ensures that your projects are accurately reflected across all systems and that you can find and utilize the correct project elements when you need them.

pushpin Maintaining an accurate WBS is vital because it directly impacts how your projects are categorized and how data flows to other systems like PM Bridge. Incorrect or outdated WBS elements can lead to discrepancies in reporting and make it difficult to select the right project components.

STEP 1: Accessing and Understanding Your WBS Elements – Find Your WBS Elements

  • To begin managing your WBS, go to the Lab Planning Home page.

  • Navigate to the "Management" dropdown menu and select "WBS Structure."

pushpinTo view the WBS structure, you must select an Office. You can also narrow down your results by applying filters for Fiscal Year, Office, and Current State (Active or Inactive). Once your selections are made, click "Apply" to see your table of Programs, Activities, Sub-Activities, WBS numbers, and statuses.

STEP 2: Making Changes to Your WBS –Update Existing WBS Elements (Office, Program, Activity, or Sub-Activity)

  • To edit an Office: Select "Edit" from the office dropdown menu. A popup window will appear, allowing you to update the Overview and Goals.

  • To edit a Program, Activity, or Sub-Activity: From the displayed table, simply choose the specific item you want to modify and select "Edit."

    • Editing a Program: You can change the WBS Name, WBS Number, Overview, and Goals.

    • Editing an Activity (Level 3): While fields like Fiscal Year, Office, Program, and Level are fixed, you can modify the WBS Activity Name, WBS Number, Overview, Goals, and Active status.

    • Editing a Sub-Activity (Level 4): Similar to Activities, Fiscal Year, Office, Program, and Level are read-only. You can adjust the WBS Sub Activity Name, WBS Number, Overview, Goals, and Active status.

  • Always click "Save" to ensure your changes are recorded. If you decide not to save, click the "X" in the upper right corner to exit without making updates.

STEP 3: View Details Without Making Changes

  • If you just need to review information, select "View Details" for an existing Program, Activity, or Sub-Activity. The information displayed here is for viewing only and cannot be changed.

  • Click the "X" to close the window and return to the WBS page.

STEP 4: Adding New WBS Elements

  • To expand your WBS, use the office dropdown menu and select "Add Program," "Add Activity," or "Add Sub-Activity."

  • You will need to fill in the required fields: Program, Activity, or Sub-Activity Name, WBS Number, Overview, and Goals. Other fields like Fiscal Year, Office, and Level are automatically populated.

STEP 5: Managing the Active Status of Your WBS Elements

  • Deactivating an Element:

    • Find the "Action" column for the WBS element you wish to deactivate and choose "Deactivate." This option only appears if the element is currently active.

    • You'll be asked to confirm. Select "Yes" to proceed or "No" to cancel.

    • Important: Deactivating a higher-level element (like a Program) will automatically deactivate all its subordinate elements (Activities and Sub-Activities).

  • Activating an Element:

    • The "Activate" button will appear for WBS elements that are currently inactive, but only if their parent element is also active.

    • Select "Activate" for the desired inactive WBS element. Confirm your choice, and it will become active again.

    • Be aware: Reactivating a Program does not automatically reactivate its children. You will need to activate any associated Activities or Sub-Activities individually.

What Happen Next

  • Once you save changes to WBS elements, they are immediately reflected within the Lab Planning Portal.

  • These updates are then sent to PM Bridge overnight, meaning they will be available in PM Bridge the following day.

  • Keep in mind: In PM Bridge, you can only select active Program, Activity, and Sub-activity values for the current fiscal year when setting up a project. If you've already selected and saved values for a project, they will remain even if they later become inactive. However, inactive values won't be available for new selections.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why can't I see any WBS elements when I navigate to the WBS Structure page? To view the WBS structure, you must select an Office from the filter options. If no office is selected, the table will appear empty. Ensure you select an office and then click "Apply."

2. I've deactivated a Program, but now I can't find its Activities or Sub-Activities. What happened? Deactivating a WBS element at a higher level (like a Program) will automatically deactivate all its subordinate elements (Activities and Sub-Activities). These items are still in the system but are now marked as inactive. You'll need to use the "Current State" filter to view inactive elements if you wish to reactivate them.

3. I reactivated a Program, but its Activities are still inactive. Do I need to activate them separately? Yes, reactivating a parent element (like a Program) does not automatically reactivate its children. You will need to individually activate any associated Activities or Sub-Activities that you wish to use.

4. I made changes to a WBS element, but I don't see them reflected in PM Bridge. What's wrong? Changes made to WBS elements in the Lab Planning Portal are exported to PM Bridge overnight. This means you will typically see your updates in PM Bridge the following day. If it's been more than 24 hours, please check your filters in PM Bridge or contact support.