MPM provides several fields which describe your WBS elements. Many of these fields have important implications in how you will use your WBS. Consider these suggestions when structuring your WBS.
WBS IDs — The WBS element identifier (WBS ID) is a 40-character label used to identify each WBS element. This required identifier need not follow any particular sequence, and except for spaces or asterisks, any alphabetical or numerical sequence can be used. For example, 222, BB, and C.B. are all valid WBS identifiers. We recommend that your WBS IDs be numbered in a sequence. By using a sequence that describes your data, WBS IDs are more easily identified which makes managing your project easier. See the samples that follow. Although MPM allows all special characters except spaces, we recommend that you only use dashes or periods.
Numbered Outline |
Structured Scheme |
||
1.0 |
X20 PROJECT |
X20 |
X20 PROJECT |
1.1 |
Concept Formulation |
1X |
Concept Formulation |
1.2 |
Systems |
11-110 |
Systems |
1.3 |
Electrical Design |
11-120 |
Electrical Design |
2.0 |
Engineering |
2X |
Engineering |
2.1 |
Vehicle |
21-210 |
Vehicle |
2.2 |
Avionics |
21-220 |
Avionics |
2.3 |
Prototype |
21-230 |
Prototype |
Alias — Alias is an optional 20-character field you define to meet any unique internal organizational data requirements, such as CDRL elements, interdivisional assist effort, remote site effort, phase of contract elements, etc. You can use the Alias field to extract the WBS elements you need when running reports. The Alias field can also act as a wild card. You can use the Alias field's contents to match a specific group of data during reporting, exporting, or onscreen filtering.
For example, suppose you are using the Alias field to store Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) elements, and your WBS includes CDRLs A001 through A009 and B001 through B009. To extract all CDRL elements that begin with the letter B for a report, you would type B in the Alias field when conditioning for a report. The output would then be limited to include only those CDRLs beginning with B (B001, B002, etc.).
Xref Fields — These optional fields, Xref-1 through Xref-10, are provided as additional identifiers that can be used for reporting, exporting, or on-screen filtering. You enter the field name for these fields in the Project Maintenance window.
For example, if you renamed the Xref-2 label to SOW (in the Project Maintenance window) and you entered Statement of Work (SOW) numbers for all WBS elements. You can now create a report that lists all WBS elements that pertain to SOW 1.1.
You can extract information from the Xref fields during reporting, exporting, or onscreen filtering using wild cards. For example, if Xref-2 contains SOW IDs RW01, RW02, RW03, LH01, LH02, LH03, when running a report with SOWs, enter RW to include RW01, RW02, RW03, or enter LH to include LH01, LH02, LH03.