Multiproject Guidelines

To perform a multiproject operation, start by creating a new project to be used as the master “shell” project and multiple subprojects through which you enter data for specific subsets of control accounts.

Follow these guidelines:

  • The master project does not contain any control account or work package data.
  • A master project cannot contain another associated master project.
  • The master project and all of the sub-projects must contain the same key fields.
  • Depending on the functions you intend to perform on the master project, all of the sub-projects may need to use the same data structure. For example, if you plan to run a report at a level of the WBS for the master project, you will need a master WBS structure that contains data for all sub-projects. However, if you simply intend to run reports at the control account level, you do not need a master WBS structure.
  • Similarly, if you are creating a master project to post actual costs, you only need a master rate file and a resource file if you intend to calculate derived costs when you post actual costs.
  • If you create a WBS structure with multiple top levels, you can use the project ID for the top code and share the WBS structure with all sub-projects. This allows you to use Drill Down Analysis with all projects and produce reports with each sub-project rolled up to a single line.
  • If you intend to produce IPMR or CSSR reports from the master project, make sure that the contract values that you enter for the master project are equal to zero. The CTC and other information found in the header of the IPMR are summarized from each of the sub-projects for a single master IPMR report. Therefore, when you set the baseline for your sub-projects, use the CTC for the portion of data contained in that sub-project.
  • The options selected for the master project are used for all sub-projects when processing at the master-project level. Also, processes such as loading actual costs will use the resource file assigned to the master project.