Project Structuring (EPS, OBS & WBS)

Before placing a single activity, you must build the organizational and structural framework that will hold your project data. Think of it as laying the foundation before constructing walls.

1. Enterprise Project Structure (EPS) & OBS

Every element in the P6 database needs an address. The EPS is the filing cabinet and the OBS tells us who holds the key to each shelf.

Concept	Role	Example
EPS	Organizes projects into logical groups	Company → Middle East Division → Road Projects
OBS	Assigns responsible managers to EPS nodes	CEO → Regional Director → Project Manager

2. The Sacred Hierarchy in P6

Golden Rule: You cannot add activities directly inside the EPS! Activities must live inside a Project, preferably under a WBS element.

3. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The WBS is the heart of project management — it breaks your project into manageable deliverables.

1. Open your project → go to Project → WBS.
2. Press Add to create a new WBS element.
3. Assign a WBS Code such as 1.1 or SB.
4. Use indent/outdent arrows to create child elements.

4. Calendars & Project Codes

Go to Enterprise → Calendars:

• Global Calendar: Shared across all projects. Handle with extreme care!
• Project Calendar: Specific to one project. Always recommended.
• Resource Calendar: Assigned to a specific person or piece of equipment.

Project Codes (Enterprise → Project Codes): Work like tags — they let you group projects differently from the EPS tree (e.g., by client, by type, by country).