Primavera P6 EPPM : The Core Framework For Projects & People
A Visual Guide to P6 Administration
Interactively explore the foundational concepts of setting up your Primavera P6 environment.
The Core Framework: Projects & People
In P6, every project belongs in a hierarchy, and every person responsible for that project belongs in a corresponding management hierarchy. Understanding the relationship between the Enterprise Project Structure (EPS) and the Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is the most critical concept for an administrator.
EPS: The “What”
OBS: The “Who”
The Building Blocks: Roles vs. Resources
Once the main structures are defined, you populate them with the skills and people needed to execute projects. P6 makes a clear distinction between a role (the job function) and a resource (the specific person or equipment doing the job).
Role: The Skill
A job title or skill needed to complete work, like “Tech Writer” or “Project Manager”. Roles have standard costs associated with them.
Resource: The Person
The specific individual, piece of equipment, or material used to complete the work, like “John Kim”. Resources are assigned roles.
Admin Setup Workflow
Step 1: Build the Enterprise Project Structure (EPS)
This is the folder system for all your projects. You start at the top and build down.
- Navigate to **Projects → EPS**.
- Right-click the top-level node (e.g., “All Initiatives”) and select **Add Child EPS**.
- Give the new node an **ID** (e.g., `SVCS`) and a **Name** (e.g., `Services`).
- Continue right-clicking on nodes to add more **Child** (indented) or **Sibling** (same level) EPS elements until your project hierarchy is complete.
- Click **Save**.
Step 2: Build the Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)
This is the management hierarchy. It’s often built to mirror the EPS for simplicity.
- Navigate to **Administration → User Administration → OBS**.
- Select a parent node (e.g., “Enterprise”) and click the **Add** (+) icon.
- Give the new element an **OBS Name** (e.g., `VP of Services`) and a **Description**.
- Select the new element and click **Add** again to create child elements (e.g., `Director of Premier Support`).
- Click **Save**.
Step 3: Link the OBS to the EPS
This crucial step assigns management responsibility and controls user access to projects.
- Return to the **Projects → EPS** page.
- Select an EPS node (e.g., `Services`).
- In the **General** detail window at the bottom, find the **Responsible Manager** field.
- Click the **Select (…)** button and choose the corresponding OBS element (e.g., `VP of Services`).
- Repeat for all EPS nodes that need a manager assigned.
- Click **Save**.
Step 4: Define Roles and Resources
Finally, create the library of skills (Roles) and people/equipment (Resources) for your projects.
- Navigate to **Resources → Administration**.
- Click **Roles**, then **Add** to create a new role (e.g., ID: `TW`, Name: `Tech Writer`). Add rates in the **Prices** detail window.
- Click **Resources**, select a parent, then **Add** to create a new resource (e.g., ID: `KimJ`, Name: `John Kim`).
- With the new resource selected, use the **Roles** detail window to assign them a primary skill.
- Click **Save**.
Visualizing the OBS Hierarchy
The OBS you build is a hierarchy of responsibility. This chart shows the distribution of management levels based on the structure created in the training guide, clearly illustrating the chain of command.