Organization & Structures (WBS, RBS, OBS)

Tagline: Structure the work, the resources and the organization.

Professional project management needs more than a task list. ProjectLibre gives teams a structured model for the work, the resources, and the organization behind every project and portfolio. WBS, RBS and OBS provide those three connected structures.

Professional schedules become easier to manage when the work, resource pool, and business ownership each have a clear hierarchy.

Structure	Question	Purpose
WBS · Work structure	How is the work organized?	Break the project into phases, deliverables, summary tasks and detailed activities with a consistent hierarchy and WBS coding structure.
RBS · Resource structure	How are resources organized?	Structure the resource pool so people and other resources can be managed in meaningful groups instead of as one long flat list.
OBS · Organization structure	How is responsibility organized?	Organize projects around the enterprise structure—business units, departments, groups or other organizational responsibility—and use it across the portfolio.

Memory aid: WBS = what work (left sidebar Project); RBS = who (left sidebar Resources); OBS = where in the enterprise (left sidebar Portfolio). Short form: WBS = work, RBS = resource, OBS = organization.

See also: Work Breakdown Structure · Resource View · Assigning Resources · Resource Leveling · Portfolio View

Watch: ProjectLibre: organizing enterprise with WBS RBS OBS (~8:05).

Overview

They are separate structures that work together:

1. Organize the work

2. Organize the resources that perform it

3. Connect projects to the organization responsible for them

Framed questions:

• WBS — What work are we delivering? (video wording: “What work are we doing?”)

• RBS — Which resources are available to do it? (video: “Who or what resources do we have available to do the work?”)

• OBS — Where does responsibility sit in the organization? (video: “Where in the organization does the project or responsibility belong?”)

Visualization note from the product page: WBS charts, resource views and portfolio grouping turn the underlying structures into information that project managers and PMOs can actually use.

WBS · Work Breakdown Structure

Turn a task list into a project hierarchy.

The WBS gives every task a defined place in the project structure.

• Summary tasks create the hierarchy.

• WBS codes such as 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1 show where each activity belongs.

• Meaning: answers “Where does this task fit in the project?”

• Benefits stated: clarify scope (phases, deliverables, work packages); roll up information; communicate consistently via WBS codes across schedules, reports, and teams.

In the schedule (Gantt): The WBS column appears beside task Name / ID. Example codes in screenshots: 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.3.1, 1.3.2, 1.3.3, 1.4.

WBS Chart (secondary sidebar WBS icon): Presents the same hierarchy visually—summary work breaking down into lower-level tasks. Chart blocks / nodes show Task Name, ID, Duration, Start, Finish, % Complete; summary vs task vs milestone shapes differ visually.

For opening Project → WBS, indent in Gantt, chart view, and rollup is expanded under Work Breakdown Structure. This Part 2 material emphasizes the coding structure, WBS Chart, and how WBS connects to RBS and OBS—not a restatement of every indent menu step.

RBS · Resource Breakdown Structure

First organize the resource pool. Then analyze capacity.

RBS gives the enterprise resource pool a hierarchy. Organize by function, department, role, or other meaningful groups—then use that structure when analyzing workload and capacity.

Sequence stressed: first define how resources are organized; then compare demand, assignments, and availability across those groups and across projects.

Three-step approach:

1. Group the resources — for example, Technology → Engineering → Leads and Developers (not a flat list of names).

2. See demand against capacity — resource views compare availability, assignments, and over-allocation across the structured pool.

3. Make staffing decisions — identify tight capacity, rebalance, adjust timing, or use resource leveling before commitments become schedule problems.

Example RBS hierarchy:

Technology ↳ Engineering ↳ Lead · TECH.ENG.LEAD.01 ↳ Developer · TECH.ENG.DEV.01 ↳ Developer · TECH.ENG.DEV.02

Video: Memory aid—WBS organizes the work; RBS organizes the resources. Codes may be numeric hierarchy or descriptive forms such as tech.engineer.dev.01. Grouping options mentioned: by organization / resource classification; cross-functional teams; group a large list by teams or by RBS vs flat list. After organizing: highlight a series in the RBS → view resource loading.

Capacity / metrics UI: Split view—upper resource/project list + timeline; lower histogram with a metrics dropdown. Options shown: Peak Units, Work, Cumulative Work, Overallocation, Percent Allocation, Remaining Availability, Work Availability. Legend: Overallocated, Fully Allocated, Allocated (screenshot colors: red / green / blue); 100% capacity line. Red portions above 100% identify periods where demand exceeds capacity.

See also Resource Leveling for resolving overallocation after the pool is structured.

OBS · Organizational Breakdown Structure

Organize the portfolio around how the business actually operates.

OBS brings organizational responsibility into the project model. Projects can carry OBS codes and be grouped in the Portfolio view. Meaning: answers “Where does this project belong in our organization?”

Benefits stated: group projects by organizational unit; see portfolio context for schedules and resource demand; scale governance from projects up through the portfolio.

Portfolio screenshot UI: View title Portfolio; table column OBS with hierarchical codes (examples: 1, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.2, 1.2.2, 3, etc.); other columns in crop include ID, Name, Duration.

How they relate

WBS, RBS, and OBS are different but complementary ways to structure enterprise project information (video close):

• WBS = what work (left sidebar Project) — organizes deliverables and activities (example: portal 3.3 API integration).

• RBS = who (left sidebar Resources) — organizes people and resources needed to execute them (example: tech lead in RBS).

• OBS = where in the enterprise (left sidebar Portfolio) — connects projects and responsibility to the business itself.

Together: easier to organize, group, analyze, and manage large projects and portfolios. Resource analysis can be done with any of these structures (use the same approach for WBS, RBS, and OBS—highlight the structure and review resource loading).

Do not treat the three as interchangeable—each answers a different question.

How to Use

Viewing and grouping workflows:

WBS (Project)

1. Left sidebar: Project.

2. Secondary sidebar — top icon tooltip Gantt: task list with a WBS column; expand/collapse summary tasks for hierarchy (for example, 1, 1.1). See also Work Breakdown Structure for indent/outdent construction.

3. Secondary sidebar — third icon down tooltip WBS: visual WBS flowchart / block diagram. Blocks show Task Name, ID, Duration, Start, Finish, % Complete.

4. Collapse/expand summary packages for executive viewing; reference codes (for example, 3.3) in communication/reporting.

RBS (Resources)

1. Left sidebar: Resources.

2. Top-right dropdown (layered boxes icon): Group resources — Flat list, Group by teams, Group by RBS.

3. Bottom panel metrics dropdown options shown: Peak Units, Work, Cumulative Work, Overallocation, Percent Allocation, Remaining Availability, Work Availability.

4. Legend: Overallocated, Fully Allocated, Allocated. Use capacity insight for staffing decisions; optionally Resource Leveling.

OBS (Portfolio)

1. Left sidebar: Portfolio.

2. Columns include OBS.

3. Top-right dropdown: Group projects — Flat list, Group by OBS (see next subsection).

4. Review portfolio Gantt and capacity in organizational context.

Portfolio: Group by OBS

OBS codes appear directly in the Portfolio view. Projects can then be grouped by OBS for portfolio-level visibility and accountability.

UI:

• Top-right grouping control: menu Group projects with options Flat list and Group by OBS (checkbox; Group by OBS selected in the grouped screenshot).

• When grouped, Name hierarchy shows OBS parent nodes (for example, parent 1, 2) with projects nested underneath.

• Lower panes: project selector (Projects: N selected) and Peak Units histogram with Overallocated / Fully Allocated / Allocated legend.

Video: Group the portfolio by OBS → ProjectLibre organizes projects according to the organization instead of a flat list.

Watch the walkthrough

Watch ProjectLibre: organizing enterprise with WBS RBS OBS (~8:05). Demo in ProjectLibre Cloud using sample project customer portal; covers WBS hierarchy and codes, RBS grouping and peak units / availability, OBS portfolio grouping and highlighting, then pulls the three structures together.