About work breakdown structures
Important
This content is archived and is not being updated. For the latest documentation, see Microsoft Dynamics 365 product documentation. For the latest release plans, see Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform release plans.
Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
A project often consists of multiple tasks. In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, a work breakdown structure (WBS) is a hierarchy that represents the sequence of tasks for a project. In a WBS, you can schedule a task, specify the education and experience that are required for the task, assign qualified workers, and enter the estimated cost and revenue for the task.
You can make a task dependent on the completion of another task or tasks in the same WBS. For example, make the start of a design task dependent on finishing a planning task. In the WBS, the starting date for a dependent task is automatically set to the day after the predecessor task ends.
You can create a WBS manually, or copy the WBS from another project into the current project and then modify the WBS details for the current project. You can also save a WBS as a template, and then use the template as a starting point to create a WBS for projects that are frequently repeated. By using a template, you can set up a WBS for a new project more efficiently.
In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 or cumulative update 7 or later for AX 2012 R2, you can use Microsoft Project to manage the work breakdown structure (WBS) for a project or a project quotation, and then publish the WBS to your project in Microsoft Dynamics AX. For more information, see Create or update a project by using Microsoft Project.
In AX 2012 R3, you can also easily transfer item estimates from a WBS to project forecasts. For more information, see Transfer work breakdown estimates to project forecasts.
In a WBS, you can add the following details for each task:
The estimated effort, expressed in number of hours.
The cost per hour.
The sales price per hour to charge the customer.
The number of workers needed to complete the task.
The starting date and ending date.
If there are conflicts or overlaps in the date range that you select for tasks, you can view and fix these scheduling discrepancies.
The name of the worker who is expected to complete the task. You can add more than one worker per task.
Note
In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack and Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, the Work breakdown structure form is named Activity breakdown structure.
See also
Work breakdown structure (form)
Create a work breakdown structure of tasks for a project
Create a work breakdown structure template for projects