Cost Breakdown Structure in the Oracle Primavera Cloud

A Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) in Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) is comprised of cost codes classified into three types: expense, capital, or none. The codes are organized based on segment definitions to form a flat or hierarchical structure. A CBS is used alongside the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). The WBS breaks down project work, and the CBS represents the associated costs.

Familiarity with the workspace hierarchy and reporting requirements helps ensure that the CBS is set up to allow required rollup functionality.

A CBS in OPC can be created at the workspace or project level. For the workspace CBS, navigate to the summary and settings app from the main menu. Select Dictionaries, then CBS, and use the Create CBS button to create the CBS elements.



When you select the Create CBS radio button at the workspace level, a dialogue displays to start the CBS creation process.



A CBS can also be created by importing codes from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. This is handy to be aware of when dealing with detailed structures already available in soft copy.



To set up a project CBS, go to the Cost and Funds App, select cost sheet, and choose create CBS.



When creating a CBS, be mindful of the level you are creating the CBS at. If you are looking to be able to roll up CBS information to a higher-level Workspace, the CBS should be created at the higher-level Workspace. Then use the functionality provided to create a matching CBS at the project level.



However, if a project has its own CBS and you want its costs to roll up to the workspace level, you may need to synchronize the CBS codes. This process is necessary when a project has its own CBS separate from the workspace CBS. For example, after a project has been moved to ensure costs roll up correctly to the workspace level.

Assign CBS codes to scope items. All scope assignments inherit the CBS code assigned to the scope item. After a baseline is set, CBS codes must be added or updated by submitting a change request.

While a CBS is not strictly mandatory in OPC, it is highly recommended. Without a CBS, you cannot leverage the full functionality of the Cost and Funds app for detailed cost tracking, budgeting, and reporting.

The cost sheet provides grouping by CBS Codes or Cost Categories.



When accessing a Summary Cost Sheet, you have access to summary by Workspaces or CBS Codes.



A cost category is used to define costs into a category more specific than a CBS code.



When creating cost categories, evaluate what fields you want to be enabled for use, particularly if you plan to use the calculation fields. Different cost categories enable different fields. A cost category type of Other will not enable any extra fields.

Once created, the CBS Code and Cost Categories can be assigned to Scope Items.

When you are ready to create the Budget for your project, if you have not created a CBS, you will see a dialogue indicating that at least one CBS code is required before adding a budget.

This is just a short introduction to the Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) in OPC. Some food for thought on the functionality and options available.