This topic provides guidance for common scenarios you might encounter when using the WBS API.
When to use the WorkBreakdowns endpoint
A company can choose to create and manage the WBS in an application other than Smart Completions, such as HxGN SDx. When this happens, you can use the WorkBreakdowns endpoint to add the WBS to Smart Completions and keep it up-to-date when changes are made in the source application.
When not to use the WorkBreakdowns endpoint
Activity Lists, often used for work packaging, are usually large and complex, with unlimited tiers and hundreds of stages. By contrast, the Smart Completions WBS is a simplified structure, typically containing only phases and high-level stages, used for reporting and generalized task models.
Therefore, we recommend that you do not replicate the Activity List in Smart Completions. However, if your company must do so, use the Project Control Tasks (PCTs) API (or have an administrator import the Activity List as part of the Project Control Tasks) and then link the list to the WBS Phases and Stages.
Do not use the WorkBreakdowns endpoint to recreate an Activity List from a master
schedule within a Smart Completions WBS.
Creating the WBS hierarchy when the source application WBS uses more than three tiers
In most source applications, the WBS hierarchy has more tiers than Smart Completions (Phase > Stage > Activity). In this case, we recommend you map specific nodes in the source application schedule tree to the Smart Completions WBS, as follows:
|
Source Application Scheduling Node |
Smart Completions |
|---|---|
|
First |
Phase |
|
Second |
Stage |
|
Last (usually the Activity List) |
Activity |
We recommend that you do not use this API if the source application has a large,
complex WBS (or Activity List) with unlimited tiers and hundreds of stages.
Understanding and using WBS item number, name, and summary values
In Smart Completions, each WBS item is uniquely identified by its SUMMARY. When you use the API to create WBS items, Smart Completions creates the SUMMARY by concatenating NUMBER and NAME values. This means that each WBS item must have a unique NUMBER and NAME. We recommend that you define these values as follows:
-
If the item exists in the source application, use the NUMBER and NAME values from that application.
-
If the item will only exist in Smart Completions, assign unique NUMBER and NAME values when you create the item. For example, this can happen when the source application WBS uses more than three tiers.