The
OBS – the PMI® definition
The PMI® definition for an Organizational Breakdown Structure
(OBS) captures the connection between the Project Organization
and the WBS, as you can see on the next page.
|
Organizational
Breakdown Structure (OBS): A hierarchically
organized depiction of the project organization
arranged so as to relate work packages to the performing
organizational units. (PMI® PMBOK® Guide Third
Edition) |
So we can be very
clear about the following: the Project Organization is not
an organizational chart of
a company or department. The Project Organization structures
the roles, accountabilities, and reporting relationships for
the project, not for the company. In fact, the project
organization may invert administrative relationships, with
more senior persons
who are accountable for individual work elements reporting
to more junior persons who are accountable for higher level
summary elements. The project is organized with the most
appropriate person accountable for each work element, regardless
of their
position in the company’s organization chart. The OBS maps each person working on a project to the department in
which they are employed in the company. |