Add a WBS from the Activities Page

Add a work breakdown structure (WBS) to represent a hierarchical arrangement of work. You can create sibling WBSs to represent WBSs that are hierarchically equal, or child WBSs to represent WBSs that are subordinate to other WBSs.

The WBS structure is pre-populated with one root node that is the name of the project. It cannot be deleted. The root WBS can only have child nodes. Child WBS nodes can be deleted, and if in use, its associated objects can be reassigned.

Each level in the WBS hierarchy is separated by a period. When entering a new WBS node, the parent hierarchy is automatically prefixed, and the current node is incremented with the next number in the sequence. For example, a new sibling of WBS 1.1 will be automatically named WBS 1.2, and a child will automatically be named WBS 1.1.1. These values can be changed at any time. When updating a WBS Code or Name field, only the current level needs to be entered.

To add a WBS from the Activities Page:

Navigate to the Activities page
1. In the object selector, select Project or Program, and then select a project or a program from the list.
2. From the Main Menu, select Schedule, and then select Activities.
In the Activities list, select a WBS row.
To add a WBS node, select the Context menu, and then select one of the following options:
- Add WBS from Project: Opens the Add WBS from Projects dialog box with additional options.
  Note The Activity ID Handling option is available only when you add a WBS in the project context.
  1. In the Add WBS from Projects dialog box, filter the display of WBS results by selecting Templates or Other Projects.
  2. Select the Tree/List to view results in a tree or a list.
  3. Expand or collapse the hierarchy of project templates or projects, and then select a WBS.
  4. If the selected WBS contains activities, in the Activity ID Handling section, select one of the following options:
    - Generate New Activity IDs: Uses the destination project settings for activity ID generation. This option is selected by default.
    - Retain Source Activity IDs: Preserves the activity IDs from the source WBS.
  5. Select Show Activity Details to view a list of activities associated with the selected WBS.
  6. Choose one of the following options:
    - Select Add WBS to add the selected WBS immediately.
    - Select Next to choose the items you would like to copy.
  7. If you selected Next, on the Select data step, select the check boxes for the items that you want to copy.
  8. If the selected WBS contains activities, expand Activity ID Handling to review or change the option selected previously.
    Note If you do not select activities, Primavera Cloud retains the Activity ID Handling selection but does not validate activity IDs or display the duplicate-ID dialog box.
  9. Select Add WBS.
  10. If you selected Retain Source Activity IDs and a copied activity ID already exists in the destination project, the duplicate-ID dialog box opens.
    Review the source activity ID, activity name, and generated new activity ID for each conflicting activity. You can change a generated new activity ID.
  11. Ensure that each new activity ID is unique and contains between 1 and 60 characters. The OK button is unavailable until all values are valid.
  12. (Optional) Select Do not show again to skip this dialog box for subsequent retained-ID imports with conflicts in the current browser tab. The preference is cleared when you refresh or close the tab.
  13. Select OK to add the WBS and its activities. To return to the Add WBS from Projects dialog box without adding the WBS, select Cancel.
- Add Sibling WBS: Creates a WBS which will be a sibling of the selected WBS and equal in the hierarchy.
- Add Child WBS: Creates a WBS which will be the child of the selected WBS and a subordinate in the hierarchy.
The new WBS node will automatically be assigned a name based on its sequence in the WBS, but it can be changed at any time. Double-click on the WBS in the grid to directly edit the name, or edit the name in the General detail window with the WBS selected.
All changes made to this page are saved automatically.
Note If user preference is set to save views manually, you must save the view to keep changes.

Tip

You can cut or copy and paste WBS nodes. See Cut or Copy and Paste a WBS Node.
To make an existing WBS node a child of the node above it, select the Context menu, and then select Move Right. Select Move Left to change a child node to a sibling node. The name of the node is automatically updated based on its new sequence in the WBS.
Primavera Cloud supports WBS hierarchies up to 50 levels.

Last Published Tuesday, October 20, 2026