Assigning OBS Elements and Project Profiles in P6 EPPM

To restrict or grant access to projects and their data, you must assign project profiles to users. A project profile is a role-based profile that limits privileges to specific project data, such as baselines, the WBS, and expenses. Project profiles are linked to users through one or more OBS assignments. You assign responsibilities to specific projects and work within projects by assigning OBS elements to various levels of the EPS and each project's WBS.

The combination of the user assignment to an OBS element, and the OBS assignment to the EPS/project/WBS, determines which projects and project data the user can view. For each OBS element a user is assigned to, the user's assigned project security profile (per OBS assignment) further determines the project data the user can view or edit.

Note: OBS assignments can be made at both the project and WBS levels. Therefore, a project and its WBS elements might have different OBS assignments. When this occurs less restrictive profiles assigned higher up in the project structure override more restrictive profiles lower down. For example a user assigned a profile which allows them to modify data at the project level, will also be able to modify data in all of the WBS elements of that project, even if they are assigned a profile at the WBS level which would ordinarily not allow them to modify data. If you need a user to be able to modify the data in some WBS nodes of a project but not others, you must assign the user a more restrictive profile at the project level to restrict their access, then assign a less restrictive profile to only the WBS elements to which the user requires modify access. Bear in mind that a less restrictive profile assigned at the EPS level will also override more restrictive profile assignments at the project and WBS levels. Similarly a less restrictive profile assigned at a higher WBS level, will override more restrictive security profile assignments at lower WBS levels. For this reason it is important to take care in designing the WBS structure of any project where users will require differing access to differing parts of the project.

You can assign a user an OBS element and a corresponding project profile in the Users table when you are adding users, or you can make the assignment in the OBS tab during or after creating the OBS.

You need to assign a user to an OBS (or an OBS to a user) for a user to access a project. When that assignment is made, the default project profile is automatically related to and made available to the user. You can subsequently assign a different project security profile to that user. See Defining Project Security Profiles in P6 EPPM for more information on project profiles.

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