Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)

The Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) defines how people within a company are organized and what rights and access they have within projects. For example, a company that builds ships may have different facilities, with different staff at each facility. Yet certain functions such as the executive team or IT support may span the different facilities. The OBS reflects the chain of command within the company. It can often mirror the EPS, but the two may also diverge. The specific OBS elements may be a mix of specifically named people, business units, departments, and specialties. The OBS and EPS are interconnected such that the OBS can be used to apply security roles and access all projects below specific EPS elements.

The OBS should be considered as a security element, and the use of specific people and names in the OBS should be avoided. Simply look at each EPS element and choose which group should have access to each node. The list of access...