Yes. Multiple internal departments can collaborate on a single project, sharing a single WBS and CBS. There may however be situations where splitting an engagement into multiple projects inside a project hierarchy makes more sense. Typical drivers towards working with multiple sub-projects in a project hierarchy includes:
- Each sub-project can be assigned its own financial dimensions enabling department visibility in general ledger
- Each sub-project has its own budget to which the department can be held accountable
- Each sub-project has its own Work Breakdown Structure and schedule to which the department can be held accountable
- Multiple planners can work on the engagement at the same time (one for each WBS)
- Multiple controllers can work on the engagement at the same time (one for each CBS)
- Each sub-project can have different contract line types. (E.g. part of the engagement is agreed on a time and material basis, other parts of the engagement is agreed on a fixed price basis.)
- Each sub-project can be linked to its own department which is required to manage inter-department and inter-company resource loans
PlanAutomate PBA supports embedding multiple Work Breakdown Structures into a consolidated project schedule and embedding multiple Cost Breakdown Structures into a single consolidated financial view of the entire engagement. Working with a project hierarchy thus provides additional controls and flexibility without compromising on consolidated operational and financial management.