## 4 Dimensions Impacting Project Planning and Control
### The 2 nd Dimension: Planning and Scheduling  
Planning and scheduling is considered a significant dimension for the MDWP. In this research, the authors propose a generic template for WBSs by initiating two predefined libraries for product breakdown structure (PBS) and resources breakdown structure (RBS), to attain the standardization concept and improve the quality of the schedules and WBS developed by planners.  
Generic Template for Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)  
Starting with the generic template for the WBS, the structure of the template is based on the two predefined libraries: product breakdown structures (PBS) and resources breakdown structures (RBS). The PBS library contains the full scope of construction projects represented in the form of smaller, manageable work items as predefined work package types. This library is built in CDH by initiating all the work package types as activity codes. Those standardized packages can be utilized to build specific WBS for any future project while maintaining the standardization of levels, phases, subphases, and terms for all the organization's projects. Similarly, another library is initiated for RBS to represent the predefined resources for labor, contractors, materials, and equipment. The template has a hierarchical structure and consists of four levels (Figure 5). The first two levels are project-specific: level 1 contains the project description, while level 2 divides the project into areas (plants or units) and components. To increase data collection consistency, each area in level 2 is further divided into phases and sub-phases. These phases and sub-phases are necessary to categorize the work packages at level 3, and are pre-defined as follows:  
General:  
- General;  
- Planning/Scheduling;  
- Cost Estimating;  
- Cost Control.  
Engineering Phase:  
- Preliminary;  
- Conceptual;  
- Detailed.  
Procurement Phase:  
- Requisition and Awarding; purchase orders and subcontracts;  
- Materials Management;  
- Contract Administration.  
Construction Phase:  
- Manufacturing and Fabrication;Level 3 contains generic work package types that are extracted from the PBS library and present scope deliverables or product packages. Level 3 is the most significant level of the proposed template because it represents the whole scope of work divided into predefined work packages, such as columns, beams, foundations, structural steel, concrete, etc. However, the work packages here are not limited to the work executed during the construction phase. Some work packages may go under the engineering or procurement phase, while others, such as schedule and budget control baselines, may not go under any phase. Hence, to structure a consistent template, a new phase category called \"General\" is added to include all the work packages that do not represent work conducted in the engineering, procurement, or construction phases. The authors propose the term \"general work packages\" (GWP) to be consistent with similar terms used in the industry, such as \"engineering work packages\" (EWP), \"procurement work packages\" (PWP), and \"construction work packages\" (CWP). The final level of the WBS, level 4, contains progress activities for each work package.  
To structure a project WBS from scratch using the suggested framework in Figure 5, the planner should refer to the predefined libraries for PBS and RBS and assign all the requirements to work package types at level 3. The generic structure for WBS provides a comprehensive planning template that collects data consistently and meaningfully to facilitate further analysis and make sustainable decisions. Standardizing the terminologies with predefined levels, phases, and subphases enables the identification of meaningful metadata that can be used to capture data from multiple projects and organizations. Creating predefined work package types also enables meaningful data collection, and it facilitates data transfer.