Assigning WBS codes to tasks

Once you have set up a work breakdown structure, you can assign the WBS codes within the work breakdown structure to the tasks in a project. You can do this using the Select WBS Code dialog or by clicking and dragging WBS codes from the project view.

To assign a WBS code to a task using the Select WBS Code dialog:

Right-click the task to which you want to assign a WBS code and select Properties. The Bar and Task Properties dialog appears; alternatively, you can display the Task tab of the properties view.
On the Task tab of the dialog, click the button next to the WBS code field. The Select WBS Code dialog appears.

The work breakdown structure, which is a hierarchical tree structure of WBS codes, is displayed in the main pane of the dialog.
Select a WBS code and click OK to assign it to the selected task.

If the project's work breakdown structure is very large, it may be difficult to locate the WBS code that you want to assign to the task immediately. If you know the alphanumeric identifier of the WBS code that you want to assign to the task - or at least the start of it - you can locate it in the work breakdown structure by entering the WBS code - or the start of the WBS code - in the Search field at the top of the dialog. As you start typing into the Search field, the WBS codes in the dialog are restricted to those that start with the characters that you type.

To assign a WBS code to a task by clicking and dragging from the project view:

Navigate through the WBS hierarchy in the project view until you locate the WBS code that you want to assign to a task.
Click and drag the WBS code onto a task in the bar chart.

Note that WBS codes are assigned to new tasks automatically if you insert a new task into a view that is sorted by a WBS attribute.