Reference

The Five Spines

A map of how GreenVee organises all its data into five interlocking chains.

GreenVee groups all its data into five spines — chains of related entities that each answer a different question about your work. Every entity in the system belongs to at least one spine, and many sit at the junction of two or more.

Understanding the spines helps you know where to go to find or enter information, and why certain things are connected.

Spine A — Work Breakdown (WBS)

Question it answers: What work needs to be done, and how is it organised?

Portfolio
  └─► Program
        └─► Project
              └─► Segment
                    └─► Task Package
                          └─► Task
                                └─► Subtask

Entity	Purpose
Portfolio	The top-level grouping of related programs and projects.
Program	A collection of projects that share a goal or budget.
Project	The primary unit of work in GreenVee. Has a phase, a budget, a team.
Segment	A logical subdivision of a project — often a phase or workstream.
Task Package	A grouping of related tasks within a segment.
Task	An individual piece of work with an owner, dates, and effort.
Subtask	A finer breakdown under a task; used when a task has distinct steps.

Entities attached to this spine (not on the chain but connected): Issues, State Reports, Gates, Milestones, Key Takeaways, Risk and Opportunity records.

Spine B — Plant / Technical Structure

Question it answers: What physical or technical things does this project produce or require?

Project
  └─► Technical Structure
            └─► Node (recursive — nodes can contain nodes)
                  ├─► Required Good
                  └─► Required Spec

Entity	Purpose
Technical Structure	The top-level bill-of-structure for a project — the root of its technical breakdown.
Technical Structure Node	A recursive building block. A node can represent an assembly, a system, or a component. Nodes nest to any depth.
Required Good	A specific good (material or product) that is needed at a node. Links Spine B to Spine E.
Required Material	A material-type required good — goods consumed rather than installed.
Required Spec	A specification requirement attached to a node — defines what properties the output must meet.

Entities attached to this spine: Spec Definitions, Spec Categories, Spec Values.

Spine C — People & Time

Question it answers: Who is doing the work, and when?

Employee
  └─► Skill
  └─► Project Member
            ├─► Employee Booking
            └─► Time Entry
                  └─► Time Log

Entity	Purpose
Employee	A person in your organisation with a profile, skills, and department.
Skill	A capability or competency that an employee has — used for matching and planning.
Project Member	The record that connects an employee to a specific project. Holds their role, planned allocation, and booking status.
Employee Booking	A confirmed allocation of a person’s time to a project or task for a defined period.
Time Entry	A single logged block of time, recorded by or on behalf of a member.
Time Log	An aggregated or summarised view of time entries, grouped by period or task.

Entities attached to this spine: Departments, Skill Categories, Timer (active in-progress timer), Time Tracking Labels.

Spine D — Money

Question it answers: What does this project cost and earn?

Project
  └─► Budget
        └─► Cost Item
                ├─► Cost Occurrence
                ├─► Benefit Occurrence
                ├─► Earning Occurrence
                └─► Order

Entity	Purpose
Budget	The overall financial plan for a project — the container for all cost items.
Cost Item	A line in the budget representing a category of expenditure or income.
Cost Occurrence	A single recorded cost event — an actual or planned expense.
Benefit Occurrence	A recorded non-monetary or indirect benefit tied to a cost item.
Earning Occurrence	A recorded income or revenue event tied to the project.
Order	A confirmed purchase or sales order that backs one or more occurrences.

Entities attached to this spine: Budget Requests, Banking Records, Companies (as customers or suppliers).

Spine E — Materials

Question it answers: What goods are needed, where do they come from, and where do they go?

Good Type
  └─► Good
        └─► Variant
              ├─► Stock
              ├─► Stock Movement
              ├─► Procurement Request
              └─► Good Usage (on a Task)

Entity	Purpose
Good Type	The category or classification of a good (e.g. “raw material”, “finished product”).
Good	A specific item — a product, material, or consumable tracked in GreenVee. Also called a Material in UI contexts.
Variant	A specific configuration of a good — e.g. a particular size, colour, or specification.
Stock	The current quantity of a variant held at a location.
Stock Movement	A recorded change in stock — inbound or outbound at the stock level.
Procurement Request	A formal request to obtain a good from a supplier.
Good Usage	The linkage of a good or variant to a specific task — records what was used where.

Entities attached to this spine: Equipment, Equipment Units, Companies (as suppliers or manufacturers).

Where the Spines Cross

Most entities live on one spine, but some sit at the junction of two or more. These crosspoints are where GreenVee connects planning to execution.

Crosspoint	Spines	Why it’s important
Project	A + B + C + D	A project is the hub of all work: it has a WBS (A), a technical structure (B), a team (C), and a budget (D).
Task	A + C + E	Tasks carry work assignments (A), are done by people (C), and consume materials (E).
Variant	B + E	A variant is both a required component in a technical structure (B) and a stockable, procurable item (E).
Order	D	Orders sit on Spine D but are generated from procurement flows on Spine E and drive financial records.
Project Member	A + C	Connects the work breakdown (A) to the person doing it (C) — the record that makes planning real.