Organizational process assets PMBOK 6th edition

Organizational process assets: In this module, you will learn about "organizational Process Assets" , types of  organizational Process Assets, differences between Enterprise environmental factors and organizational process assets.

What is Organizational process assets (OPAs) ?

Any tangible or intangible thing that can be owned or controlled to produce value for us is called an Asset for us.

An organization has assets in terms of process policies and knowledge base which becomes mature with the time. Organization invests in creating all these process, policies and knowledge bases so that it can help the organization.

Organizational process assets (OPAs) include any of the organization’s process assets that may be used to ensure project success. 

Organizational process assets are the plans, processes, policies, procedures, and knowledge bases specific to and used by the performing organization. 

Organizational process assets are inputs to most of the processes in Project Management and are critical to project success. All organizational process assets are INTERNAL to the organization.

Project Managers can save time on the Project by making use of organizational process assets, the best practices and lessons learned from previous projects & historical information. This also helps project manager for suitable planning of project activities.

Organizational process assets (OPAs) are valuable information, documents and knowledge tools that the organization accumulates over time. 

Organizational process assets include lessons learned and the historical data, such as the schedule, risk data, and earned value data. That is very important because, in most of the processes throughout the project, PMI suggests that you check the lessons learned and historical data. Organizational process assets include documentation that serves as an archive or repository of the company.

While the organization is involved in various projects, it gradually gains and develops more organizational process assets. 

Lessons learned from previous projects, is held in the Lessons Learned Repository and lessons learned on the current project, is held in the Lessons Learned Register which is one of the most important things to know.

What are the types of Organizational process assets?

Organizational process assets are also split into two categories:

•    Processes, policies, and procedures: Organizational standard processes, general guidelines, standard templates. 
•     Organizational knowledge bases: Lessons learned, historical information, past  project files, stakeholder register, risk register

Category 1: Processes, Policies, And Procedures

Internal policies and rules are found in the organizational process assets. 
The first category deals with the processes, policies and procedures needed to carry out the work, which includes the following:

• Policies
• Procedures
• Standard models
• General guidelines

Usually, the project management team cannot update or modify these elements but can be updated only by following the appropriate organizational policies and processes. Processes, policies, and procedures are usually established by the (PMO) or management. 

Some organizations encourage the team to tailor templates, life cycles, and checklists for the project. The organizational process assets can be considered a real treasure when it comes to project management.

The organization’s processes and procedures for conducting project work include:

Initiating and Planning:

o   Guidelines and criteria for tailoring the organization’s set of standard processes and procedures to satisfy the specific needs of the project.

o    Templates (e.g., work breakdown structure (WBS), contract templates, report formats)

o Supplier lists and various types of contractual agreements (e.g., fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, and time & material contracts).

o  Specific organizational standards such as policies (e.g., Project management policies, human resources policies, health and safety policies, security and confidentiality policies, quality policies).

o   Product and project life cycles, and methods and procedures (e.g., Checklists, process audits, project management methods, estimation metrics, improvement targets and standardized process definitions for use in the organization).

Executing, Monitoring, and Controlling:

o  Change control procedures, including the steps by which performing organization standards, policies, plans, and procedures or any project documents will be modified, and how any changes will be approved and validated.

o Financial controls procedures (e.g., time reporting, required expenditure and disbursement reviews, accounting codes, and standard contract provisions).

o    Issue and defect management procedures (e.g., defining an issue and defect controls, identifying and resolving issues and defects, and tracking action items).

o    Organizational communication requirements (e.g., specific communication technology available, authorized communication media, record retention policies, video.

o    Conferencing, collaborative tools, and security requirements).

o    Procedures for prioritizing, approving, and issuing work authorizations

Closing:

o    Project closure guidelines or requirements (e.g., lessons learned, final project audits, project evaluations, product validations, and acceptance criteria).

Category 2: Organizational Knowledge Repositories

A sound project closure process will provide the knowledge base that forms the other aspect of organizational process assets. 
The second category includes basic company knowledge for storing and retrieving information:

• Register of project risks
• Lessons learned
• Stakeholders register
• Files of previous projects
• Historical information

Where as historical information can include the followings:

• Work breakdown structures (WBSs)
• Activities
• Estimates
• Project management plans
• Project documents
• Baselines
• Benchmarks 
• Reports etc.

Generally, it is just the knowledge bases that are changed throughout the project.

E.g. financial performance information, lessons learned, performance metrics, and issues and defects, are continually updated throughout the project.

These organizational process assets influence the project’s success, and they keep growing as the organization becomes larger.

The organizational knowledge repositories for storing and retrieving information include:

o    Configuration management knowledge repositories containing the versions of software and hardware components and baselines of all performing organization standards, policies, procedures, and any project documents.

o    Financial data repositories containing information such as labor hours, incurred costs, budgets, and any project cost overruns.

o    Historical information and lessons learned knowledge repositories (e.g., project records and documents, all project closure information and documentation, information regarding both the results of previous project selection decisions and previous project performance information, and information from risk management activities).

o   Issue and defect management data repositories containing issue and defect status, control information, issue, and defect resolution, and action item results.

o    Process measurement databases used to collect and make available measurement data on processes and products.

o  Project files from previous projects (e.g., scope, cost, schedule, and performance measurement baselines, project calendars, project schedule network diagrams, risk registers, risk reports, and stakeholder registers).

      All these organizational process assets are specific to the performing organization.

      Anyone who has joined a new company as a project manager will understand that these organizational process assets need to be sought out as soon as possible. Organizational process assets often must be filtered through your PMP^® knowledge to find out what they are for.

What are the differences between Enterprise environmental factors and Organization process assets ?

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs) and organizational process assets (OPAs) are the most important areas of focus for almost all processes in the ten knowledge areas. 

Enterprise environmental factors can be internal or external, while organizational process assets are always internal to an organization.

During Project handling, Project manager might have to face many obstacles or problems. Some of them may be caused by lack of planning or by some other reasons that you can control. But there can be some conditions which cannot be under control of Project team members which can be called as Enterprise Environmental Factors. 

Projects are influenced by factors internal and external to the organization. These factors are called Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs). Examples of internal EEFs are company infrastructure, skill availability, risk attitude, governance approach, etc. Examples of external EEFs are political and financial climate.

Projects will use policies and standards of the organization, may use past metrics, and may apply lessons from previous similar projects. Such artifacts are called Organizational process assets.

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs)	Organization Process Assets (OPAs)
1. Enterprise environmental factors may or may not help your organization. These are the conditions in which your organization must work and do not fall under the control of the project management team.	1. Organizational process assets help organizations to improve their processes, help project management teams to learn, and share best practices by using a collective knowledge base.
2. Moreover, Enterprise environmental factors are not easy to change; you must live with them.	2. Organizational process assets can be customized according to their suitability and they make the project management team’s life much more comfortable
3. Enterprise environmental factors are split into two categories: A.  EEFs external to the organization B.  EEFs internal to the organization	3. Organizational process assets are split into two categories: A.Processes, policies, and procedures B. Organizational knowledge bases
4. Enterprise environmental factors limits the project managers options, because they tell what can work and what cannot.	4. Organizational process assets facilitates the project management, they come with best practices and information which can help project execution.

Conclusion

 Most hopefully, you would like this information, and this will be more beneficial for you. 

The information provided above about organizational process assets is very much important for every Project manager in an organization. 

Share your views/questions about this script in the comment box below which would be highly appreciated and of course, you can also contact me on my email id: sdeepak222@gmail.com.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for taking time reading this article. 

SHARE THIS