Organizational process assets

Key Points

• Organizational process assets (OPAs) are internal to the organization and available to project teams.
• They include policies, procedures, standards, templates, checklists, historical data, and lessons learned repositories.
• OPAs support planning, execution, monitoring, and closing by providing guidance and reusable artifacts.
• Teams tailor OPAs to fit the project context while maintaining required compliance.
• Projects both use and update OPAs, especially through lessons learned and new or improved templates.
• OPAs may be maintained by the PMO, quality, legal, HR, IT, or other functional groups.

Purpose

• Promote consistency and quality by using proven practices and standard documents.
• Save time and reduce rework by reusing templates, checklists, and guidance.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, methods, and governance rules.
• Capture and share knowledge so future projects benefit from prior experience.

Source & Ownership

• Created and maintained by the organization, often through a PMO or process owners.
• Content may come from completed projects, audits, process improvement initiatives, or functional departments.
• Stored in controlled repositories such as document management systems, wikis, or knowledge bases.
• Ownership and update rights are governed by organizational policies and configuration control.

How to Use

1. Identify relevant OPAs: policies, procedures, templates, guidelines, and historical data for your project type.
2. Verify currency and compliance: check version, approval status, and any mandatory elements.
3. Tailor for context: adapt templates and checklists to project size, complexity, and delivery approach.
4. Apply during planning and execution: use OPAs to build plans, manage changes, and perform quality activities.
5. Capture new insights: record lessons learned and performance data throughout the project.
6. Submit updates: propose improvements to templates or processes through the PMO or process owner.

Example Usage

• Use the organization’s project charter and management plan templates to start planning.
• Consult a risk checklist and past risk registers to identify and categorize risks.
• Follow the change control procedure and use the standard change request form to manage scope changes.
• Review lessons learned from similar projects to refine estimates and approach.
• Apply standard testing procedures and quality checklists during product verification.

Caveats

• Outdated or poorly maintained OPAs can misguide teams; always confirm the latest version.
• Over-reliance on templates can stifle necessary tailoring and innovation; adapt thoughtfully.
• Conflicts may arise with contract terms or external regulations; resolve discrepancies before use.
• Access restrictions may apply; ensure appropriate permissions and confidentiality are respected.
• Document any tailoring decisions to maintain transparency and auditability.

PMP Example Question

You are developing the project management plan at a new company. To speed planning and ensure compliance, what should you review first?

1. Enterprise environmental factors that are outside the project team’s control.
2. Organizational process assets such as policies, templates, and lessons learned.
3. The stakeholder register from a different project in another organization.
4. Team agreements that will be created later during team formation.

Correct Answer: B — Organizational process assets such as policies, templates, and lessons learned.

Explanation: OPAs provide internal guidance and reusable artifacts that help you tailor and build plans quickly and in line with organizational expectations.