According to the PMBOK® Guide, Organizational Process Assets (OPAs) are the plans, processes, policies, procedures, and knowledge bases specific to and used by the performing organization. These assets influence the management of the project and are grouped into two primary categories:
Processes, Policies, and Procedures: These are usually established by the Project Management Office (PMO) or another function outside of the project. They include things like standard templates, quality policies, and change control procedures.
Organizational Knowledge Bases: These are the repositories used for storing and retrieving information. They include:
Lessons learned repositories and historical information.
Project files from previous projects (baselines, calendars, etc.).
Financial data repositories (labor hours, costs, budgets).
Configuration management knowledge bases (versions of software/hardware standards).
Issue and defect management databases.
OPAs are internal to the organization and represent a " storehouse " of experience that project managers can leverage to avoid " reinventing the wheel. "
Analysis of Other Options:
A. Government standards: These are Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs). They are external to the project and often the organization, representing " rules " that the project must follow rather than assets it can use.
B. Organizational culture: This is an internal Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF). While it exists within the organization, it is considered a " condition " or " constraint " the project manager must navigate, rather than a documented process or knowledge base asset.
C. Employee capabilities: This is also an internal EEF. It refers to the existing human resources ' skills, knowledge, and specialized expertise available to the project. It is a " factor " the PM must work within.
