Understanding Your Project Environment: EEFs vs OPAs

Scenario One

You are a project manager who has just completed the planning phase of a construction project in collaboration with your project team. Through your proactive approach and effective communication, you’ve built strong working relationships with key stakeholders, who now feel confident that the project is ready to move forward. However, just three days into the kickoff week, you receive an unexpected phone call from a team member. They inform you that a two-weeks children’s summer camp is currently taking place near the project site. More concerning, the designated routes for transporting, unloading, and staging materials and equipment overlap with the paths used by camp participants and staff to cross the street and explore nearby outdoor areas.

To complicate matters, the summer camp received a permit from the local city administration six months prior to your project’s start date. Few alternative routes are available, and those that exist are heavily used by local businesses and public transportation. This is not the kind of news a project manager wants to hear in the first week of execution—especially after carefully planning a well-structured project. Without timely delivery of materials and equipment, the project schedule is at risk of significant delays right off the gate.

Scenario Two

You manage a growing technology company that, despite being relatively new to the industry, has maintained steady revenue and client growth over the past five years. The company is still refining its internal processes. You’ve recently hired a new graduate to join your project team, assigning her responsibilities such as collecting performance data, organizing project documentation, and managing general project information and communication. During a team meeting, she asks whether there are any templates, processes, or procedures to guide her work. She also inquires if there’s someone with prior experience, she could consult to better understand workflows and deliverables. Additionally, she expresses concern about the communication culture within the team and among internal and external stakeholders.

No matter how confident you are in your project plan or how smoothly your organization seems to be operating, unexpected challenges can—and often do—arise. These moments remind us that successful project management isn’t just about having a solid strategy; it’s also about being prepared to adapt.

In this blog, we’ll explore two foundational elements/factors that influence every project, often in powerful ways:

• Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs)

• Organization Process Assets (OPAs)

These concepts are woven into the fabric of our project work. We discuss them with our teams, encounter them in both internal and external environments, and experience their effects daily—whether we’re aware of them or not.

So, join me for a light yet insightful read as we unpack what EEFs and OPAs really mean, how they shape project outcomes, and how you can manage them effectively to drive project success.

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs)

Conditions that are identified to have a direct influence on the project but are external to the project team's control. EEFs can also be internal to the performing organization even though the term suggests being outside the project team's control. Examples of EEFs include industry standards, market outlook, organizational culture, market trends, local city, state or government regulations, legal compliance or restrictions, location of the project team, or resource availability. EEFs are one critical factor that should be considered during the planning of the project and carefully monitored during the execution of the project to avoid or manage any associated constraints that may hinder project success.

The Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK, 7th Edition) emphasizes that projects operate within environments both internal and external to the project team. These internal and external environments have conditions that influence how projects are initiated, planned, managed, and delivered. The impact on the project based on these internal and external environmental influences can either be to the project team's advantage, disadvantage, or neutral.

How Do EEFs Influence Projects or Performing Organizations?

Let’s look back at our first scenario of the construction project and see how the influence of EEFs played a role up to the point of kickoff. Even though the project team spent time planning the project and acquired stakeholder approval to move forward, there were still factors that existed within the project environment that ultimately impacted the project in the first week.

Here is an illustration of how the EEFs influence the project.

EEF	Team Control	Constraints/Influences
Local Government Permit.	External – Required by local government regulation.	The project team must adhere to the city's approval of the summer camp.
Summer Camp Activities around the project site.	External – Approved city permits covered all summer camp activities in the area.	Logistics: moving, unloading, and setting up materials and equipment are impacted by the summer camp's activities.
Share Access Routes with Kids and Public	External – Public Safety Standards	There are safety considerations for both children and general public. The team should develop workaround solutions to address potential safety concerns.
Limited Access Routes	External – Urban Infrastructure/environment	Alternative routes must remain open to local businesses and the public, ensuring uninterrupted access.

Because EEFs do not exist under the authority of the project team, they cannot be avoided or controlled. They can only be adapted to, worked around, mitigated, or monitored to ensure it doesn’t create any risk or issues. Most EEFs already exist in the environment prior to the project’s initiation. Here's how:

• In our case with the construction project, the summer camp received its permit and approval six months before the project began.

• The urban infrastructure and environment, which offer limited alternate access routes, were already existing factors prior to the project start date.

• The businesses located along the alternate routes were also present in the environment before the project commenced.

• Even when EEFs are internal to the organization, they may still be outside the project team’s control.

None of these conditions could have been avoided, but the project can still operate within their constraints by developing workarounds, reducing their impact, and closely monitoring the environment for any new EEFs that were not previously identified.

How can the project team use EEFs to reduce constraints or influence?

• Start discussing the project environment as early as the initiation phase through planning and execution.

• For projects with both internal and external stakeholders, conduct thorough stakeholder analysis. A good stakeholder analysis allows you to understand your stakeholder better and their project environment.

• Think outside the box and identify critical internal and external factors beyond the team's control that affect success and start to strategize your approach to keep the project going without interruption.

• Factor in relevant compliance and regulations at all levels. Consider industry, local cities, state and government rules and regulations impacting your project.

• Recognize that some EEFs emerge as the project develops; foster open communication to address them promptly as they are identified.

• Analyze how each EEF affect the project and collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders to find solutions without creating risks, issues or influencing the project success.

Organizational Process Assets (OPAs): 

Another critical factor that directly impacts or influences the planning and success of a project is called Organization Process Assets (OPAs). Unlike EEFs, which are external to the project team's control, OPAs are internal to the project team's control and to the performing organization. An example of OPAs includes organizational project plans, knowledge repository, project templates, processes, procedures, project management office (PMO) policies and guidelines, historical data or lessons learned repository, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). OPAs are usually created internally by the performing organization to support project management and business operational activities. The project team is at a good advantage if the performing organization has great OPAs.

How do OPAs influence the Project or Performing Organization: 

Let’s look at the second scenario of the new graduate who was hired and tasked with the responsibility of collecting project performance data, organizing documents, and managing the project information and communication. In this case, let’s assume the new team member is very knowledgeable of her responsibilities for the project and has performed similar tasks in the past on previous projects she has worked on as an intern. Regardless of her experience, she is very concerned about the OPAs that exist in the current performing organization.

Here is an illustration of how the OPAs influence the project.

OPAs	Team Control	Influence
Templates, Processes and Procedures	Internal – Internal assets are developed and managed by the organization carrying out the work.	Help the new team member work effectively and efficiently.
Historical information and Lessons Learned	Internal – Historical data and previous project records are maintained in the performing organization's knowledge repositories and can be accessed for knowledge transfer or training purposes.	Enable the team member to align his work activities with established project management standards and coordinate with other team members.
Communication Culture	Internal – The team and organization set communication rules, stakeholder engagement plans, reporting, and escalation procedures.	Understanding the communication framework within the performing organization and among the project team enables team members to engage stakeholders effectively while carrying out their tasks.

Unlike EEFs, OPAs typically do not pose constraints on the project. They are often considered tools and resources that support project performance and enhance success. Moreover, they are developed by the performing organization, so in most cases, they will be favorable to the project team. However, in some cases, OPAs might be a constraint to the project team. But these constraints posed by OPAs can be avoided or controlled.

Take for instance, if the project manager were to tell the new hire that they do not have any templates or established processes and procedures. Moreover, everyone who worked in that role in the past had their own version of workflow and managing the project information, and since every project is different, lessons learned were not consistently tracked. We have some information, but it is scattered around in different folders and not organized. Furthermore, the last person who performed these tasks proficiently left the organization, and we lost contact. This means the new staff must create new templates, processes, and procedures to perform to her tasks and responsibilities. Considering the project and the sense of urgency, this might be a constraint on the new hire in prioritizing her work and doing it on time.

So how can the project team ensure that Organizational Process Assets (OPAs) always work in their favor and do not become a constraint?

• Assess the current OPAs within the organization at the early stage of the project. As the new hire did, try to inquire about the current templates, processes and procedures, workflows, deliverables, and communication structure. Identify those that would add value to the project goals.

• If accepted by the organization, customize the templates and procedures but still structure them within the boundaries of the organization’s policies and ensure they are accepted by stakeholders.

• Be open with stakeholders about any limitations with the OPAs and your approach. This will allow you to gain support and flexibility as you work through those constraints.

• Historical information and lessons learned are great project artifacts that tell you what worked and what did not work before. When evaluating OPAs, focus on what has previously succeeded in projects and met stakeholders’ expectations.  

Why EEFs and OPAs Are Important to Project Success

As we plan our projects, it is important to understand the environment around us and how the conditions these environmental factors influence the success of the project. Considering these factors in the planning process allows the project team to plan more effectively and develop an implementation approach that is appropriate to the project environment.

Take a look the first scenario, no project manager wants their project to be disrupted at any time during execution, especially in the first week of kick off. The team worked hard to develop a great plan and implementation strategies. However, they were unaware of the conditions that existed within the project environment. If the project team had been aware of these environmental conditions, they could have planned better to ensure the project would kick off without disruption.

In the second scenario, the new hire knows that with good OPAs, she can utilize internal assets—such as established tools, resources, processes, and policies—to perform his work as required and expected. Knowing what OPAs the organization has can help her plan the workflow, prioritize tasks, and communicate more effectively with both internal and external stakeholders.

Understanding EEFs and OPAs at a Glance

Conclusion

In conclusion, a comprehensive understanding of Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs) and Organizational Process Assets (OPAs) is vital for effective project management and long-term success. EEFs encompass external conditions such as market trends, regulatory requirements, cultural influences, and technological advancements that can significantly impact project planning and execution. Although these factors are often beyond the control of the project team, proactively identifying and analyzing them enables better strategic alignment, risk anticipation, and informed decision-making.

Conversely, OPAs represent the internal tools, templates, historical data, and best practices that organizations have developed over time. These assets provide a foundation for consistency, efficiency, and continuous improvement across projects. By integrating both EEFs and OPAs into the project lifecycle—from initiation through closure—teams can enhance adaptability, foster innovation, and ensure that projects are not only completed on time and within scope but also aligned with broader organizational goals and awareness of the environment exist in. Ultimately, leveraging these elements transforms potential obstacles into opportunities for excellent project delivery.

Thanks for Reading!