Project Methods and Artifacts

Organizational Context

Organizational Process Assets (OPAs)

Definition: Internal, organization-controlled tools, processes, and historical information that influence project management.

  1. Processes, Procedures, & Policies
    • Standard practices adopted across the organization.
    • Examples:
      • Procurement guidelines
      • Change control procedures
      • Resource management plans
      • Compliance protocols
    • Usually governed by the Project Management Office (PMO) or similar department.
    • Artifacts may suggest improvements but do not alter OPAs directly.
  2. Organizational Knowledge Repositories
    • A treasure chest of project history, used to improve future projects.
    • Includes:
      • Project documents (WBS, estimates, reports)
      • Prototypes
      • Baselines
      • Retrospectives
      • Risk registers & responses
      • Correspondence
      • Resource use, benchmarks
    • Lessons Learned:
      • Created throughout the project.
      • Capture what went well, what went wrong, and what should change next time.
      • Stored in a lessons learned repository at project close.
    • Also Includes:
      • File structure & naming conventions
      • Budget vs actual cost records
      • Issue logs & defect records
      • Metrics from completed projects
      • Project management plans and stakeholder registers

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs)

Definition: Internal and external conditions outside the project team’s control, but that affect project outcomes.

External EEFs:

Internal EEFs:

On the exam, assume EEFs are always considered when planning and executing projects.

Project Logs & Constraints

Assumption Log

Definition: A living document tracking all project assumptions and constraints.

Key Notes:

Constraints

Definition: Boundaries that limit options.

Common project constraints include:

Project managers must:

Tip: Master this before tackling Integrated Change Control.

Frequently Used Methods

Overview: Over 100+ tools and techniques exist. Here’s how to group them:

Data Gathering

Purpose: Collect input from stakeholders or team members.

Interviews
Brainstorming
Market Research
Checklists & Check Sheets
Surveys & Questionnaires
Benchmarking
Cost of Quality
Prompt Lists

Data Analysis

Purpose: Process, evaluate, and interpret project data.

Cost-Benefit Analysis
Root Cause Analysis
What-If Analysis
Trend Analysis
Simulation
Assumptions & Constraints Analysis
Earned Value Analysis (EVA)
Document Analysis
Payback Period, ROI, IRR
Decision Tree Analysis
SWOT Analysis
Forecasting & Variance Analysis

Data Representation

Purpose: Visualize and communicate data insights.

Mind Mapping
Histograms
Flowcharts
Control Charts
Matrix Diagrams
Affinity Diagrams
Probability & Impact Matrices
Text-Oriented Formats
Stakeholder Mapping
Stakeholder Engagement Matrices
Logical Data Models
Cause-and-Effect (Ishikawa) Diagrams
Release Maps
Scatter Diagrams

Summary Table

Category Description Examples
OPAs Internal assets to aid project work Policies, procedures, lessons learned
EEFs External/internal factors influencing projects Regulations, culture, systems
Assumption Log Records expectations/constraints “Customer will provide data weekly”
Constraints Boundaries or limits Budget, deadline, risk tolerance
Data Gathering Collecting stakeholder input Surveys, interviews, checklists
Data Analysis Evaluating collected data ROI, EVA, SWOT, simulations
Data Representation Communicating results visually/textually Flowcharts, matrices, mind maps

Pro Tip for the Exam: