EEFs, which stands for Enterprise Environmental Factors, are similar to Organizational Process Assets (OPAs) (learn more click here) in project management in that they provide the background in planning the project. Unlike OPAs, EEFs are generally outside the control of the project manager and project team. Examples of EEFs that are external to the organization include governmental rules and regulations that apply to the operating organization.

EEFs serve as inputs to numerous planning, executing, and monitoring and controlling processes. They are generally characterized as anything that a project manager should know about how the organization does business.

Internal EEFs include Organizational:

• Structure

• Culture

• Systems

• Geographic locations

EEFs related to Project Management may include:

• Resource Management System

• Procurement System

• Quality Management System

Other examples of EEFs within an organization that may impact a project are:

• People: including their skill set and the organizational culture of the company

• Market: including how well the company is performing in the current market

• Databases: including where the company's and its customer's data is stored

• Standards: including global and governmental standards

• Risk Tolerance: including the project manager's risk tolerance and the risk tolerance of the organization

EEFs do not consist of a single document but rather are a combination of factors that define the enterprises' environment.