9.3 Acquire Resources

Description: the process of obtaining team members, facilities, equipment, materials, supplies, and other resources necessary to complete project work. The resources needed for the project can be internal or external to the project-performing organization. Internal resources are acquired (assigned) from functional or resource managers. External resources are acquired through the procurement processes. The project management team may or may not have direct control over resource selection because of collective bargaining agreements, use of subcontractor personnel, a matrix project environment, internal or external reporting relationships, or other reasons.

• The project manager or project team should effectively negotiate and influence others who are in a position to provide the required team and physical resources for the project.
• Failure to acquire the necessary resources for the project may affect project schedules, budgets, customer satisfaction, quality, and risks. Insufficient resources or capabilities decrease the probability of success and, in a worst-case scenario, could result in project cancellation.
• If the team resources are not available due to constraints such as economic factors or assignment to other projects, the project manager or project team may be required to assign alternative resources, perhaps with different competencies or costs. Alternative resources are allowed provided there is no violation of legal, regulatory, mandatory, or other specific criteria.

Key benefit: it outlines and guides the selection of resources and assigns them to their respective activities.

Frequency: periodically throughout the project as needed.

Process / Asset Group	Input	The Process	Output	Process / Asset Group
Project Management Plan	Resource management plan	9.3 Acquire Resources	Change requests	4.6 Perform Integrated Change Control
	Procurement management plan		Resource management plan	Project management plan
	Cost baseline		Cost baseline
Project Documents	Project schedule		Physical resource assignments	Project Documents
	Resource calendars		Project team assignments
	Resource requirements		Resource calendars
	Stakeholder register		Lesson learned register
Enterprise / Organization	Enterprise environment factors		Project schedule
	Organizational process assets		Resource breakdown structure
			Resource requirements
			Risk register
			Enterprise environmental factors update	Enterprise / Organization
			Organizational process assets update

9.3.1 Inputs

9.3.1.1 Project Management Plan

• Resource management plan. Guidance on how to acquire resources for the project.
• Procurement management plan. Information regarding resources that will be acquired from outside the project.
• Cost baseline. The overall budget for the project activities.

9.3.1.2 Project Documents

• Project schedule. The activities and their planned start and end dates to help determine when the resources need to be available and acquired.
• Resource calendars. The time periods that each resource needed for the project is available for the project.
• Resource requirements. Which resources need to be acquired.
• Stakeholder register. Stakeholders’ needs or expectations for specific resources to be used on the project.

9.3.1.3 Enterprise Environmental Factors

• Existing information on organizational resources including availability, competence levels, and prior experience for team resources and resource costs;
• Marketplace conditions;
• Organizational structure; and
• Geographic locations.

9.3.1.4 Organizational Process Assets

• Policies and procedures for acquiring, allocating, and assigning resources to the project; and
• Historical information and lessons learned repository.

9.3.2 Tool and Techniques

9.3.2.1 Decision Making

Multicriteria decision analysis. Examples of selection criteria:

• Availability.
• Cost.
• Ability.
• Experience.
• Knowledge.
• Skills.
• Attitude.
• International factors.

9.3.2.2 Interpersonal and Team Skills

Negotiation with:

• Functional managers. The best resources possible in the required time-frame.
• Other project management teams.
• External organizations and suppliers.

9.3.2.3 Pre-Assignment

When physical or team resources for a project are determined in advance, they are considered pre-assigned.

9.3.2.4 Virtual Teams

Groups of people with a shared goal who fulfill their roles with little or no time spent meeting face to face.

Communication planning becomes increasingly important in a virtual team environment. Additional time may be needed to set clear expectations, facilitate communications, develop protocols for resolving conflict, include people in decision making, understand cultural differences, and share credit in successes.

9.3.3 Output

9.3.3.1 Physical Resource Assignment

Documentation of the physical resource assignments records the material, equipment, supplies, locations, and other physical resources that will be used during the project.

9.3.3.2 Project Team Assignments

It records the team members and their roles and responsibilities for the project. Documentation can include a project team directory and names inserted into the project management plan, such as the project organization charts and schedules.

9.3.3.3 Resource Calendars

Resource calendars also specify when and for how long identified team and physical resources will be available during the project.

9.3.3.4 Change Requests

9.3.3.5 Project Management Plan Updates

• Resource management plan. To reflect actual experience in acquiring resources for the project, including lessons learned in acquiring resources early in the project that will impact how resources are acquired later in the project.
• Cost baseline.

9.3.3.6 Project Documents Updates

• Lessons learned register. Challenges encountered and how they could have been avoided as well as approaches that worked well for acquiring resources.
• Project schedule.
• Resource breakdown structure.
• Resource requirements.
• Risk register.
• Stakeholder register.

9.3.3.7 Enterprise Environmental Factors Updates

• Resource availability within the organization, and
• Amount of the organization's consumable resources that have been used.

9.3.3.8 Organizational Process Assets Updates

Documentation related to acquiring, assigning and allocating resources.