Acquire Resources

Obtains the team members, facilities, equipment, materials, and other resources needed to do the work, producing resource assignments and calendars. The plan can't execute without the people and things to do it.

Process Group Executing Knowledge Area Project Resource Management

Acquire Resources secures the people and physical resources the project needs and confirms their availability. It produces team and physical resource assignments and resource calendars, and often involves negotiation with functional managers or pre-assignment of key people named in the charter.

Acquire Resources: key inputs and outputs — The key inputs feeding Acquire Resources and the deliverables it produces — full ITTOs are listed below.

Reality frequently differs from the plan — preferred people aren’t available, or virtual teams must be assembled across locations. The PM negotiates, adapts, and updates the plan and schedule to reflect the resources actually obtained.

Common pitfalls. Assuming planned resources will simply appear; failing to negotiate early for scarce skills; ignoring the overhead of virtual teams; and not updating the schedule when the resources obtained differ from the plan.

Inputs, Tools & Techniques, and Outputs

Inputs

Project management plan
Project documents
Enterprise environmental factors
Organizational process assets

Tools & Techniques

Decision making
Interpersonal and team skills
Pre-assignment
Virtual teams

Outputs

Physical resource assignments
Project team assignments
Resource calendars
Change requests
Project management plan updates
Project documents updates