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.
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
How This Process Connects
Every process hands artifacts to other processes. Follow the flow of this one:
Where its inputs come from
- Develop Project Management Planproduces: Project management plan
Where its outputs go
- Perform Integrated Change Controluses: Change requests
More in Project Resource Management
In the Domains & Principles View
The PMBOK® Guide frames this work through performance domains and principles:
In the Eighth Edition
This process describes the framework as set out in the Sixth and Seventh Editions. The Eighth Edition reorganized it into 6 principles, 7 performance domains and 40 processes.