Acquiring resources is the process of securing team members, equipment, materials or other resources required to deliver the project.
The key input to acquiring resources is the project plan. This will detail what resources are expected to be needed in order to fulfil the delivery of products or for the management of the project. This should provide a reasonable estimate of the resources required for the project and also provide a schedule for when the resources are required and for how long.
The Acquire Resources process is repeated at several stages throughout the project as the need arises. In the early stages of the project, a high-level requirement of resources will be available, but as the plan is refined, further detail is added which leads to more accurate specifications for the resources.
The selection criteria for resources may include:
- Skills and experience relevant to the assignment
- Cost when considered against the project budget
- Availability at the required time of the project plan
- Attitude of the resource with respect to the project objectives
Using a scoring matrix to assess potential resources will provide a tool to ensure the resources with the best fit for the project are selected.
Each time the Acquire Resources process is carried out, the budget for the project needs to be updated to reflect the expected costs for the resources to ensure the budget remains accurate.
A Resource Management Plan is an essential part of this process to ensure that resources are planned, procured and assigned at the optimum time in the project schedule. This is especially relevant where one resource may be assigned to more than one task in the project.
Once the resources have been acquired, they need to be assigned to the appropriate project tasks and given the information needed to undertake their role effectively. With human resources, the building of the role into the project team and the management of that resource is key to using them efficiently.