9.2 Acquire Project Team

1. Monitor Initiation Planning Execution Close Control 9.2 Acquire Project Team • The process of confirming human resource availability and selecting the team members necessary to complete the project activities • The Project Manager may not have direct control over resource selection due to industrial agreements, Project Sponsor preferences and internal HR policies • Project Managers need to negotiate and influence in order to obtain the best team possible for the project • Inappropriate team members will decrease the ability to meet project objectives and success measures • Failure to find the optimal human resources may result in re-planning and change requests • Undertaken during Execution Adapted from PMBOK 4th Edition

2. Monitor Initiation Planning Execution Close Control 9.2 Acquire Project Team • The inputs into Acquire Project Team are – • Project Management Plan • Human Resource Management Plan • Resource Calendars and Availability • Work Breakdown Structure • Position Descriptions • Skills and competencies • Enterprise Environmental Factors • HR legislation and regulations • Industry HR agreements • Labour market conditions • Organisational Process Assets • Internal HR policies and procedures Adapted from PMBOK 4th Edition

3. 9.2 Acquire Project Team Tools and techniques to Acquire Project Team include - Pre-assignment Virtual Teams External Recruitment Negotiation Resource Pools Contractors & Consultants Internal Acquisition Adapted from PMBOK 4th Edition

4. 9.2 Acquire Project Team Pre-assignment – Occurs when project team members are selected in advance due to specialist skills and reserved for the project Can create issues if there are dependencies on these staff completing previously assigned projects before moving to the new project Resource Pools - Mature project management organisations will often have a list of all project based resources that can be assigned to projects These are normally centrally managed by the PMO or HR department and keep track of availability, competencies, costs and personal preferences Adapted from PMBOK 4th Edition

5. 9.2 Acquire Project Team Negotiation – The Project Manager may need to negotiate for specific, critical resources with other lower priority projects or with their functional/line manager May also be required as part of External Recruitment activities and governed by organisational policies Internal Acquisition - Project team members are obtained from within the organisation Can be undertaken in an informal manner, where staff are simply approached to assess interest Can require a more formal internal recruitment approach depending on internal policies Adapted from PMBOK 4th Edition

6. 9.2 Acquire Project Team External Recruitment – Sometimes undertaken simultaneously with internal recruitment acquisition activities Looking at the external market for project resources using direct recruitment or via recruitment agencies Often governed by internal policies and preferred supplier agreements Contractors and Consultants - Can be faster than going to the broad external market Approach specialist providers and preferred suppliers for contract resources May also require specialist consultants with niche skills for short engagements Adapted from PMBOK 4th Edition

7. 9.2 Acquire Project Team Virtual Teams and Flexible Arrangements – There are many possibilities available for resource acquisition and also alternative working arrangements Can form virtual project teams from widespread geographic locations via electronic communication and collaboration tools Specialist expertise may not always be available locally or full time Considers team members who – Work from home Work part time Have disabilities Adapted from PMBOK 4th Edition

8. 9.2 Acquire Project Team Outputs of this process include – Project staff assignments Project directory Letters confirming engagement Project Organisation Chart updates Resource Calendars Project Management Plan updates Human Resource Management Plan updates Staffing Management Plan updates Project Schedule updates Project Budget updates Change Requests Adapted from PMBOK 4th Edition