One of the must requirements when it comes to managing any project, particularly capital projects, is having the Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM). The main objective of the RAM is to detail the responsibilities of the different project stakeholders when it comes to performing the different project management processes across the project life cycle stages. The default responsibilities are Responsible (R), Accountable (A), Consult (C), and to be Informed (I). That is why the RAM is also known as the RACI chart.
The values for those responsibilities could vary depending on what is best suited to explain the responsibilities performed by the different stakeholders’ roles for the type of projects to be managed. For example, for capital projects, it is common to use the stakeholders’ responsibilities as responsible for performance (P), responsible for support and Assist (S), responsible for review and comments (R), responsible for Approval (A) or to be informed (I). Sometimes. an organization might decide to expand the RAM to include the different stakeholders’ team members instead of having it summarized by the stakeholder entity.
Organizations can use Project Management Information Systems (PMIS) like PMWeb to improve the process for developing, reviewing, and approving the RAM. Using PMWeb form builder, a form will be created to capture the RAM values for each project phase. The project management processes will be predefined based on the best practices and knowledge the organization has in developing the RAM. The responsibilities for each process need to be completed as per the requirements of the project being managed for which the responsibilities values can be selected from a predefined dropdown list.
A workflow will be assigned to the RAM form to ensure that the assigned stakeholders’ responsibilities are formally reviewed and approved. The processes for each project phase can be added to different tables in the created custom form. This will allow assigning different reviews and approval responsibilities in the workflow steps.
As an option, it is highly recommended to also create the organization chart with the details of the project team reporting level that will be aligned with the responsibility assignment matrix. Of course, there could be different organization charts and RAM for each of the project life cycle phases that include design, tender, construction, testing, commissioning, and closeout. PMWeb organization chart module will be used to create those organization charts.
The responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) report will detail the assigned stakeholders’ responsibilities for each project management process within the project lifecycle phase. In addition, it includes four visuals to summarize the number of processes each stakeholder has a responsibility to perform and grouped by the type of responsibility which could be responsible for performance (P), responsible for support and Assist (S), responsible for review and comments (R), responsible for Approval (A) or to be informed (I). The report also allows filtering of the processes by project phase and process groups.
About the Author
Bassam Samman, PMP, PSP, EVP, GPM is a Senior Project Management Consultant with more than 35-year service record providing project management and control services to over 100 projects with a total value of over US $5 Billion. Those projects included Commercial, Residential, Education and Healthcare Buildings and Infrastructure, Entertainment and Shopping Malls, Oil and Gas Plants and Refineries, and Telecommunication and Information Technology projects. He is thoroughly experienced in complete project management including project management control systems, computerized project control software, claims analysis/prevention, risk analysis/management (contingency planning), design, supervision, training, and business development.
Bassam is a frequent speaker on topics relating to Project Management, Strategic Project Management, and Project Management Personal Skills. Over the past 35 years, he has lectured at more than 350 events and courses at different locations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and South America. He has written more than 250 articles on project management and project management information systems that were featured in international and regional magazines and newspapers. He is a co-founder of the Project Management Institute- Arabian Gulf Chapter (PMI-AGC) and has served on its board of directors for more than 6 years. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI), a certified Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP), and Earned Value Professional (EVP) from the American Association of Cost Engineers (AACE) and Green Project Management (GPM).
Bassam holds a Masters in Engineering Administration (Construction Management) with Faculty Commendation, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA, Bachelor in Civil Engineering – Kuwait University, Kuwait and has attended many executive management programs at Harvard Business School, Boston, USA and London Business School, London, UK.