Written Assignment 2 MAN-435 / Phillips, Jacob W.

A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is one of the things in this course that baffle me. Not
that it exists, but that I have not seen it used or referred, to prior to reading it in the text book. It may
also be called a Linear Responsibility Chart or a RACI matrix, which stands for common categories:
Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, & Informed. Having worked in and around project managers for
most of my adult life and in several different industries, this appears to be a tool that would have proved
useful in numerous circumstances. In the past, I have created similar Operational Risk Management
(ORM) matrices to identify risks, mitigating steps, and those responsible, but I have never seen it applied
to personnel in project management scenario.

As can be seen in these charts taken from toolshero.com and project-management.com, they
can be fairly detailed and complex or very simple and concise. Either way, the RAM provides a beautiful
and indisputable picture of who is responsible
for what. It allows the Project Manager (PM),
or any others involved, to quickly and easily
identify tasks and who needs to be involved at
what level.

Not only can they be used as a planning tool to ensure all aspects are covered by the
appropriate personnel, but it can also be a reference as the project is actually being worked.
Furthermore, it can be altered as the tasking needs or personnel on the project may change.

As Jeffery Pinto speaks about in his text book on Project Management, many organizations
spend a significant amount of time, money, and energy on tracking project activities. He accurately goes
on to point out that “A RAM allows project managers to establish a method for coordinating the work
activities of team members, realizing the efficiencies that take place as all team members provide
support, notification, or approval for each other’s project responsibilities.” If more PMs took the time to
develop something akin to a Responsibility Assignment Matrix at the beginning of the project, it would
solve a lot of problems before they even started.
Santos, J. (2018, Nov 20). Understanding Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RACI Matrix). Retrieved
from https://project-management.com/understanding-responsibility-assignment-matrix-raci-matrix/

Mulder, P. (2012). Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM). Retrieved from

https://www.toolshero.com/project-management/responsibility-assignment-matrix/

Pinto, J. (2007). Project Management. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.