Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) - RACI matrix

It is no doubt that the most important investment that you need to do to get the project delivered is to invest in resources as people. A project runs well when there are people allocated in the project and there are defined roles and responsibilities.

This will make sure that the project does not go astray and that the deliverables are met on time. There are various resources that are needed to be managed in the project management, but this triumphs all. Today in this article, we are going to learn all about the responsibility assignment matrix. Now you will wonder what it is and how is this beneficial for the team.

Well, if you are looking for the matrix that will help the people to complete their own tasks and there are no bottlenecks with each other while doing their tasks in the project, then going for the responsibility assignment matrix will work for you. You will be able to learn more about it in your pmp certification online course and ace this for your team. Let us start with knowing what RAM is!

What is Responsibility Assignment Matrix?

Also known as RAM, this is one of the management styles which will have various roles, The four main roles that are part of this matrix are responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed. These roles are part of a matrix known as the RACI matrix). These roles are very specific in the project and they will let the person know what is in their bucket and how they fit in the project along with the other members of the team. There are various people working in the team, cross-functional teams and there is a need to clarify those roles in the team, so to make sure that the things are running in a smooth way, the project manager defines these roles in the project. Let us have a brief look at these roles that are part of RAM.

Responsible

There will be a responsible party in the team that will make sure that the tasks are getting completed in the team. This can be understood with the help of an example. Suppose that you are working on the pitch deck along with the team members, the party who is responsible for the RAM, will make sure that the images and data assets have complied so that they are ready to be put together for the presentation.

Accountable

The accountable team in RAM will make sure that the right tasks are being assigned to the team and they are also accountable to make sure that those tasks are completed on time as well. They need to distribute the deliverables in the team among the responsible party and they also ensure that the timelines of the project are met. They will make sure that the division of tasks is fair in the team so that no one is having so many things in their queue.

Consulted

To make sure that things are going in the right direction, the responsible party might need expert advice so that they can work properly, that person is called the consultant. For example, the responsible party needs to make a presentation then the consulted party will give their expert advice to them to make sure that their analysis helps the responsible party to give the correct information.

Informed

This is the part of RAM which might not be directly involved in the day-to-day tasks of the project. They are present in the team to manage on the upper level. They are informed about the big steps in the team and they make sure that things are running smoothly in the project. They are basically the decision-makers so they are the party that is responsible to know whether the project is having some delay or will be delivered on time and then taking the necessary measures to complete the work on time.

Why is there a need for RAM in the team?

Now the question arises, why there is a need for this kind of assignment matrix in the team. To answer this question, we have some of the benefits that the team can have when there is a defined RAM in the team, and these are:

A successful project management

Project management is all about making sure that the tasks are divided in the right manner and that things are getting completed on time without compromising the quality of the product or services. With this matrix, it can be made sure that who is responsible for what so that the tasks are divided and everyone can give their best to the team. This will lead to the delivery of successful projects because it will provide clarity on how work is getting done and who is responsible for what things in the project.

Better communication

Communication is the key in any project and when there is clear communication among the team, there are lesser delays in the project deliverables. Having better consultants and informed parties will make sure that things are on the right path and if there are other measures needed, they can communicate in a fair way to other members of the team. Sometimes due to unclear communications, pointless meetings are arranged and there can be confusing interactions, but if RAM is properly integrated into the team, this can be managed and the team can have better communication with each other.

Distributed workloads

No one likes to be overburdened. With the use of a responsibility matrix in project management, the team can ensure that the right tasks are given to the right team. This will make sure that the project is following the timeline and that there are no dependencies on each other that might hamper the timeline. The flow of work can be easily managed with RAM in the team and this distributed workload will help in keeping the tasks moving without disturbing the whole mechanics of the project.

How you can create RAM for the team?

One of the main things to keep in mind while creating your own RAM for the team is that having RAM for the team is very easy but getting everyone on board with the roles and responsibilities defined can be a challenging task. So, to make sure that this is not a bottleneck in the project, try to involve everyone in this process. There are some steps that can follow to make sure that this process is smoother for you:

1. One of the major tasks that are needed to be done is to identify all the participants in the project. This will include everyone from team members, stakeholders, and all the people in-between.
2. The next step is to make sure that you are aware of the project deliverables. To ensure that this is done in an efficient manner, Work Breakdown Structure Chart (WBS) should be used. Using this will make sure that you are not missing out on any of the deliverables.
3. To make sure that the team is on the same page, you should discuss those project deliverables with the team and make sure that they understand what is needed from them in that task. The task's responsibility and authority should be discussed openly to remove any ambiguity.
4. Use the standard template to create RAM for your project. This is typically a table that will have the project objectives and team members listed. The list of tasks is mentioned in the left column with the team member who is responsible for that task on the top column against it. This is very helpful in aiding communication among the team members and gives us a clear picture.
5. Having clear distribution of roles defined in RAM is needed- the party who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed.
6. Now that the project RAM is completed, this needs to be communicated well with the team. This should be shared with the team and stakeholders and a meeting can be arranged to keep everyone on the same page. This will make sure that everyone understands what their roles and responsibility are.

What are the best practices to be followed?

There are some best practices that can be followed to make sure that the RAM is developed as per the standards.

1. There should be one stakeholder in the charge of the particular task. This will make sure that there is less time wasted and that resource allocation is efficient.
2. It is always better to have less people in accountable party as it will reduce the dependency and tasks can be completed on time without obstructions.
3. Meetings play an important part in the team with RAM. Make sure that people are taking meetings seriously and that they are efficient with what is discussed in those meetings. These meetings will help in establishing the communication in the team which will make sure that the team is working in the right direction.
4. Having the final RAM ready should be approved by the stakeholders. This final RAM is very crucial as this is going to be the base for future discussion, so having one final agreed-upon RAM will be very helpful.
5. Also, by having tasks optimized, the PM can make sure that many team members are not assigned to the same tasks. This will help in having better resource allotment. Also, on the same hand, the person should not have the bulk of responsibility on their shoulder. It should be distributed viably.
6. Using the standard template is very useful and it should be updated regularly. This will help in understanding the health of the project and see if other measures are needed to be taken to bring the project on track.

Final Verdict

Having RAM in the project will help the team to achieve things that are seeming very challenging to achieve. The Project manager can keep the team motivated and the tasks are on the table that is needed to be completed. With an efficient plan of RAM in the project, the team can have efficiencies throughout the project lifecycles. There are various other project management tools that can be incorporated with RAM like Gantt Charts and WBS tools. This will help in getting better management in the project and the organization can have benefited from these techniques.

If you also want to enter this world of project management, then going for PMP Certification can be very helpful. With StarAgile’s project management certification, you get to learn from professionals having decades of experience and get a 100% money back guarantee. Project Management Certification can open many doors for you and can be very helpful for your career, so do not wait anymore and start right now.