Before commencement of any project, there must be a clear definition of responsibilities, roles, objectives, stakeholders and the powers that a project manager may use in his or her discretion. All these elements are essential and constantly referenced to in the course of carrying out a project. They are captured in the project charter which is defined further by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) as the document that authorizes a project (Sequeira & Lopes, 2015). The project charter in most instances is a short document which alludes to other detailed documents within the project. The project charter should highlight the project’s essence. It must communicate to the reader why the project’s implementation is important and beneficial. It also creates a platform for mutual understanding of the project and what it entails (Marill & Lesher, 2007). This means that all the parties involved have their concerns and general understanding of the whole project captured in the project charter. Additionally, the project charter acts as a binding document or a contract between the project sponsor, project team and key stakeholders. It is prudent to note that the charter is usually written or conceived in the initial phases of the project. It is usually drafted by the project manager who presents it to the key stakeholders who in turn append their signatures to authorize the official execution of the project and use of the resources and funds to make the project successful.
The Work Breakdown Structure is used in breaking down or dissecting a project into easily manageable elements or components. As such, many project managers employ the WBS to make complex projects more understandable and manageable. It is the breakdown that provides the key executors' room to understand how to go about with the project with prevailing circumstances and resources at their disposal. In many projects, the WBS is divided into three layers as pundits believe that “most of the designs involve an infrastructure that will have a particular contract, software development, and application of technology and finally both must be integrated with the human component of the organization” (Marill & Lesher, 2007). The WBS has some core design principles which are 100% rule, mutually exclusive elements, planning of outcomes and not actions, level of detail, coding scheme and terminal element. All these must be adhered to for a WBS to be deemed valid and effective within the project management.
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A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is critical in project management as it defines within an organization that is responsible for different work or task elements and possible deliverables. A project manager uses the RAM to clarify roles and responsibilities in the existing cross-functional team and processes (Sequeira & Lopes, 2015). The RAM can define what a project team is integral or responsible within each element of the WBS. Additionally, it can also be used within a working group in the designation of different roles, responsibilities and various levels of responsibilities.
The RAM is characterized by the RACI model which is an acronym of the key responsibility roles. R- Responsible stands for an individual that works with the end of achieving the set-out tasks. There can be a number of several individuals responsible for a certain task, and in the end, they are required to report to the party that is identified as accountable (Sequeira & Lopes, 2015). A-Accountable denotes the individual that is held responsible for coordinating the various efforts required in the completion of the task. Within project management, there is one individual accountable for each task and this person may delegate to others. C-consulted is the individual within the matrix that has the expertise and knowledge essential to the completion of the task successfully. The consulted do not directly perform the accorded tasks. I-Informed is identified as the person that must be apprised or made aware of the task upon its successful completion. With RACI model, the RAM appreciates each individual’s role at different project execution stages.
References
Marill, J. L., & Lesher, M. (2007). Mile High to Ground Level. The Serials Librarian , 52 (3-4), 317-322. doi:10.1300/j123v52n03_11
Sequeira, S., & Lopes, E. (2015). Simple Method Proposal for Cost Estimation from Work Breakdown Structure. Procedia Computer Science , 64 , 537-544. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2015.08.559
