The Internet Encyclopedia (Volume 3)

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KEYPROJECTMANAGEMENTTOOLS ANDTECHNIQUES 115

Figure 7: Intranet work breakdown structure and Gantt chart organized by project management process groups.

Some managers suggest creating a WBS using the project

management process groups of initiating, planning,

executing, controlling, and closing as Level 1 in the WBS.

By doing this, not only does the project team follow good

project management practice, but the WBS tasks can

also be mapped more easily against time. For example,

Figure 7 shows a WBS and Gantt chart for the intranet

project organized by the product phases described

earlier. Tasks under initiating include selecting a project

manager, forming the project team, and developing the

project charter. Tasks under planning include developing

a scope statement, creating a WBS, and developing and

refining other plans, which would be broken down in

more detail for a real project. The tasks of concept,

Web site design, Web site development, and roll out,

which were WBS Level 1 items in Figure 6, now become

WBS Level 2 items under executing. The executing tasks

would vary the most from project to project, but many

of the tasks under the other project management process

groups would be similar for all projects.

It is important to involve the entire project team and

customer in creating and reviewing the WBS. People who

will do the work should help to plan the work by creating

the WBS. Having group meetings to develop a WBS helps

everyone understand what work must be done for the en-

tire project and how it should be done, given the people

involved. It also helps to identify where coordination be-

tween different work packages will be required.

Assigning Resources With a Responsibility

Assignment Matrix

There are many tools and techniques to assist in man-

aging people on projects. One simple yet effective tool

to help clarify roles and responsibilities is the responsi-

bility assignment matrix (RAM). A responsibility assign-

ment matrix (RAM) is a matrix that maps the work of the

project as described in the WBS to the people responsible

for performing the work as described in an organizational

breakdown structure (OBS). Figure 8 shows an example

of a RAM. The positions of the WBS and OBS can be

reversed, if desired. The RAM allocates work to responsi-

ble and performing organizations, teams, or individuals,

depending on the desired level of detail. For smaller

projects, it would be best to assign individual people to

WBS activities. For large projects, it is more effective to

assign the work to organizational units or teams.

In addition to using a RAM to assign detailed work ac-

tivities, project managers can also use a RAM to define

general roles and responsibilities on projects. This type of

RAM can include the stakeholders in the project. Figure 9

provides a RAM that shows whether stakeholders are

accountable or just participants in part of a project and

whether they are required to provide input, review, or sign

off on parts of a project. This simple tool can be an effec-

tive way for project managers to communicate roles and

expectations of important stakeholders on projects.