Glossary · System coordination, integration and orchestration
Responsibility matrix
Also known as: Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM)
German: Verantwortungsmatrix
In project and process management, a responsibility matrix is a table that maps tasks, deliverables or decisions to roles or organizations and states the type of involvement of each, making responsibilities explicit at interfaces.
- System integration
In one sentence
A responsibility matrix maps tasks or deliverables to roles and states each role's involvement, making responsibilities explicit.
Example
The responsibility matrix of a line integration project states which supplier provides the risk assessment for each machine and who is responsible for the overall line assessment.
How it applies
- Project management: Use a responsibility matrix wherever several companies or departments contribute: line integration, retrofits, validation and documentation. Unclear responsibility at interfaces is a frequent cause of gaps.
- Safety and compliance: For integrated machinery lines, the matrix should state who performs the overall risk assessment, who is the manufacturer of the assembly and who compiles the technical documentation. It records agreements; it does not by itself establish legal roles.
- Change: Keep it current and under version control; a matrix from the tender phase often no longer matches the project.
- Documentation: List documentation deliverables (manuals, safety information, spare parts lists, translations) as rows with a named responsible party. This prevents supplier documents from being missing at handover.
Responsibility matrix vs. traceability matrix
A responsibility matrix connects tasks to people or organizations. A Traceability matrix connects requirements to design elements, tests and evidence. Both are tables, but they answer different questions: "who?" versus "where is this covered?"