Application of Alignment Matrix in Project Coordination and Communication

An Alignment Matrix is a recently developed new application of an old project management tool, Design Structure Matrix (DSM). It was developed to aid managers between different sub-system development teams in identifying key areas where planned communication failures could occur. This was done by mapping unattended and unidentified interfaces of technical communication to form an alignment matrix. The application was developed based on a study of Pratt and Whitney’s development project of their jet engine PW4098.

This article hence reflects on their key findings of that study (by M. Sosa, S. Eppinger, and C. Rowles) in order apply it on the communication interface between Project Managers and their respective sub-teams. The aim is to study is to provide Project Managers with a tool by which they can monitor their effectiveness in communication with the intention of learning and improving for future projects. This tool could be a good complementary tool to feedback surveys and reviews.