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Key takeaways

Successful project management depends on a team-wide understanding of roles and responsibilities. Using a RACI matrix to assign and define each role is a great way to keep a project on track and positioned for success.

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How Does a RACI Chart Help Project Managers?

Project managers use RACI charts to keep track of team roles and relay those responsibilities to the larger team. The matrix defines clear roles and responsibilities for individual team members across the various phases of the project, breaking each role down into four types of designation: those who are Responsible and Accountable for project deliverables, those who should be Consulted as work begins, and stakeholders who need to be Informed of ongoing progress, roadblocks, and updates. 

Read more: Project Management Phases

RACI Matrix Definitions 

Responsible.

The individual(s) with responsibility for the task or deliverable is typically responsible for developing and completing the project deliverables themselves. The responsible parties are typically hands-on team members who make direct contributions toward the completion of the project. The responsible team is comprised of the project’s “doers”, working hands-on to ensure that each deliverable is completed. 

Some examples of responsible parties are:

• Project Managers
• Business Analysts
• Graphic Designers
• Copywriters

Accountable

Accountable parties ensure accountability to project deadlines, and ultimately, accountability to project completion. This group frequently also falls under the informed category.

Some examples of accountable parties are:

• Product Owners
• Signature Authorities
• Business Owners
• Key Stakeholders

Consulted individuals’ opinions are crucial, and their feedback needs to be considered at every step of the game. These individuals provide guidance that is often a prerequisite to other project tasks, for example, providing legal guidance on a project throughout the process. If you are working on new product development or expansion, this could essentially be the entire organization.

Some examples of consulted parties are:

• Legal Experts
• Information Security and Cybersecurity Experts
• Compliance Consultants

Informed persons are those that need to stay in the loop of communication throughout the project. These individuals do not have to be consulted or be a part of the decision-making, but they should be made aware of all project updates. Typically, this party are business owners or stakeholders that are more interested in viewing the project at a 30,000-foot view.  Keep this group on your cc list for awareness of topics, decisions, and progress – that includes making them part of the initial project kickoff and project demos as optional attendees. This group often also falls under the accountable group.

Some examples of informed parties are:

• Project Committee Members
• External Stakeholders

Read more: DACI vs RACI Model Guide

Why Are RACI Roles Important?

RACI roles provide a sense of organization and clarity for teams that are looking to divide roles and keep team members accountable for their contributions. Considering that 27% of projects go over budget, for reasons like scope creep and lack of defined roles, RACI roles help position a project for success and avoid common pitfalls. 

Moreover, RACI roles help ensure that communication between all roles is ongoing. When you consider that nearly half of all project spending is at risk of being wasted due to a lack of effective team-based communication, it becomes all that more important to prioritize. Ultimately, teams who prioritize communication and well-defined roles are better off, and RACI roles help teams achieve that goal faster – while providing accountability for each team member’s unique contributions to the success of the project. 

Read More: Top 10 Main Causes of Project Failure

How to Create a RACI Matrix 

If you’re looking to implement a RACI matrix as part of your team’s project planning process, take these steps to create a RACI matrix.

Ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the project and its demands before outlining any further steps by communicating with key stakeholders and decision-makers.

Determine the list of key activities and deliverables from the director of program management or other leadership. 

Determine who is needed to be a part of the project or initiative.

Determine the project roles and responsible job titles and persons for each activity and deliverable.

Hold review sessions with key members of the team for alignment, and if you haven’t already, host a kickoff meeting with the entirety of the team and key stakeholders to unveil the matrix, address questions, and more. 

If the project has already started, it’s not too late to implement a RACI matrix.

• Outline the story. Using research from multiple sources, do a, b, c, and d.
• Utilize steps 2 and 3 (shown above). Ensure the right groups are assigned and engaged. 
• Hold a review session. Ensure that the team acknowledges and discusses the plan and the roles assigned.

Read more: 8 Factors That Lead to Successful Projec ts

Examples of a RACI Matrix

As shown above, a RACI matrix helps break down what roles individuals will play as work is carried out and to what extent they will be involved in the project overall. The horizontal axis represents each person on the project team and the vertical axis represents each task.

Each square of the matrix represents an individual, a task, and that individual’s role within the project, either responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed. In this situation, for example, the project manager is accountable for accessing risk, defining performance requirements, creating designs, executing construction, and approving construction work. However, they are only informed about approving construction work and defining functional and aesthetic needs.

Read more: Understanding Different Types of Stakeholders and Their Roles

Our FREE Downloadable RACI Matrix Template

Who creates the raci matrix.

The RACI matrix — sometimes called RACI model, RACI diagram, or simply just RAC — is created by the project manager at the start of the project as a key part of establishing the initial human resources planning for the project. Because miscommunication is a common threat to any project, RACI charts are a great asset to teams dealing with any type of project, from very simple projects to extremely complex ones. 

Common Mistakes When Creating a RACI Matrix

• Failure to plan ahead: Utilizing a RACI matrix should not be your first step in project planning. Having a fully assembled project team and at least a general idea of a task list and project plans is a better place to start before preparing a matrix.
• Working with too large a team: A RACI matrix is likely not the best bet for a large team, as it will make the matrix hard to understand and overly complex.
• Not communicating with the project team: A RACI matrix should help organize tasks and responsibilities that have already been introduced to the project team – no one likes to be blindsided. Be sure to host a kickoff meeting with the team first before creating a RACI matrix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Implementing a RACI matrix takes more than just a few emails and sporadic conversations – it takes consistent communication and planning. You should host a kickoff meeting to introduce the matrix to the team and make a plan to continue meeting at predetermined times throughout the project lifecycle. 

Here are a few more tips to keep in mind as you implement your RACI matrix within the team dynamic:

• Get everyone prepared. Send the document around to the meeting distribution as read-ahead material, requesting feedback if there are any major concerns. 
• Roll out each role for the team . During the meeting, conduct a review of the tasks and responsible parties. Do not rush through this review, but rather ensure enough time in your project kickoff for this important aspect. (Be certain to clarify the definitions of RACI to avoid ambiguity.)
• Consider changes and update accordingly. After the meeting, send out the notes documenting acceptance or updates to the RACI. In addition to sending out the notes, request any corrections within a reasonable yet defined timeframe. Clarify that if no changes are requested, each person is acknowledging their role and committing to the project tasks as outlined.
• Stay in touch. Consider a quick review with the entire team each quarter or every six months for longer projects to ensure it remains up-to-date and not simply another document in the repository but a relied-upon artifact.

As you implement the RACI matrix…

• Encourage teamwork and foster collaboration whenever possible.
• Don’t fear updates – make changes and adjustments as needed (but be sure to communicate those changes clearly to all parties).
• Earlier is better. Roll out your matrix plan to the team BEFORE you plan to implement it for the best results. 
• Have a clear-cut understanding of the project scope and how each role connects to the overall project goal.

For “Responsible” Parties:

• Make sure your project’s definition of Responsible is clear on who holds the “decider” role for the project or project phase’s completion, and what the dimensions of that responsibility will be.
• Ensure that all parties are aware of their role and responsibilities within the matrix.

For “Accountable” Parties: 

• When multiple Accountable team members must exist, use your definitions to make clear which individual is accountable for a given project element, and how that individual needs to interact with other Accountable team members.
• Ensure that there is only one “Accountable” party assigned per task.
• Be sure that the Accountable party has the authority and power to oversee the task as the accountable party.

For Consulted and Informed Parties: 

• Consulted parties are often high-level decision-makers with heavy schedules. Make sure you’re clear on their availability ahead of time.
• Similar to Consulted parties, Informed parties are often less hands-on and have less understanding of day-to-day project operations. As the project goes on, make sure to keep detailed notes to keep the Informed party up-to-date on key information. 
• Understand the ways that these parties like to communicate and create a plan to reach them early – whether that’s over phone calls, emails, video calls, or from within your project management system’s collaboration tools.
• Knowing the difference between who needs to be consulted versus informed can be a challenge if there is ambiguity about project roles. Consider what aspects of the project different team members need to know to do their jobs, and then bake those into your definitions.

RACI Matrix Pros & Cons

• Increased Engagement: RACI helps engage project participants in the project lifecycle. 
• Enhanced Project Planning: Project managers make project planning more organized, efficient, and detailed.
• Identifiable Improvement Opportunities: Areas of improvement are more easily identified.
• Easier Collaboration: Use of a RACI matrix creates a clear path for leadership to sign off on project steps, as project documentation in the RACI model is heavily emphasized.
• Better Communication: Improves overall group communication as a whole.
• Group Accountability: Assists groups, especially larger project teams, stay connected and accountable to their roles and project goals
• Limitations on Role Scope: The RACI model does not provide details on role scope, especially for responsible parties. These gaps in detail also affect other team roles, for example, another gap in a RACI is the determination of who is responsible for verifier and signatory.
• Limits on Task Details and Scope: While a RACI matrix can provide an overview of who is responsible for different tasks, it will not state what needs to be done.
• Not Aligned to the Agile Methodology: Project managers using an agile methodology like scrum may find it redundant since accountability, ownership, and ongoing communication is built into the scrum framework (i.e., product owner, scrum master, and daily standups with the team). Additionally, agile focuses on team-based delivery and accountability, while the RACI framework and alternatives focus on individual responsibility and autonomous accountability.

Read more: Top 10 Causes of Project Failure

Free RACI Matrix Templates

A number of project management software solutions include a native RACI matrix template. Here are just a few we’ve found:

Colorful RACI Chart Template

We love this template from Smartsheet because it’s colorful, thorough, and includes room for every party involved in the project. 

Pastel Colored RACI Matrix Template

This template from the Academy to Innovate HR is a great choice for project managers who want to organize their team roles with an easy-on-the-eyes chart that evolves beyond the simple spreadsheet. 

Simple RACI Chart from Clickup

These RACI templates from Clickup have enough variety to fit any of your project needs, but are simple enough for even beginner PMs to use.

Detailed RACI Matrix Template

This template is a great starter template for anyone looking to explore RACI charts in their project management strategy . As an added bonus – it comes with the RACI definitions already built in!

Excel-Based RACI Chart Template

Are you an Excel or Google Sheets user looking to take advantage of the RACI matrix? An Excel-formatted template from Project Management Docs can be just the solution for you. This template is a great template for users who want a chart that comes in a pre-formatted structure.

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Office Technology | What is

What Is a RACI Chart? A Guide for Small Businesses

Published February 27, 2024

Published Feb 27, 2024

REVIEWED BY: Corey McCraw

WRITTEN BY: Sam Dadofalza

This article is part of a larger series on Project Management .

• 1 RACI Definition
• 2 Advantages
• 3 Disadvantages
• 4 How to Create One
• 7 Best Practices
• 8 Alternatives
• 10 Bottom Line

A RACI chart, a type of responsibility assignment matrix (RAM), is a visual tool for defining team members’ responsibilities on specific tasks or outputs. To understand better what a RACI chart is, picture a diagram in a table format. The first column enumerates the project assignments, and the rest of the columns reflect the different stakeholders’ names or roles.

For each task or output under a specific stakeholder, a letter is assigned signifying the team member’s level of ownership or involvement on the deliverable: R is for Responsible, A for Accountable, C for Consulted, and I for Informed. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits and drawbacks of using this visual tool and the best practices for applying it in project management.

The RACI chart defines the responsibility of each stakeholder on every task. (Source: ClickUp )

A Breakdown of the RACI Definition

To explain further what is a RACI chart, let’s drill down into the meaning of the acronym: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed, which represents each team member’s role for each assignment. Find out what the labels mean below:

• R – esponsible: This stakeholder executes the work assigned. It’s possible to have multiple team members labeled R in a matrix. For example, in a software development project, this will be the programmers, user interface/user experience designers, and content writers.
• A – ccountable: This stakeholder delegates the tasks and evaluates the output. In some cases, the person “Responsible” may also be the team member “Accountable.” In most software development projects, the “Accountables” are the team leads and product managers.
• C – onsulted: This stakeholder also reviews the finished tasks, but unlike the “Accountable,” they’re required to sign off on the output before delivery. It’s possible to have multiple stakeholders needing to be consulted in a project. In a software development project, these are the project managers and product owners.
• I – nformed: This is the individual or group of individuals who need to be updated on the progress and completion of the project. They’re often not included in the actual production process. In a software development project, these are the executive leadership or external clients.

Advantages of Using the RACI Chart

Now that you have a rough idea of what is a RACI chart, let’s explore the different advantages of using the matrix in your projects. In a nutshell, the RACI model is an excellent tool for delineating roles and responsibilities, providing a good structure for managing tasks and team members in a project.

When done right, it will increase ownership and accountability among stakeholders, improve communication, and facilitate a more efficient decision-making process in project management . These are the specific ways a RACI chart benefits project teams:

Distributes Roles & Responsibilities Clearly

Most people ask, “What is a RACI chart, and why is it useful?” The RACI chart’s primary function is to illustrate the participation of each stakeholder in project activities. As it identifies who’s responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed for each task, it removes any confusion or potential misunderstanding as the project progresses.

On a stakeholder level, this is beneficial as each one understands well what they must do and what’s expected of them. On a team level, knowing who to ask for updates on task progress or approval and sign-off for outputs makes the collaboration process smoother.

Improves Accountability

Since the RACI chart for project management increases visibility on the responsibilities of each stakeholder, team members have a higher level of task ownership. They are more conscious of the fact that their performance affects others’ work. This increased sense of accountability drives productivity, which contributes to project success.

Facilitates an Efficient Decision-making Process

Another answer to the question “What is a RACI chart used for?” is it’s valuable for speeding up the decision-making process. The diagram outlines the people who need to be consulted for approval, making it easier to identify whom to submit outputs to.

The RACI chart eliminates the frustrating back-and-forth discussion on who gets the final say on deliverables, thus reducing potential delays in project completion. In addition, it allows team members to work on other tasks immediately and gives managers ample time to assess outputs and decide if they’re ready to be delivered.

Reduces Conflicts & Workload Issues

Most misunderstandings in projects come from confusion about roles and responsibilities. Team members are confused about which managers need a sign-off on specific outputs. Meanwhile, leaders overseeing too many project details sometimes don’t know who exactly in the team needs to be followed up on for updates once the project is rolling.

Using a RACI chart template prompts you to define who’s in charge of what. It guides you on stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities as the project progresses. Moreover, it helps you avoid overloading or underloading team members with tasks. Since responsibilities are laid out, you’ll be able to strike a balance in assigning work to specific stakeholders.

Disadvantages of Using the RACI Chart

Although the RACI chart is great for defining roles and responsibilities, it’s not a foolproof tool. It comes with disadvantages that you should be aware of to know whether it’s worth adopting in your organization and project. Below are some disadvantages of using the RACI chart:

Takes a Lot of Time to Set Up

Creating a RACI matrix is tedious as it requires plotting every activity in the project, conducting meetings and negotiations with stakeholders, and finalizing who’s in charge of specific tasks. It’s part of the project planning stage and may cause you to delay project execution if you haven’t completed the matrix yet. In the case of urgent projects, the intricateness of creating a RACI chart may compromise timely delivery.

Adopts a Hierarchical, Rigid Structure

Since the RACI chart highlights a hierarchical structure in project teams, it’s not for all. Organizations that aim to practice innovation might not see team members introducing new ideas as their roles are restricted. They may be reluctant to share new ways of doing things for fear of overstepping their assigned responsibilities.

At the same time, the RACI chart fails to recognize the informal roles that develop in team relationships. While there are official project managers and product owners who would need to be consulted about work quality, there are team members, particularly the senior ones, who don’t have formal titles but are referred to because of their expertise. They’re usually not acknowledged in the RACI matrix.

Easily Becomes Complicated for Large Projects

As mentioned in our answer to the question, “What is a RACI chart in project management?” the tool requires assigning letters indicating the role of each stakeholder. This shouldn’t be a problem for simple projects. However, for large initiatives with various stakeholders, the diagram quickly becomes tedious and intricate, making it harder to keep track.

Moreover, complex projects often see frequent changes. This requires you to update the matrix every now and then to ensure that it accurately reflects each person’s responsibilities. This administrative task may be overwhelming in the long run.

How to Create a RACI Chart

While there are plenty of RACI chart templates you can use to get started quickly, the process of creating a matrix from scratch is rather simple. Follow these easy steps on how to create a RACI chart:

• List the tasks and activities the project requires. This task column is your first column.
• Plot the names or roles of team members as the next column headers.
• Populate the table with R, A, C, and I labels, according to the responsibilities of each team member. Start with the people “Responsible” for the tasks, as this helps determine what roles other team members will play.
• Discuss the chart with team members.
• Sign off on the document.

Examples of a RACI Chart

Now that you understand well what is RACI matrix, let’s delve into the actual diagrams to help you better visualize how it’s created. Various project management solutions provide templates to make the plotting of tasks and team member roles and responsibilities easier. Here are some RACI chart examples from different project management systems that you may consider in project planning:

Smartsheet’s RACI matrix follows a spreadsheet format. (Source: Smartsheet )

If you’re used to managing projects in a spreadsheet, you’ll find Smartsheet’s RACI chart template easy to navigate. The important elements of the matrix are displayed in cells. The columns indicate the level of priority, task status, project deliverables, and different stakeholders’ roles. The rows bear the RACI classification for each team leader or member.

If you’re interested in this project management solution, its entry-level pricing starts at $9 per user, monthly. If you want to try it first without being locked into a subscription, take advantage of its free version, which allows you to create a maximum of two sheets.

Visit Smartsheet

ClickUp features color-coded RACI labels. (Source: ClickUp )

ClickUp’s RACI example is in a list format, with the tasks itemized in the first column. The second column bears the priority level of each assignment, and the rest of the column headers show the team members’ names. The RACI labels for each stakeholder are color-coded, making it easier for the users to know which tasks they need to work on, check, or get updates on.

The software solution’s free plan allows you to key in unlimited tasks and create up to five workspaces. If you need unlimited workspaces to accommodate multiple projects, subscribe to its base-level plan for only $10 per user, monthly.

Visit ClickUp

monday.com’s chart has the RACI labels as columns. (Source: monday.com )

monday.com’s RACI template is slightly different from other examples. It’s laid out in a table format, wherein the first column outlines the tasks. The rest of the column headers indicate the RACI roles, instead of the names or positions of the stakeholders. You’ll be able to identify team members in charge of the tasks by clicking the person icon in the table’s blank input fields. The last column of the table bears the status of each deliverable or assignment.

This project management platform’s free version offers access to three boards and over 200 project templates. It’s one of the top task management software solutions , accommodating different types of workflows across various industries. If you’re keen on using advanced features, upgrade to the paid plan, which starts at $12 per user, monthly, for a minimum of three seats.

Visit monday.com

Rules for Using the RACI Chart

To make the most of the tool, users are encouraged to follow a few general guidelines when using the RACI chart. These are the rules to remember:

• There should only be one “Responsible” and “Accountable” person per task: Having multiple people assigned to the responsible and accountable duties will create confusion. One team member might disregard the task, assuming that the others designated will work on it. On the flip side, this could also result in duplicate work, wasting team members’ efforts and time.
• “Responsible” and “Accountable” roles are mandatory: The “Responsible” and “Accountable” roles must be explicitly specified. Even in tasks that can be automated, there should be someone responsible or accountable for ensuring that the work is completed successfully.
• Communication with the consultant must be a priority. The “Responsible” and “Accountable” team members must coordinate closely with the “Consulted” to ensure that deliverables comply with quality standards.
• All stakeholders must be informed: Everyone must be aware of the progress and developments made on the project.

Best Practices for Using the RACI Chart

Now that you know the basics of what a RACI matrix is, the next step is to understand the best practices to help you maximize the chart’s effectiveness. Below are some strategies you may incorporate in your project management process:

Analyze Task Distribution

No stakeholder should have too many “Responsible” tasks designated to them. Being overworked will lead to burnout, compromising the quality and timely delivery of outputs. On the flip side, ensure that team members have enough assignments. You’ll waste your manpower’s skills and potential if they are underworked.

Moreover, the project stalls when there are not enough resources dedicated to completing the tasks. Thus, when you develop a RACI chart, always double-check if there are too many or too few “Responsible” tasks assigned to individuals.

Secure Each Stakeholder's Buy-in

The stakeholders must own the role that they’ve been assigned to. Before coming up with a matrix, conduct discussions with team members. Brief them on what their role entails for the assignments and ask if they’re willing to participate in such a manner.

Ideally, when you get their buy-in, it should be put in writing and included in the project charter, the document that outlines the project’s purpose, objectives, scope, and stakeholders. This should make the team members’ acceptance of the role official.

List Key Tasks & Milestones Only

Avoid listing administrative to-dos, such as booking meetings or creating reports, as these could overwhelm the matrix. Instead, concentrate on the most important project activities and deliverables. This should help your team be focused on critical tasks that move the project along to completion. Refer to your project plan that clearly states your project goals to properly filter through tasks.

Match Responsibilities With People’s Skills

To ensure that you have the right people on the job, review the roles you entrusted to team members, ensuring they are skilled and experienced to handle what’s assigned to them. This reduces the likelihood of outputs being repeatedly revised and passed around the team, which considerably delays project completion.

Update the Matrix Regularly

As the project progresses, you’re bound to see changes in some roles and responsibilities. These should be reflected in the chart to guide team members accordingly. Before making any changes, though, ensure that the involved parties are informed.

Alternatives to the RACI Chart

Given the disadvantages of the RACI chart, you may find it useful to explore alternatives to this responsibility assignment matrix. These alternatives are in table formats as well, but they’re structured to be simpler, focus less on tasks, or provide other role options outside the traditional.

Below are the RACI chart alternatives you may explore:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can you have blanks in a raci chart.

No, there should be no blank spaces in a RACI chart. Every team member must have a role, even if it’s only to be informed of the developments in the project. Remember, the RACI chart is designed to facilitate effective and maximum participation among team members. In most organizations, when there’s no person identified under the “Responsible” role, it’s assumed that the “Accountable” person will work on the task.

Can the same person be 'Responsible' & 'Accountable' in a RACI chart?

Yes. Simple tasks may entail having one person only for both the “Responsible” and “Accountable” roles.

What's the minimum & maximum number of people 'Consulted?'

There’s no strict rule as to how many team members or leaders must be consulted, but the golden rule is to limit the number, as too many parties may complicate the decision-making process and hold up the approval or sign-off, resulting in a project delay.

Bottom Line

A RACI chart is an effective responsibility assignment matrix that defines whether a project stakeholder is “Responsible,” “Accountable,” “Consulted,” or “Informed” for specific tasks. It’s beneficial to businesses as it clarifies roles and responsibilities, makes team members more accountable, speeds up decision-making, and helps resolve conflicts faster.

Now that you know the basics of what a RACI chart is in project management, remember that the key to maximizing this visual tool is to adopt best practices, including ensuring tasks are assigned to different roles equitably and focusing on key assignments only. Adopt project management software solutions and use their RACI chart templates to get started on this tool easily.

About the Author

Sam Dadofalza

Sam is an office tech writer at Fit Small Business, covering various topics including virtual phone systems, contact center platforms, and unified communications tools. She produced content for the digital marketing campaigns of small businesses from different industries and countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, and the Philippines.

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What Is a RACI Chart? How to Use RACI to Assign Project Roles

It’s a fact: Complex projects make it easy for teams to lose track of tasks.

You might have an air-tight project plan and a stellar team to back it up. But if you’re not crystal clear about assignments—or even involvement—on a task level, confusion, crankiness, and even demotivation will creep into your project team.

Lucky for you, avoiding those issues is as simple as creating a RACI chart. 

In this article, we’ll explain what RACI stands for and how it’s used in project management. We’ll also share a few practical examples so you can see how to apply the RACI model to different types of projects.

What is a RACI chart?

Raci definitions explained, benefits of the raci model in project management, how to make a raci chart, raci rules and best practices.

• RACI chart examples

When to use or skip a RACI chart for your project

Common raci pitfalls and how to avoid them.

A RACI chart—also known as a responsibility assignment matrix —is a diagram used in project management to define team roles across 4 categories: Responsible , Accountable , Consulted , and Informed . It helps clarify who does the work, who calls the shots, whose opinion matters, and who needs to stay in the loop for each task, milestone, or decision.

A RACI chart enables you to visualize roles and responsibilities at a more granular level than simple resource assignments. That way team members and stakeholders know what’s expected of them so confusion doesn’t get in the way of project success.

RACI stands for Responsible , Accountable , Consulted , and Informed . Each letter in the acronym represents the level of ownership each person involved in a project will have on an individual deliverable. 

This simple chart gives you an at-a-glance view of RACI meanings and how many people to assign to each role in your RACI matrix .

R = Responsible

This team member does the work to complete the task. Every task needs at least one Responsible party, but it’s okay to assign more.

Examples of people you might assign to the Responsible role:

• Content writer
• Graphic designer
• UI/UX designer
• Software developer
• Business analyst
• QA specialist

A = Accountable

This person delegates work and is the last one to review the task or deliverable before it’s deemed complete. On some tasks, the Responsible party may also serve as the Accountable one. Just be sure you only have one Accountable person assigned to each task or deliverable. (Note: It might not be your project manager!)

Examples of people you might assign to the Accountable role:

• Project manager
• Product manager
• Department head

C = Consulted

Every deliverable is strengthened by review and consultation from more than one team member. Consulted parties are typically the people who provide input based on either how it will impact their future project work or their domain of expertise on the deliverable itself.‍

Examples of people you might assign to the Consulted role:

• Software architect
• Content editor
• Creative director
• Compliance officer
• Security specialist
• Legal counsel

I = Informed

Informed stakeholders simply need to be kept in the loop on project progress, rather than roped into the details of every deliverable.

Examples of people you might assign to the Informed role:

• Executive leadership
• External clients
• Team members assigned to dependent tasks
• Customer support team
• Administrative staff

Responsible vs Accountable meanings in RACI

The same person can be both Responsible and Accountable for a task in RACI—including a project manager. But they’re not one and the same. So what’s the difference?

• Responsible is a task-oriented designation that applies to the person (or people) actually completing the work. A whole team can be responsible for the execution of one task. ‍
• Accountable is an outcome-oriented designation that applies to a single person who reports on the work, whether in status updates or upon delivery. Being Accountable means you must answer for and/or sign off on the deliverable and deal with the consequences if it falls short of goals.

At its core, the RACI model helps you set clear expectations about project roles and responsibilities. That way you don’t have multiple people working on the same task or against one another because tasks weren’t clearly defined on the front end.

A RACI chart also encourages team members to take responsibility for their work—or defer to someone else when needed. Essentially, you’ll remove personal judgment and politics from your process and focus on your team’s ability to act responsibly within a framework you’ve created. Sounds pretty sweet, huh?

Building a RACI chart for your project is a relatively simple task. The hardest part is thinking through all the people involved in your project and what role makes the most sense for individuals at each stage of work.

You’ll want to map out a RACI chart for your project during the planning stage. This ensures responsibilities are clearly defined before work begins and gives you time to adjust to avoid any gaps or overlaps in assignments.

Here are the basic steps for making a RACI chart:

• List key project phases, tasks, and/or milestones in a column down the left side of your chart. You can get as detailed as you want, depending on the complexity of your project (and attention-span of your project team and stakeholders). 
• Enter the people involved in your project across the top row of your chart. Each individual should serve as the header of a single column. You can use names or job roles—whatever makes sense for your team and project.
• Go line by line down the chart, and assign each person across the row an R, A, C, or I to indicate the role they’ll play on that particular task.

Once your RACI chart is good to go, you can create a communication plan that aligns with the roles you’ve outlined for project teams and stakeholders.

Want to save time? Download our free RACI Excel template , or see how TeamGantt's built-in RACI feature works.

Using a RACI chart is a whole lot easier when you follow a few simple rules. Once your RACI chart is complete, review it to be sure it meets these criteria:

• Every task has at least one Responsible person.
• There’s one (and only one!) Accountable party assigned to each task to allow for clear decision-making.
• No team members are overloaded with too many Responsible tasks. You can use TeamGantt’s Workloads report to check availability across all your active projects.
• Every team member has a role on each task. (It’s not uncommon for some folks to be Informed on most tasks.)

These best practices can help you get the most out of RACI:

• Focus on project tasks, milestones, and decisions in the RACI chart. Avoid generic or administrative to-dos like team meetings or status reports .
• Align the tasks in your RACI chart with your project plan so there’s no confusion about details and due dates. (TeamGantt does this work for you by tying your RACI chart directly to your plan!)
• Keep RACI definitions close by because they can be tough to remember sometimes! ‍
• Assign the Responsible team members to tasks in TeamGantt .

RACI chart examples: Practical application in the real world

Let’s take a closer look at how you might put the RACI model to work on real-life projects. 

Producing a marketing handout

We’ll start with a simple example. Imagine you’re creating a RACI chart for a handout your marketing manager will distribute at an industry conference. 

Basic tasks for this project might include:

• Write project brief
• Create content
• Design handout
• Review first draft
• Update handout
• Approve final
• Send to printer

In this project example, we’ve assigned RACI roles to 7 key team members:

• Marketing manager
• Editorial director

Let’s zoom in on the RACI roles we mapped out for the Create content task example so you understand the why behind these assignments. 

• Responsible : The content writer is listed as Responsible for this task, so that’s who will actively work on content creation.
• Accountable : The editorial director is listed as Accountable for this task because that’s who is ultimately on the line for content quality and accuracy. Once the content is written, she’s the one who will review it to ensure it meets their company’s editorial standards.
• Consulted : The marketing manager is listed as Consulted . Since the marketing manager is the subject matter expert for the presentation, the writer can go to them for input or help filling in content gaps along the way.
• Informed : Several people have been assigned to the Informed role, though for different reasons. Since the Design handout task depends on this one, we want to make sure the writer keeps the creative director and designer informed on the status of content creation. The project manager and CMO are listed as Informed simply because they want to be kept in the loop about how work is progressing.

Developing a new software product

Now let’s look at a more complex project example. 

Developers who use an Agile workflow to tackle the job likely know what they need to do because there’s a constant stream of communication. But cross-functional departments and senior leaders might need more clarity. 

Here’s how you might map RACI roles to major tasks in a software development project , broken down by key tasks and RACI roles. (For the Informed assignments, we only listed people who need detailed progress updates to keep our example easier to read.)

Market Research

• Responsible : Business Analyst, Marketing Manager
• Accountable : Product Manager
• Consulted : Sales Representative, Customer Support
• Informed : Project Manager, Software Developers

Requirement Gathering

• Responsible : Business analyst
• Accountable : Product manager
• Consulted : UI/UX Designer, Software Architect
• Informed : Project manager, QA analysts

Design and Prototyping

• Responsible : UI/UX Designer
• Consulted : Business analyst, software developers
• Informed : Marketing manager, QA analysts

Software Development

• Responsible : Software Developers/Engineers
• Accountable : Software Architect
• Consulted : Product Manager, QA Analysts
• Informed : Project Manager, Technical Writer
• Responsible : QA Analysts/Engineers
• Accountable : Project manager
• Consulted : Software Developers, DevOps Engineer
• Informed : Product Manager, Technical Writer
• Responsible : DevOps Engineer
• Accountable : Project Manager
• Consulted : Software Developers, QA Analysts
• Informed : Product Manager, Customer Support

Maintenance

• Responsible : DevOps Engineer, Software Developers
• Consulted : QA Analysts, Technical Writer
• Responsible : DevOps Engineer, QA Analysts
• Consulted : Software Developers, Technical Writer

Marketing and Sales

• Responsible : Marketing Manager, Sales Representative
• Accountable : Marketing Manager
• Consulted : Product Manager, Customer Support

User Training

• Responsible : Customer Support Specialist
• Consulted : Technical Writer, UI/UX Designer
• Informed : All project team members

A RACI chart serves just about every project well. But it’s especially helpful when tasks require multiple resources, run concurrently, or depend on other tasks.

Here are a few scenarios when the RACI model is useful:

• The decision-making or approval process could hold up the project.
• There’s conflict about task ownership or decision-making.
• The project workload feels like it’s not distributed evenly.
• You experience turnover on a team and need to onboard someone quickly to a new role.

Of course, not all teams and projects are created equally. You might work with a team who just happens to communicate really well and stays on top of their own work. (Lucky you!) Or maybe your project is small enough that it would be silly to take the time to go through this exercise. 

In cases like these, don’t worry about taking the extra step of creating a RACI chart. Just be sure you have a clear plan in place to guide your team and project.

Further reading : How to Create a Realistic Project Plan: Templates & Examples

Now let’s walk through a few common mistakes that could hinder your RACI chart’s effectiveness.

Failing to get buy-in from your team and stakeholders

Creating a RACI chart in a vacuum is never a good idea. In a best-case scenario, you’d sit down with your team and stakeholders to walk through the role assignments on each task. But let’s be real: That’s not always possible.

Just be sure everyone represented has acknowledged and agreed to the roles and responsibilities you’ve laid out. More importantly, you want to check that your chart eliminates any further project confusion.

Setting it and forgetting it

It’s easy to build a RACI chart at the start of a project, then let it collect dust once the real work begins. But remember: This chart will defend you against mishaps that arise when you have too many cooks in the kitchen or a team member who thinks someone else is handling the work.

That’s why it’s important to keep these roles top of mind throughout a project’s life cycle. You can do this by reviewing RACI assignments for upcoming tasks in weekly status update meetings and making sure everyone involved in a project has easy access to the RACI chart. 

In TeamGantt, you can assign RACI roles directly in your project plan so they’re clearly visible as team members work their way to the finish line.

Overcomplicating stakeholder communication

If you have a lot of Consulted and Informed roles on your chart, make sure you have an easy and lightweight way to keep them informed. It could be as simple as making sure department heads and senior leaders have access to your project plan so they can follow progress along the way. 

Managing a project with external clients or stakeholders? Sharing a view-only link to your project in TeamGantt is a great option for looping in folks outside your organization.

Further reading: A Project Manager’s Guide to Effective Stakeholder Management

Keep teams in sync—and accountable—with TeamGantt

A RACI chart is a simple tool that makes projects easier to manage by creating less confusion and more accountability. But you’ve got more than roles and responsibilities to keep straight.

TeamGantt makes it easy to build a project plan your whole team can contribute to and collaborate on. Everything happens online, so you can stay on top of deadlines and monitor progress in real time.

Try TeamGantt for free today!

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A Definitive Guide to the RACI Chart

August 5, 2019 By Fahad Usmani 4 Comments

Smaller teams are much easier to manage, because you know them personally and you can make sure they are all aware of their roles and responsibilities.

However, it becomes more difficult to manage a growing team efficiently, leading to compromised organization and potential conflicts.

Therefore, you will use RACI Chart to solve these issues. The RACI Chart is a simple tool that the PMBOK Guide describes in plan resource management process.

The RACI Chart is also known as a RACI Matrix or Linear Responsibility Chart (LRC).

What is a RACI Chart?

A RACI Chart is a type of Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) that shows the roles and tasks assigned to each team member visually.

It identifies the roles and responsibilities of the individuals in tasks and projects. A glance at this chart can help you find out who is assigned to what in particular.

A RACI Chart is useful at all levels of project management; if the project is large, you can create it to connect high-level work packages with the project team, group, or unit. Also, you can make a low-level RACI Chart within teams, groups, or units, and use it to connect the tasks or activities with each individual.

What Does RACI Mean?

RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Informed.

Responsible

This team member is responsible for carrying out the activities required to complete the task. A task must have at least one responsible team member, who is in charge of decision making. A task can have more than one responsible team member.

Accountable

This team member is accountable for the job. In a small project, a team member can be responsible and accountable for the task, but it’s a good idea to separate these roles for larger projects. This team member will be answerable to the project manager about the progress and review of the tasks.

Please keep in mind that all tasks must have a responsible and accountable team member. Though a task can have multiple responsible parties, it is best to have only one that is accountable to individual tasks to avoid confusion and allow faster decision making. There can be more accountable team members for a task if the task is big or complex.

Consulting team members give their input and help define each task. These individuals may be directly impacted by the deliverable being completed and they will interface with you, the project manager, when presenting the deliverable.

These team members need to be contacted if any technical clarification is needed or if the deliverable has to be changed or reviewed.

Responsible and consulting team members must have two-way communication.

These team members have no direct involvement in a particular task but are kept informed about progress. They have the potential to be a replacement if another member leaves the project or is assigned somewhere else.

There is one-way communication with this group of team members.

Benefits of a RACI Matrix

A RACI Matrix is beneficial to managing a project in many ways. Some are as follows:

• Drawing a RACI Chart is easy to use and read.
• It shows how employee workload is managed.
• It prevents team members from being overworked.
• It clarifies who should be contacted for a particular task.
• It removes role confusion.
• It helps eliminating unnecessary tasks.
• It visualizes responsibility and accountability for a particular task.
• It helps to avoid conflict.
• It ensures smooth handoffs.
• It helps the project manager redistribute work, if needed.
• It is a great communication tool.
• It allows the project manager to address particular concerns with the correct team member.
• It enables you to make faster decisions.
• It helps with resource allocation.
• It avoids conflicting assignments and responsibilities.
• It helps team members take responsibility and leadership roles.

Drawbacks of a RACI Chart

The following are a few drawbacks of a RACI Chart:

• Complex projects make for extensive RACI Charts with many team members. It can also be difficult to identify which individual is responsible for any given task.
• A RACI Chart lacks flexibility when it comes to changing assignments, and responsibility and accountability can get mixed up if they are not defined well.

When Should you use a RACI Matrix?

A RACI Chart can be very helpful in managing projects in the following ways:

• If you want to know whether a specific team member is doing their assigned work.
• If there is conflict regarding who will manage a particular task
• If you want to shift a role from one team member to another.
• When management wants to see the role of a team member.

How to Develop a RACI Chart

Creating a RACI Chart is a simple process. You can create one with an Excel sheet or word processor, though the former is recommended as tables are vital to the chart.

The Steps of Creating a RACI Chart:

The steps of creating a RACI Charts are as follows:

List the Role

First of all, make a list of all the roles involved in your project, such as project manager, planning engineer, foreman, construction engineer, quality control engineer, etc.

Enter these roles in the top row of the table as shown in the picture. You can use the names of team members instead if you choose to.

Don’t forget to review the project charter , as it can provide valuable information on important stakeholders.

There is an advantage to entering roles into the chart For example, if a team member leaves the project, you don’t have to update the RACI Chart. On the other hand, entering names makes the project manager’s job easier when many team members share a similar role.

List the Tasks

Now review the project work, breaking it down into tasks and listing them all: developing project plans, identifying risks, testing deliverables, maintaining records, or what have you.

Once this is done, you can enter the information in the first vertical column, as shown in the image.

Assign the Value

Now for each task, you will assign a value:

• For responsible, you will use “R.”
• For accountable, you will use “A.”
• For consult, you will use “C.”
• For informed, you will use “I.”

Some Things to be Aware of While Creating a RACI Matrix

It’s often challenging to distinguish between responsibility and accountability, especially when these roles are shared. This happens when the project is big or complex and requires many resources. You will want to sit down with your team members to define the boundaries and make sure that they understand them.

Sometimes a team member in the informed category may feel left out. You have to explain them why they are kept in that particular group to continue getting their support.

If there are any changes in the roles or tasks, make sure that the RACI Chart is updated to avoid confusion and miscommunication.

A RACI Chart is an excellent tool to manage projects and avoid conflict; however, if not prepared well or if not all stakeholders are on board, there may be issues.

While creating a RACI Chart, please keep the following points in mind:

• Every task must have one person who is responsible.
• Every task must have one accountable person.
• Make sure that the accountable team member has the authority to help the responsible team member complete the job.
• Avoid using too many tiny tasks. This makes the chart messy.
• Try to avoid giving too many responsibilities to a single team member.
• Avoid sharing accountability for a single task.

Some Alternatives to a RACI Chart

You will find many types of Responsibility Assignment Matrixes (RAMs) used in project management; however, they are not discussed here, as they are not mentioned in the PMBOK Guide and are also not necessary for the PMP exam.

Some commonly used RAMs are as follows:

• RATSI (Authority, Responsible, Task, Support, Informed)
• RASCI (Responsible, Accountable, Supportive, Consulted, Informed)
• CARS (Communicate, Approve, Responsible, Support)
• DACI (Drivers, Approver, Consulted, Informed)
• CLAIM (Contributes, Leads, Approves, Informed, Monitors)
• PACSI (Performed, Accountable, Control, Suggested, Informed)
• RAPID (Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide)

A RACI chart is helpful in assigning work and avoiding conflicts. Stakeholders’ support is vital for a chart to be effective. Always update it as soon as any change occurs, as outdated information will nullify a RACI Chart. Make sure all stakeholders understand the terms and agree.

Do you use a RACI Chart in your project or any other type of RAM? Please share your experiences in the comments section below.

This topic is vital for those studying for the PMP exam. You may see questions on the exam that test your understanding of RACI Charts.

Renson Wright says

August 7, 2019 at 12:39 am

CLAIM the meaning of “I” is omitted. I think it stands for informed . The information is clear and easily applicable. The RACI chart is an essential for monitoring and controlling projects effectively. Thanks a million, Fahad. Keep up the great work.

Fahad Usmani says

September 1, 2019 at 4:48 pm

Hello Rensom, thanks for letting me know about it.

Yamin Kamboh says

August 7, 2019 at 12:29 pm

I use these charts through Primavera P6 but I cannot say those are exactly the same but the concept is the same as of RACI. It is prepared there for all the teams working on our enterprise structure. Later, that is further sent to on-site teams but is updated from head office only for top-level executives.

September 1, 2019 at 4:51 pm

A RACI chart can be designed in many ways depends on the requirements.

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How to Make a Responsibility Assignment Matrix for a Project (Template Included)

The most important resource you’ll employ to deliver the project is people. They have to fit into the schedule and maintain the project budget. Defining what their roles and responsibilities are when executing tasks and delivering on the project goals is an important part of controlling the project.

How can you coordinate all the people who are involved in a project so they know what they’re doing and don’t block others from doing what they are assigned? Using a responsibility assignment matrix can help. An assignment matrix gives your project a team that gets things done.

What is a Responsibility Assignment Matrix in Project Management?

A responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) is a project management chart used to identify and define the various people and organizations and outline each of their roles in working on tasks or delivering a part of the project.

Project managers use an assignment matrix to clarify what cross-functional teams do within the boundaries of the project and its numerous processes. Sometimes a responsibility assignment matrix is required when responding to a request for proposal (RFP).

The responsibility assignment matrix can also be called a RACI matrix, which stands for responsible, accountable, consulted and informed.

• Responsible: Notes who is responsible for executing the task, which is then assigned to them.
• Accountable: Notes who has decision-making authority and how that power is delegated throughout the project team.
• Consulted: Notes who is able to offer insight into the task, from team members to stakeholders.
• Informed: Notes who is updated on what in terms of progress and performance, as well as when and how this information is disseminated.

This creates a map of connections between activities and project team members. Depending on the size of the project, there can be several assignment matrices used for various project levels.

Why Create a Responsibility Assignment Matrix?

The assignment matrix identifies what everyone on the team is responsible for, which means not only what their duties are, but how they participate in the project. Some will have defined tasks, others will offer help with work, while there are some who are designated as decision-makers. These groups all have an identity and function within the project to help guide it towards a successful end.

Clear communication leads to more efficient projects. An assignment matrix facilitates better communication between team members and provides transparency by creating a system to make sure everyone is updated and always on the same page. Belaboring communications can bog down a project with too many pointless meetings and confusing interactions in which people try to understand what they’re supposed to be doing. Using the responsibility assignment matrix helps, but having project management software that connects teams in real-time is ideal.

ProjectManager manages project information by allowing teams to attach files directly to tasks, and our unlimited file storage keeps important project documents at your fingertips anywhere, anytime. Commenting on tasks can save time and tagging others in the project team creates a communication process that avoids the pitfalls of redundancies or unnecessary meetings.

When Should a Responsibility Assignment Matrix Be Created?

The responsibility assignment matrix would be created at the start of the project. You’d want to have everyone on the project team aware of where they stand in terms of their involvement before they start executing tasks.

As much as its use is a preventative measure, it can be used prescriptively. If you’re deep into the project and things are not moving as planned, there could be communication gridlock. If team members are not in the loop, or misconstrue what they’re supposed to be doing, using a responsibility assignment matrix might untie up those knots in the communication channel.

If there’s a problem with leadership overruling suggestions on how to advance the project and this is seen as a problem, it’s likely that the roles and responsibilities of the project team need refining. The responsibility assignment matrix defines who has authority to make decisions and using it or revisiting can determine if the right people are in that position.

In fact, any of the definitions might need reexamining at any phase in the project. Perhaps tasks are falling behind schedule. This could be because team members aren’t aware of what tasks they own. Anytime a delay occurs, returning to the assignment matrix is a good first step, even if you went through the process as you should during the planning stage of the project.

How to Create a Responsibility Assignment Matrix

The actual making of a responsibility assignment matrix is not as difficult as getting everyone on board with what their roles and responsibilities are.

Therefore, you want to include your team in the process, get their input and eventually buy-in without spending too much time and energy on the process. Follow these steps to make sure everyone is in agreement and you’ll have a successful responsibility assignment.

• Identify all the participants involved in the project, from team members to stakeholders and everyone in between.
• List all deliverables associated with the project. Use a work breakdown structure to make sure you don’t miss any.
• Meet with team members on how to execute the tasks to create the deliverables. Every task needs to be discussed in terms of the team’s responsibility and authority.
• Draft the responsibility assignment matrix using a table with the project tasks listed on the left-hand column. Across the top add the name of everyone in the project.
• Where the tasks meet the project team member, assign whether they’re responsible, accountable, consulted or informed.
• When completed, share the responsibility assignment matrix with the project team and stakeholders and hold a meeting if necessary to make sure everyone understands their part in the project. If you’re working in a shared space, print out a copy and post it.

Free Responsibility Assignment Matrix Template

Using a RACI template is a shortcut that sets up your team and the project for success. ProjectManager is more than an award-winning software that organizes tasks, teams and projects to streamline work and boost productivity, it’s also the online hub for all things project management.

Among the hundreds of blog posts, guidebooks and tutorial videos are dozens of free templates that can help you through every phase of your project’s life cycle. Using our free RACI template will help you guide all the project teams better, allowing them to know where they stand in relation to the project and what their level of responsibility and accountability is.

Use it at the start of the project to avoid delays and untangle any communicative knots that are preventing the project from progressing as planned. To keep your project on track, download our free RACI template and get a head start on building a workable responsibility assignment matrix.

Best Practices

Using our free RACI template is a good start, but you have to make sure you fill it in correctly. A responsibility assignment matrix is only as good as the effort put into creating it. Here are some best practices to apply when you’re in the process of building your assignment matrix.

• Involve the team: They’re the ones who will be executing the work. You want their input and buy-in to avoid any costly mistakes or time-consuming questions about what wasn’t made clear at the beginning of the project.
• Identify every single task: Identify all the tasks required to reach your final deliverable. Once you have that thorough list make sure that there is only one person on the team who is accountable.
• Update your RACI regularly: Make sure that each new one is clearly marked as the most current version and is distributed to everyone on the team. There will be times when you’ll want to revisit the responsibility assignment matrix or changes in personnel will require an edit.
• Share responsibility viably: One person shouldn’t have to shoulder the bulk of the responsibilities for the project and you want to give authority throughout the project team and not just among the very top management team.
• Optimize tasks: Managers can use the RACI matrix to see if too many team members have been assigned to a task. Maybe these workers could be spread out for greater productivity. There could be too many people listed as consulted, which slows down the process. The assignment matrix is endlessly useful.

How ProjectManager Helps You Manage Projects Better

ProjectManager is a cloud-based tool that connects everyone in real-time to facilitate planning, monitoring and reporting on the project. It works to give everyone on the project team a job and the knowledge as to where they have authority and when to consult others, as well as defining the reporting process.

Let’s look at the people who are responsible, for example, the team who execute the project. Once invited into the software, you can share the project plan, assign them tasks, add detailed direction, add a deadline and tag for priority and more. The teams can then collaborate by attaching files and images to the tasks and commenting in real-time to work better together.

Those who need to stay informed of the project can do so by also getting invited into the project and sharing plans and schedules with them. Stakeholders can stay updated with reporting features that can generate reports on project variance, cost, time and more with one click. Then share them as a PDF. Reports can even be quickly filtered to zero in on the data stakeholders are interested in.

The responsibility assignment matrix can help you reallocate your resources when things aren’t progressing as planned. Use our software to get further insight. The resource management features include a workload chart that’s color-coded so it’s easy to see who has too many tasks and who can take on more work. Then you can simply reallocate those resources from the workload page to help your team work more productively.

ProjectManager gets you organized, keeps your team focused on their tasks and stakeholders in the loop. Gain efficiencies throughout every aspect of your project’s life cycle with an online Gantt chart to schedule work and kanban boards, a visual workflow feature that provides transparency into production. All that and it’s on a collaborative platform to keep everyone connected. Try ProjectManager today for free.

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Your guide to RACI charts, with examples

Can you identify exactly who’s doing what by when for each task, milestone, and deliverable in your project? If not, you might need a RACI chart.

RACI is an acronym to help teams clarify project roles and figure out who the responsible party is for any given task. Whether you've never heard of RACI before or you’re considering creating a RACI chart for your next project, here’s everything you need to know about how to create and use these charts.

What is a RACI chart?

Responsible.  This person is directly in charge of the work. There should only ever be one Responsible role per task so you know who to go to with questions or updates. If a task has more than one Responsible person, you can lose clarity and cause confusion. Instead, aim to add additional collaborators as some of the other RACI roles, which can have more than one person.

Accountable.  The Accountable person is responsible for overseeing overall task completion, though they may not be the person actually doing the work. There are two ways to assign an Accountable role. Sometimes, the Accountable is the project manager (or even the Responsible, though in that case the person is taking on two different roles during the task workflow). In these cases, the Accountable is responsible for making sure all of the work gets done. In other cases, the Accountable is a senior leader or executive who is responsible for approving the work before it’s considered complete. Like the Responsible role, there should only ever be one Accountable.

Consulted.  This will be the person or people who should review and sign off on the work before it’s delivered. There may be multiple Consulted roles for each task,  project milestone , or deliverable.

Informed.  This is the person or group of people who are informed about the progress and completion of work. They probably are not involved in any other aspect of the deliverable.

When should I create RACI charts?

RACI charts are a helpful way to track each stakeholder’s role for a task, milestone, or deliverable—especially if you’re managing a complex project with many decision makers and subject matter experts. With a RACI chart, you can prevent poor decision making and avoid roadblocks in the approvals process that could impact overall project success.

These charts, while different from PERT charts , are especially useful if your stakeholders may be taking on different roles throughout the project. For example, there could be a stakeholder who is Responsible on one deliverable but Informed on another. With a RACI chart, you can clearly outline these details and make sure everyone knows who’s responsible for what.

Example of a RACI chart

To build a RACI chart, list every task, milestone, or deliverable for your project. Then, identify who the Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed team members are for each one.

Let’s say you’re updating the homepage on your website.  Project stakeholders  include:

Head of website

Web developer

You want to create a RACI chart for five tasks and deliverables:

Update homepage CTAs

Update customer story on homepage

Revamp website design

Improve homepage loading speed

Update homepage design

The RACI chart would look like:

Responsible: Copywriter

Accountable: Web developer

Consulted: Head of website

Informed: Designer

Revamp video on homepage

Responsible: Designer

Informed: Copywriter

Responsible: Web developer

Informed: Copywriter & Designer

Pros and cons of RACI charts

Ultimately, the question is: should you create a RACI chart? While RACI charts are a useful tool to identify project responsibilities, they can get a little cumbersome over the lifecycle of a project. Here are the pros and cons of creating a RACI chart for your team’s work:

The benefits of RACI charts

Clear project roles and responsibilities can help your team move fast and reduce confusion about who’s working on what. With a RACI chart, you can ensure you don’t have two team members working on the same thing. As a result, you’ll have an easier time  collaborating  with your team.

RACI charts are also particularly helpful when the decision-making process is split between tasks. There might be scenarios where the Informed on one task or milestone is the Responsible or Consulted on another—in order to have that clearly defined, it’s helpful to track this work in a RACI chart.

RACI chart pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

RACI models focus on the granular, instead of capturing work at the project level. You might know who the Consulted is on a particular task—which is helpful—but knowing that doesn’t help you understand how various stakeholders interact with the broader project work.

Additionally, if you attempt to write out each task and each role, your RACI chart can get bulky. Worse, if your project changes in some way, your RACI chart would immediately become outdated. That can make it hard for you to gain real-time clarity about where each task is in your project workflow.

RACI charts are limited because they aren’t able to adapt to your project needs in real time. In order to establish clear expectations and eliminate confusion on the project level, you need a  project management tool .

Take your RACI chart to the next level

With project management software, every task has an assignee—that’s the Responsible. You can see work on the project level, so the Accountable and Informed don’t have to check in via email or status meetings. And, for any approvals you need from your Consulted, you can track reviews and approvals in one place. That way, your entire RACI team has a central source of truth for all of the work being done.

Instead of having your RACI chart separate from where the work is happening, project management tools capture the topic, assignee, and other important information like the task due date or relative importance. That way, your entire project team has visibility into who’s doing what by when—and you’re not relying on a single person to manage and update your RACI chart. Project management tools update in real time, so you can see exactly where you are in the approval process.

Track who’s doing what by when

Clear team roles and responsibilities help you hit your deliverables on time. Tracking different and complex stakeholder responsibilities in a RACI chart can help you do that—but RACI charts are just the beginning. Learn more about  work management , and how your team can benefit.

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How to Streamline Roles and Promote Team Collaboration with an Effective RACI Chart

Last Updated November 7, 2019

Imagine for a moment a homeowner’s association is tasked with a project of throwing a summer barbeque bash for the neighborhood. Everyone shows up at the same time, mills around trying to find a task and chaos ensues as homeowners arrive before food has been cooked. Now imagine that same team of people tasked with the same project, but in this team, each individual is assigned a specific task, from grilling to game planning. Now, this team can immediately get to work, and it’s much more likely the neighborhood bash will be an enjoyable event.

In any project, whether the task at hand is throwing a summer party or helping an organization with a technology transformation, when roles and responsibilities for everyone involved are clear, the project is more likely to be executed smoothly. In addition, project managers are often beholden to multiple stakeholders, and keeping those key players informed and involved throughout the lifecycle of the project is critical to project success.

What is a RACI Chart?

One method for streamlining accountability on a project is the use of a responsibility assignment matrix, specifically, a RACI chart. The RACI chart describes how the matrix assigns each task or deliverable, assigns an owner, and denotes who else is involved, ultimately classifying involved parties into four categories: responsible, accountable, consulted and informed. This approach is widespread among project managers, according to “ A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge ( PMBOK® Guide), Seventh Edition,” as it can eliminate confusion on who is in charge of, or accountable for, a specific project task.

The first step to developing an effective RACI chart is understanding what the various categories represent:

Responsible: This is the active party, the person who executes the task or completes the deliverable. This includes doing the work as well as making decisions. In some cases, a task or deliverable may have more than one responsible party; for best results, this role should be limited to as few people as possible for each task.

Accountable: This individual is responsible for ensuring the task is completed correctly and meets all specifications. While this person is not in charge of doing the work, they do delegate it and are responsible for approving the job that is completed. Like the previous category, the number of people assigned to this role should be limited for each task to ensure clarity in ownership.

Consulted: This group, typically comprising of subject matter experts, help provide supporting information for the person(s) responsible for working on the task. Communication with this group is two-way and is required before the task can be completed.

Informed: This group of people must be kept updated on the progress of the task or deliverable, as these individuals may be impacted by the outcomes. They typically are not involved in the feedback or review cycle but should be contacted after a decision or action is made.  

How RACI Charts Influence Project Outcomes

Planning is a critical component of project management and project success, and establishing roles and responsibilities is a key component of the planning stage. Implementing a RACI chart offers several advantages for project participants, including:

• Streamlined communication – All parties know precisely who to ask questions to, who to consult and who to inform.
• A controlled set of stakeholders – By pre-defining these responsibilities, project managers are less likely to be left juggling an unnecessary amount of opinions. Distinguishing consulters from informers can also help avoid a bulk amount of stakeholder feedback .
• Manages fatigue and overwhelm – Although project managers may hold many responsibilities, a RACI chart helps outline other owners, knowledgeable parties and accountable players to help lift some of the burden and ensure everyone stays informed.
• Establishes expectations up front – Creating a RACI chart can also help manage conflict later in the project lifecycle, as everyone should visually understand their roles and responsibilities on a project from the beginning.

Using a RACI Chart

RACI charts don’t have to be complex; they can be as simple as listing the work to be done, the resources assigned and the responsibility they hold. Follow these steps to create your own RACI chart:

Step 1: List the names of the people involved in the project – You’ll need to determine if roles or specific names are appropriate. For example, if a single person holds multiple roles, you could specify by role, whereas if multiple people hold similar titles, you might need to specify by name.

Step 2: Break down specific tasks or deliverables – Although this should be a breakdown of the project, it’s important to balance this to ensure the chart doesn’t become cumbersome or impossible to manage.

Step 3: Assign a role to teach task or deliverable, using RACI – Each task must have someone assigned to be responsible and someone assigned to be accountable.

Step 4: Seek buy in from the team – Gather your team, ensure everyone agrees with their assigned roles and responsibilities and allow for questions.

Step 5: Communicate with project stakeholders – Once you have team buy in, meet with stakeholders and get their buy in to establish expectations up front and avoid conflict down the road. The process of collecting buy in from the team and stakeholders is critical to achieving an effective project.

Step 6: Refer to the RACI – This step may seem obvious, but it doesn’t do any good to plan for the project and then not follow the chart as intended. Ensure everyone continues to adhere to the roles outlined in the RACI chart – remember, they approved them in the planning stage.

RACI Chart Example

Let’s go back to that neighborhood (NBHD) barbecue party and create a RACI chart for the homeowner association (HOA).

Keep in mind that RACI charts are useful in many cases but may not be needed in every case.  For example, rapid projects with small teams likely don’t need introduced complexity. Some Agile projects (depending on scope and timeline) may also have an implied role matrix as some roles are pre-defined, such as the Scrum team .

In implementing a RACI chart, a project manager should immediately set expectations for everyone involved. This includes ensuring team members understand when and what they must do, experts knowing when their opinion will be solicited, and stakeholders understanding where they will be informed, and where they will be consulted for input. Following the method can help establish a foundation for a streamlined project and pave the way to stronger relationships that can make a meaningful difference in the success of the project.

PMBOK is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

Interested in expanding your project management expertise? Learn more about Villanova’s Applied Project Management Certificate program and course offerings.

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A Project Manager's Comprehensive Guide to the RACI Model

Boost project success with a RACI matrix. Learn how RACI charts help clarify responsibility and accountability on projects and how best to present the RACI model.

Introduction

Most successful projects start with a planning phase before making any measurable progress toward the desired outcome.

To excel in  project management  means first stating the desired outcome or results, and then defining what is to be delivered (deliverables). Deliverables are then broken down even further into tasks and subtasks.

The next major part of planning ensures that everyone knows who is doing what and by when.

This is where the RACI model truly shines.

In this post, you'll learn:

• What is a RACI matrix in project management?
• What are the RACI rules?
• What are the 4 roles of the RACI model?
• When should you use a RACI matrix?

What is the best way to present a RACI chart?

• How Motion can help take RACI models to the next level

Let's start with a simple definition.

What is a RACI model in project management?

A RACI model (or RACI chart or RACI matrix) describes team members' level of responsibility for tasks, deliverables, and decisions in a project. RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed.

Poor resource management  has been flagged as a top challenge in several studies conducted in the last 20 years. With a RACI chart, every stakeholder understands what is expected of them. Understanding the project manager's and sponsor’s expectations and assignments is especially important for cross-functional teams.

RACI is one type of responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) tool used to define and assign responsibilities. Other examples of responsibility matrix include:

• RASCI stands for the same responsibilities as RACI, with the addition of one letter for Support or Supportive. Supportive people assist the Responsible people with their tasks. For example, one person could lead the task while other team members could support the lead person on the task.
• CARS stands for Communicate, Approve, Responsible, Support. Some  project managers  prefer this model to RACI. This model shows that the person responsible for a task often needs other team members’ support.
• RAS is a simple version of CARS or Responsible, Approve, Support. It ignores communication outside the team, which must be covered in another way.
• CLAM, a parallel to the RACI model, or Contribute, Lead, Approve, Monitor.
• PACSI, which means Perform, Accountable, Control, Suggest, Inform. In PACSI, the performer has a quality control partner who makes final decisions. A person in the Suggest role has experience in the task but has no final say on the work.
• DACI stands for Driver, Approver, Contributor, Informed. Like the RACI model, it represents those who do the work, those who approve it, those who give advice, and those who receive updates.
• RAPID is a decision-making model that stands for Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide

‎Now that you’ve seen some of the different approaches to responsibility assignment matrices, let's look at how a RACI matrix works and how it can help you.

Why do you need a RACI chart?

A successful project wraps up on time, within budget, and delivers expected value to the organization. Success rests on the quality of the deliverables and the quality of the project communication. A RACI chart can provide that CSF or critical success factor for effective communication.

Without RACI or another similar model, your project is susceptible to decision bottlenecks and even poor decision-making. A RACI matrix clarifies task responsibilities. It also ensures that no one is confused about their roles, so everyone knows what the project team expects of them.

A RACI matrix also lets people do their work without having to answer to many people with diverse opinions. Only a designated few consult, or offer their insight, and only one person has the final say over how work is done. A RACI model also helps teams quickly reallocate resources when staff members leave. Moreover, RACI charts cover communications with both internal and external stakeholders. Therefore, partners, vendors, and third parties can know their roles on the project, too.

What are the 4 RACI roles?

The RACI model approach to RAM employs four roles that indicate how involved a person is in a task or project.

Responsible

The responsible role represents the performer, the person (or group) that performs and completes the work. In the RACI approach, every task, deliverable, or decision needs at least one person assigned to it to ensure that no essential requirements or efforts fall between the cracks.

Accountable

The accountable role reviews and decides whether or not to approve the task results or output. The accountable person must ensure that the responsible people understand their task's scope, requirements, and timeline. Often accountable parties have leadership or management positions, such as the project sponsor. They also have the background and authority to make key decisions.

Each task should have one, and only one, accountable person. It's crucial to project success that someone is accountable to establish an approval process, monitor progress, and motivate the responsible parties to keep the tasks or project on track. .

The consulted role provides advice, insight, and suggestions for completing a task. They may be on the same team or from a different department, but they are typically subject matter experts. They’re also usually vested in giving good advice because it influences their current and future credibility. These stakeholders offer input before work starts and during the task lifecycle. The consulted role follows up when work concludes to provide feedback on the finished project. A consulted role isn't mandatory, but is often assigned when subject matter experts are needed.

The informed role has limited involvement in the project activities but is still vested in its success. They may include senior leadership, clients, or workers in other departments. Sometimes they are external parties who will be affected by the results of the project. These stakeholders are in the information loop to receive updates on work progress, but they only require information relevant to their interests.

What are the RACI rules of thumb?

The RACI model has a few rules of thumb that make it more effective:

• The only essential roles in a RACI matrix are accountable and responsible. Teams need to understand who will perform the work, and someone has to be accountable for ensuring the work is complete, accurate, and fits the requirements. Consulted and informed are secondary to ensuring work, and are not mandatory for every task.
• The RACI chart should be kept up to date and notifications provided when changes are made to it
• Assign only one accountable person per task. Restricting the accountable role to one person makes it clear who must approve the work. It reduces confusion about decisions for the responsible workers. This is sometimes called the “Golden Rule” of RACI.
• Some would say that only one person should be Responsible. However, that depends on how granular the matrix assignments are. For some tasks, only one person does the work, but for most, multiple people do the work.

There are rules to using a RACI chart. But there are also guidelines for when to use or not to use a RACI chart.

When Should You Use a RACI Matrix?

The RACI model is helpful for a variety of situations. Most projects can benefit from the role clarity provided by a RACI matrix. After you have determined what the project is expected to deliver, you can begin to determine the resources needed, and develop your RACI matrix.

Having it developed before project kick-off can help everyone understand both team and other stakeholder roles right from the start. It provides a good foundation for everyone on the team to understand who does what.

Later, the RACI matrix can help new team members understand their roles quickly.

‎If a RACI model has not been implemented at project start, the most obvious indicator of the need for RACI is when project processes stall because of role confusion. And it happens! RACI analysis also works in situations where role authority isn't clearly defined.

RACI can also help when people feel overwhelmed because roles aren't clearly defined. The model offers clarity, especially when a project includes a range of stakeholders and spans multiple departments or organizations.

Projects that require frequent decisions can benefit from RACI by clearly indicating who can make these decisions, and who should be consulted. Making good business decisions fast is critical to business success. Yet only 20% of organizations in a  recent study  felt comfortable with their ability to make them. RACI done right can clarify who decides, and whom should be consulted.

The RACI approach also supports complex projects, especially those with many dependencies. Looking at the RACI makes it instantly clear who can provide information about those tasks you depend on, and those that depend on you..

RACI matrices with well thought out delegation for decision-making can instill a sense of empowerment in teams, and grow good decision-making skills among rising stars.

What is the upside of the RACI model?

Perhaps the biggest advantage of RACI charts is that they are simple and easy to understand at a glance.

RACI obviously provides clarity about roles and responsibilities for projects. Making it clear who does what can avoid "too many cooks in the kitchen" and other project illnesses that can befall teams with ambiguous roles.

The RACI model can prevent your team members from being overwhelmed with too many tasks, especially when color-coded by responsibility. On smaller, less complex projects, the project manager can often tell at a glance who might be overloaded.

A RACI model helps you think through the information needs of internal and external stakeholders. Informing key stakeholders outside the team about work progress helps them prepare for the project's outcome.

For stable organizations performing similar kinds of projects over and over, the types of stakeholders will remain similar, so consideration of stakeholder needs can be carried over from project to project.

What is the downside of the RACI model?

For simple projects, it doesn't always make sense to create a formal RACI model and roll it out to the team. The role defining and implementation can prove cumbersome. Sometimes a "less is more" strategy works better if you seek immediate results. .

As with any tool, misapplying or misusing RACI can confuse the issue: for example, can that accountable person really approve a scope change? Making sure that the most important decisions have accountable assigned to someone with the authority to actually decide is crucial.

Misuse of RACI also often leads to misuse of meetings. Failing to declare and stick to the purpose of the meeting can be a major waste of time. It’s important for meeting participants to know why they are there – is it to make a decision, to solve a problem, or just to be briefed?

Also, for organizations relying on support resources, another RAM model may be more applicable, such as CARS, which recognizes support roles. And some frameworks in the  Agile project management methodology  have responsibility and accountability built in, and thus may not need a separate model.

There are multiple ways to present and share a RACI chart. .Whatever format is chosen, it should be understandable and readily available to team members.

Some useful features of a RACI presentation tool include the ability to customize and color-code cells to highlight priority items. Color-coding team member cells can help the project manager see whether anyone is responsible or accountable for too many items. If using an electronic tool, real-time editing capability helps teams see updates as you enter them.

Some matrices include columns for each role, with rows for each task. Others label columns for each team member and rows for each task, then label the role type using its first letter. Here are some popular presentation options:

• Spreadsheet:  Spreadsheets are easy to customize and update. Their rows and columns are perfect for RACI chart purposes and they are easy to update and share.
• PowerPoint:  PowerPoint slides are a popular format for engaging and informing team members about project details. However, regularly updating and sharing changes with everyone can be cumbersome. People could accidentally view an outdated deck.
• Images:  Images may provide information at-a-glance, but they are difficult to update.
• Software tools and templates:  Some project management platforms provide RACI matrix templates. A template makes it easy to assign items, track updates, and share the chart with everyone.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Do you still have questions about RACI diagrams? Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about RACI.

Can you have more than one responsible in a RACI matrix?

• Yes, you can. Each task must have at least one responsible person. But it is OK to have more than one responsible person, as long as the responsible members are clear about what each is supposed to contribute.

Can someone be both R and A in a RACI chart?

• Yes, they can. Assigning accountability and responsibility to one person for simple tasks can streamline work and approval. However, the accountable person carries the consequences if something goes wrong or the task finishes late. For this reason, managers or senior leaders usually hold the accountable role.

What kinds of projects can benefit from RACI

• Nearly all projects can benefit from RACI, or a similar RAM model. But it is especially useful for projects that require significant cross-functional involvement, such as marketing, product development and finance on a new product development project. It’s also especially important for complex projects with lots of task dependencies. A RACI tells those who owns the dependent tasks, or the tasks you depend on.

How do you create a RACI matrix?

• Creating a RACI matrix is easy, especially with one of the many free, customizable spreadsheet or slide presentation matrix templates. Embed your RACI chart as a document into Motion so everyone can easily access the chart anytime, anywhere.

Motion can help take RACI assignments to the next level

Are you ready to take tracking roles and assignments in RACI to the next level? You have lots of projects. They all might have multiple tasks, with changing priorities. You have people assigned. Motion can help you get a handle on all your projects, tasks, people and changing priorities.

Using AI, it can plan and replan your and your team’s schedules, automatically prioritizing work so you don’t have to. You can block off time for deep work and personal commitments. Motion automatically builds and rebuilds your schedule based on changing priorities. It automatically finds time for a meeting that works for all your selected participants.

‎Add tasks, subtasks, and team members. Then, watch as Motion uses the power of AI to build a schedule for each team member automatically, and prioritizes tasks according to importance. What happens if someone's schedule changes? Motion reorganizes the schedule and re-creates each team member's daily schedule without a single mouse-click.

More than  30,000 users  around the world already use Motion.  Try Motion  now to help you harness its power to manage your projects and schedules.

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What is the RACI Model?

Project management is constantly evolving in its technology and trends, from RACI to Gantt and back. It’s no wonder that sometimes it feels like a Pandora’s box of different decision makers, project roles, and responsibilities. This is particularly true if you don’t have a project plan and the structures in place to complete the task milestones from start to finish while managing the responsible parties involved.

Without this, it’s pretty easy for the right hand to be in the dark about what the left hand is doing. One steadfast method involves the use of something called a RACI chart. In this blog, we’ll cover what the RACI model is, why it’s important for a healthy project management environment, and how to implement it the right way.

What does RACI mean?

The acronym RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed . This is how each of the 4 components is defined:

• Responsible: a manager or team member who is directly responsible for successfully completing a project task.
• Accountable: the person with final authority over the successful completion of the specific task or deliverable.
• Consulted: someone with unique insights the team will consult.
• Informed: a client or executive who isn’t directly involved, but you should keep up to speed.

There are other variations of this method. RACI is the base level, the vanilla ice cream of responsibility matrices. Other versions add their own unique flavors — peanut butter, cookies, and more. RASCI, for example adds the 5th level, support, to the matrix. This could look like a senior developer who works on another project but also has unique experience working with APIs.

What is RACI in project management?

Also called a RACI matrix, RACI charts are a type of responsibility assignment matrices in project management. These simple spreadsheets or tables highlight the different states of responsibility a stakeholder has over a particular task or deliverable and denotes it with the letters R, A, C, or I. It’s typically implemented by color-coding each responsibility level and creating a simple table layout.

Generally, nobody should have more than a single responsibility level for each deliverable or activity group in the RACI chart.  In this example, we’ve given every person some level of involvement to keep things simple. But when you make a real model for more than four people, there’s often more white space. We will get more into how class RACI looks and functions later.

Why do you need a RACI?

The goal of the RACI model is to bring structure and clarity regarding the roles that stakeholders play within a project. This responsibility assignment matrix instills confidence in each responsible person because they know what they are doing— this type of stakeholder engagement is crucial, according to a 2020 study by Wellingtone . In fact, it was ranked as the highest-valued project management process.

RACI provides a concrete and intentional framework to manage all relationships appropriately, from start to finish. A large scale project could involve many stakeholders, like:

• Government regulators
• VIP clients and project sponsors
• Company executives
• Business analysts
• Internal users of the product

Mapping all of their responsibilities out from the beginning and sharing them is an excellent way to avoid miscalculations and blunders that could cost you precious time and money. And of course, it will contribute to your overall stakeholder engagement efforts.

Research-backed tips for effective stakeholder engagement

Before we get into the technical components of creating a RACI chart, let’s dive into stakeholder engagement briefly. A recent McKinsey study highlighted three key areas for engaging external stakeholders effectively — a corporate purpose, active use of technology, and organizational agility.

( Image Source )

How can you apply this research? Check out these tips.

1. Map out deliverables and activity groups thoroughly before using RACI

Don’t jump immediately into assigning individual responsibilities. Start by consulting with subject matter experts and accurately mapping out the moving parts. Only once you’ve got a clear outline of your project can you make educated decisions. That could be your Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) or a project roadmap.

2. Don’t be afraid to give responsibility to less senior staff

Assigning the accountable role to a high-level executive or project manager for all tasks is a mistake. Since they have the final say on when a job is complete, you instantly create a bottleneck. Instead, don’t be afraid to assign that role to experienced staff on the project team itself, who is most familiar with the work.

3. Standardize the approach across departments and locations

While a single project team is good, stakeholder relationships don’t exist in a vacuum. Your whole organization must get on board to truly maximize the return on investment. Make distributed responsibility and decision-making part of your corporate purpose. Everyone — from executive to intern — must be on the same page.

4. Use the right digital tools to implement RACI at scale

A written memo isn’t enough to standardize your methods and remove departmental silos. Use digital tools to build a platform for efficient RACI implementation and stakeholder management.

Who uses a RACI matrix?

Even though the RACI model is a project manager’s useful tool for stakeholder management, that doesn’t mean it should be used for all projects. The deciding factors on who uses it relate to the scale of the project and the company structure.

Use the RACI matrix for projects that are:

• Large-scale with clear-cut deliverables or workgroups
• For organizations with static roles and responsibilities
• Involving a wide variety of stakeholders for different aspects
• Spanning multiple departments
• In highly regulated industries

Don’t use the RACI matrix for:

• Small, single-department projects — it’s likely not necessary
• Teams working with an Agile framework like Scrum

In Agile organizations, cross-functional teams and collaboration is the default. So task responsibility depends on the employees’ initiative rather than a top-down decision. For Agile teams, implementing a hard version of RACI will likely not be helpful, as teams should be self-organizing.

What should a RACI include? RACI model guidelines

RACI has a set of general guidelines to help you implement the method successfully:

• Only 1 accountable per task or deliverable.
• Only 1 responsibility type per person. If you don’t follow this, the RACI matrix will be more confusing than helpful.
• The accountable person needs to have the authority to help finish the task.
• Only the responsible and accountable roles are mandatory for every task. Not every task is complex enough to need outside input or warrant informing anyone else.
• Prioritize effective communication with the consulting person.
• Always keep all stakeholders informed. Even the lowest level needs to know about updates and changes to the project.

How to create a RACI chart with monday.com

While there is a wide variety of project management apps out there, in the particular case of a RACI, monday.com project management provides an outstanding offering of robust integrations and extensibility that allow you to build the exact platform you need to manage this structure and more.

You can get started much quicker with our RACI matrix template and share it with the entire team. Keep track of the RACI roles for all project activities and easily see project phases and individual deliverables for each.

In addition to customizations on columns, statuses, and more, easily assign roles to internal users or guest users created for external stakeholders. All assigned roles will automatically get informed of status changes to the work item.

Here are a few more ways you can get the most out of your RACI matrix.

Continually update and revise to reflect the real-time statuses

An out-of-date RACI diagram helps nobody. Use board permissions to let responsible users directly edit the status of the row themselves.

Keep stakeholders involved with shared boards and dashboards

With monday.com, you can easily give them viewer access to project and workflow boards. That way, they know the actual status of the project in real-time. They can then use that information to guide their decisions. You can also inform stakeholders of crucial changes automatically with automations.

Our integrations with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Gmail let you send messages based on status changes, new items, missed due dates, and more.

Remove data silos to keep everyone on the same page

Naturally, every department uses a different set of tools and applications. monday.com’s robust integrations make it easy to bring all of this data And even if you use custom business apps, you can easily integrate them into monday.com using our API and 50+ pre-built adaptors.

RAPID vs.RACI— What’s the difference?

Sometimes when you want to define RACI, it’s important to use another method for comparison.

RAPID and RACI are both two important tools for project managers, but they have different functions. As we have seen, the RACI method revolves around deliverables and the key person responsible throughout each stage of the process. RAPID however, focuses primarily on the decision-making process and the actions made by an organization.

You can see the breakdown of RAPID here:

While making a key decision is a part of the project management process, it’s not the whole journey. The RACI framework outlines who should do a task, who to keep in the loop, and who gets the final say.

Empower stakeholders and don’t miss a beat with monday.com RACI charts

The RACI matrix is an excellent method for assigning responsibilities and keeping stakeholders engaged throughout the journey because it clarifies where everyone should focus their energy and makes it easy for people to lead the way in their area of expertise.

That being said, the platform and tools you use to make it automated and up to date can have a significant impact on its success. Use our RACI template and share it with your entire team to ensure everyone understands and deals with it accordingly.

• Project change management
• Project risk management
• Project schedule management

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The Defense Acquisition Encyclopedia

Program Management

A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) describes the participation of various organizations, people, and their roles in completing tasks or deliverables for a project. The Program Manager (PM) uses it to clarify roles and responsibilities in a cross-functional team , projects, and processes. A RAM has four primary assignments: Responsible , Accountable , Consulted , and Informed (also called a RACI matrix).

Definition: A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) describes the role and responsibilities of various people and/or organizations in completing specific tasks for a project.

Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed (RACI) Matrix

A RAM is called a Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed (RACI) matrix. The PMBOK Guide 4th Edition defines RACI as a RAM that illustrates the connections between work packages or activities and project team members. In fundamental terms, RAM refers to the framework in place to distribute duties to individuals where, in a RACI, each team member is assigned a role based on one of the four roles. On larger projects, RAMs can be developed at various levels.

• Responsible (R): Those who do the work to achieve the task. There is typically one role with a participation type of responsibility, although others can be delegated to assist in the work required.
• Accountable (A): The one ultimately accountable for the correct and thorough completion of the deliverable or task, and the one to whom Responsible is accountable. In other words, an Accountable must sign off (Approve) on work that Responsible provides. There must be only one Accountable specified for each task or deliverable.
• Consulted (C): Those whose opinions are sought and with whom there is two-way communication.
• Informed (I): Those who are kept up-to-date on progress, often only on completion of the task or deliverable, and with whom there is just one-way communication.

Benefit of Utilizing a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)

The RAM holds substantial advantages for project managers by clarifying the importance of their processes within the team. It fosters a sense of collective contribution among all employees, eliminating the sense of isolation. This project management technique, the RAM, empowers every team member to grasp the broader context of their work. Instead of simply instructing an administrative assistant to collect phone numbers without context, you can refer them to this valuable resource. By using the RAM, employees become more engaged in achieving positive results as they comprehend the alignment of their contributions with the company’s overall operations.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) Goal in Project Management

A RAM is used in project management as a communication tool to ensure that work tasks are designated as a responsible agent. A RAM can define what a project team is responsible for within each component of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) . It could also be used within a working group to designate roles, responsibilities, and levels of authority for specific activities. The matrix format shows all activities associated with one person and all people associated with one activity. This ensures that only one person is accountable for any task to avoid confusion.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) Tutorial

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) Standard Format

A RAM is displayed as a chart that illustrates the interaction between work packages that need to be done and project team members. Typically, the list of objectives is on the left-hand column with the project team member names across the top. Each work package will be assigned to the appropriate project team member. The chart aids in communication among the project team members.

No one should typically have more than one degree of responsibility for any given deliverable or activity group in the RAM chart. To simplify things, we’ve assigned each participant in this scenario a certain amount of commitment. However, there is frequently white space when you create a genuine model for more than four people. In some situations, it’s okay to have someone with secondary responsibility but not primary.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) Template

Template: responsibility assignment matrix (ram) (excel), 6 steps to developing a responsibility assignment matrix (ram).

Below is a list of the 6 (six) most common steps in developing a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM).

• Step 1: List all project tasks and deliverables
• Step 2: Identify all project stakeholders
• Step 3: Determine the responsibility and accountability level for each task and deliverable
• Step 4: Assign stakeholders to each task
• Step 5: Assign overall stakeholder
• Step 6: Ensure all stakeholder know their responsibility

Developing Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) Matrix Best Practices

Below is a list of best practice topics that can help Program Managers effectively build and use a Responsibility Assignment Matrix.

• One stakeholder is in charge per task.
• The least amount of people accountable, the better.
• Be Efficient with Meetings.
• Constant Communication.
• Stakeholders agree on final RAM

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) Lessons Learned

A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a tool used in project management to identify and clarify the roles and responsibilities of the different people or groups working on a project. The goal of making a RAM is to make sure that all tasks are done and that responsibilities don’t overlap or get missed. Here are some things you can learn to make sure your RAM is built right:

• Define the project’s goals and scope in detail:  Before making a RAM, it’s important to have a clear idea of the project’s goals and scope. This will help make sure that all necessary tasks are included and that the responsibilities are in line with the overall project goals.
• Find out who all the stakeholders are and what their roles are:  A RAM should have a list of all the people or groups involved in the project, such as internal team members, external partners, and customers. There should be roles and responsibilities for each stakeholder.
• Give each stakeholder specific tasks and responsibilities:  Instead of giving each stakeholder a general role, it is important to give them specific tasks and responsibilities. This will help make sure that no one’s responsibilities get mixed up or left out.
• Make sure that all stakeholders know about and understand the RAM:  It is important to make sure that all stakeholders know about and understand the RAM. This can be done by having regular meetings and giving updates, as well as by putting the RAM in writing.
• Review and update the RAM often: As the project moves forward, it may be necessary to review and update the RAM. This can help make sure that the RAM stays correct and helps the project reach its goals.

Difference Between a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RMA) and a Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed (RACI) Matrix

The PMBOK Guide 4th Edition defines RACI as a RAM that is used to illustrate the connections between work packages in a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and project team members. The difference between a RAM matrix and RACI matrix is:

• A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) describes the participation of various organizations, people, and their roles in completing tasks or deliverables in a Work Break Down Structure (WBS) for a project.
• A Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed (RACI) matrix is used on projects where multiple groups of people as assigned a task. It helps on larger projects with a lot of people and organizations. It also helps with outside stakeholders and their responsibilities on a project.
• A RACI can have multiple RAM within it.

AcqLinks and References:

• Template: Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) Template (Word)
• Template: Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) Template (Excel)

Updated: 1/11/2024

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What is the RACI Chart in Project Management?

Fahad Usmani, PMP

April 7, 2024

A RACI chart is a vital project management document and a useful tool for project managers. This project document is often known as the “RACI matrix” because it visually looks like a matrix. This chart helps stakeholders see team members’ roles and responsibilities for all project activities and tasks.

A RACI chart helps reduce project conflicts. It allows stakeholders to see their roles and responsibilities so they won’t interfere with other team members’ roles. It ensures smooth communication among stakeholders and facilitates easier decision-making.

In today’s blog post, I will explain RACI charts in detail, including an example and their pros and cons.

Let’s get started.

What is a RACI Chart?

A RACI chart is a type of responsibility assignment matrix in project management that shows each stakeholder’s responsibility and assignment on a chart. This chart can be an Excel sheet or a simple Word table with stakeholders in one column and others showing their involvement with the task using the letters R, A, C, and I.

RACI stands for “responsible,” “accountable, “consulted,” and “informed.”

Responsible

These stakeholders or groups of stakeholders are responsible for the assigned tasks. They complete the task, and each task has at least one responsible stakeholder. Responsible stakeholders are mostly the project team members.

Accountable

These stakeholders ensure the responsible person can complete the task on time, as expected. Each task has only one accountable stakeholder. These stakeholders belong to the project team and hold high positions.

These are the stakeholders whose feedback is necessary to complete the task. They are interested in the project or its deliverables and can affect the project if their requirements or feedback are not considered.

These stakeholders include project sponsors, clients, management, etc. Not all tasks require this role, but if one is required, you must ensure that you provide a consultant.

These stakeholders only need to be informed about the task’s progress. They can be low-power or low-interest stakeholders; you only have to inform them. These stakeholders are generally outside the project team or organization, such as the local community.

Not every task has an informed role assigned to it.

A RACI chart outlines each team member’s duties, tasks, and expectations. This helps avoid conflict, as no two team members will fight over any one assignment. They will be motivated, take ownership of their tasks, and perform better.

RASCI Model: A RASCI chart is a popular variant of a RACI chart. Only one extra role has been added: “Supportive.” This role supports the “responsible” team member in completing the task.

When Should You Use a RACI Matrix?

You should use a RACI chart for all projects, regardless of size and complexity.

For example, during a project, I was responsible for preparing the daily progress report, getting it signed by the client, and submitting it to our project administrator. The project administrator was responsible for preparing a summary report and sending it to management for their information (i.e., their role was “informed.”)

A RACI chart is important for complex projects so that stakeholders can find the right team member to contact if any task is delayed and requires immediate attention.

A RACI chart can help you answer these questions:

• Who should I contact to get the job done?
• Who should approve this request?
• Who has final authority on the production release?
• Can I copy this stakeholder on the email?
• Why was I not informed of this change?

Example of a RACI Chart and How to Create it?

Creating a RACI chart is easy. List all project tasks in the first left column and role in the top row. Now, enter RACI for each task in the corresponding cell, as shown in the above image, and you are done. You can create the above chart in Excel or Word.

You can use color coding to make your RACI chart interactive and quickly see the important details. You can quickly determine if any team member is overwhelmed with too many assignments or tasks and has more than one accountable stakeholder.

Based on the above steps, let’s construct a RACI chart for a project involving an Agile Scrum Team.

First, identify a work package or activities, such as:

• Scope Definition
• Product Backlog Maintenance
• Sprint Planning
• Backlog Refinement
• Daily Stand-Up Meeting
• Sprint Review
• Sprint Retrospective
• User Story Development and Testing
• Code Deployment
• Sprint Metrics

The next step is identifying the team members, teams, or job titles.

The job titles are:

• Scrum Master
• Product Owner
• Development Team
• Project Manager
• Program Manager
• Project Sponsor

With this information, a RACI chart can be constructed as shown below:

Only one team member can be accountable for a task. If the task is big, more than one “responsible” can be assigned. There can also be many consulting roles, and the task can have the highest number of informed stakeholders.

After preparing a RACI chart, you will analyze each cell for roles and responsibilities. This will remove ambiguities when assigning roles for work packages or activities. 

After scanning the chart, you can see that no “R” is assigned to the Daily Stand-up meeting. The development team is responsible for this meeting, sharing updates such as completed work, planned work for the next day, etc. They should be assigned “R” and not “C.”

Likewise, Sprint Metrics has “R” assigned to both the Product Owner and Development Team and no assignment of “C.” This confuses who is responsible for this activity. The Product Owner could be consulted since the development team works on the Sprint tasks to help arrive at the metrics. Hence, “R” for the Product Owner could be changed to “C.”

Once these changes are made, the updated RACI chart will look like this:

It is important to review the RACI chart regularly and keep it updated. You must communicate any changes to the RACI chart to stakeholders.

The following are the best practices to create a RACI chart:

• Limit the number of “Responsible” and “Accountable” roles to one per single activity or work package. This will help avoid conflict or accountability for each task or work package.
• Assign “Responsible” and “Accountable” roles in every row. Each activity must have a “Responsible” and “Accountable” role.
• Share the RACI chart with team members and ensure that they understand it to avoid any issues at later stages. Always keep the RACI chart updated.
• Limit the number of “Consulted” roles. The more consultation roles there are, the more time consultation will take, and the more project progress will be affected.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a RACI Chart

The benefits of the RACI matrix outweigh the drawbacks. But I will provide both.

• Work Assignment Clarity: Once the roles are defined, team members will not step on each other’s toes. Work will continue within the defined boundaries, making project delivery seamless and less challenging.
• Workload Understanding: The chart will show whether a team member is overloaded or can be assigned more tasks. For instance, a worker who is assigned multiple duties may not do them well since they must juggle their time to complete them all. Thanks to the chart, the project manager will have the information they need to make changes. The chart shows whether team members work beyond their limits due to overload.
• Team Organization: The team will function more efficiently when everyone knows their duties and responsibilities. As tasks are assigned to the appropriate team members, achieving a shared goal will become more feasible. Since the team will have created the RACI chart collaboratively, there won’t be any future conflicts.
• Smooth Transition: Employee turnover is a concern in any organization, and when it happens, project managers seek a smooth transition of employees into and out of their projects. A well-defined RACI chart can facilitate smooth handoffs between staff in certain situations.
• Organizational Objective Alignment: A RACI chart can help convey the organization’s overall objectives to employees at all levels. Each team member will be aware of their contributions when attaining organizational aims and objectives.
• Improved Stakeholder Engagement: With a clear definition of roles and responsibilities, the team will know which stakeholders need to be consulted or informed, and they will share their progress accordingly.
• Self-Organization Promotion: Once the RACI matrix is shared with the team, self-organization becomes simpler because the responsibilities are clearly defined and outlined, thus increasing stakeholder participation.

Disadvantages

• In larger projects, a RACI matrix can add complexity.
• While RACI helps define roles, it does not demarcate the relationships between project team members.
• If a particular task has more than one “R” (i.e., “Responsible”), then confusion may arise about who is responsible for the task or action.
• Not all tasks can be captured in a RACI matrix. 
• It is time-consuming to break down tasks granularly and assign owners accordingly.

RACI Triangle: The RACI triangle shows the roles for each task.

RACI Matrix Alternatives

Some popular RACI matrix alternatives are:

• RASCI Chart: This chart is also known as the “RASCI matrix.” The letter “S” is added, which means “Supportive.” This role supports responsible team members in completing the task. They are not responsible for the outcome.
• DACI Chart: DACI stands for “Driver, Approver, Contributor, Informed.” This chart mainly outlines the project’s decision-making roles and responsibilities. The project manager mostly plays the “Driver” role by guiding the team to a decision.
• RAPID Chart: RAPID stands for “Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide.” This decision-making framework is also used to define authority vs. accountability. The “Recommend” role suggests action, and the “Decide” role makes decisions. 
• CARS: CARS stands for “Communicate, Approval, Responsible, and Support.” This model categorizes stakeholders according to their role in the project. “Communicate” means people who are consulted and informed. The “Approval” role is for the decision maker. The “Responsible” team member does the work, and the “Support” members support the responsible team members in completing the job.
• CLAM: CLAM stands for “Contribute, Lead, Approve, and Monitor.” “Contribute” does the work; “Lead” people are accountable for the task; “Approve” people are decision-makers; and “Monitor” people are those who are being monitored throughout the project.

Some other, less commonly known RACI chart alternatives are:

• ARCI: Accountable, Responsible, Consulted, Informed
• PACSI: Perform, Accountable, Control, Suggest, Informed
• RACIQ: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed, Quality Review
• RACI-VS: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed, Verifier, Signatory
• CAIRO: Consulted, Accountable, Informed, Responsible, Omitted
• RATSI: Responsibility, Authority, Task, Support, Informed

A RACI chart is a key tool in project management that clarifies stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities. By defining who is “Responsible,” “Accountable,” “Consulted,” and “Informed” for each task, you can execute projects efficiently, with reduced conflicts and confusion, as well as improved communication. RACI charts ensure accountability, produce better teamwork and increase the chances of project success.

This topic is important from a PMP exam point of view.

I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.

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Responsibility Assignment Matrix: A Complete Overview

Dive into the world of Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAMs), which helps assign roles and responsibilities and how they streamline Project Management. This comprehensive blog explains their purpose, benefits, and practical use, enabling effective role definition and accountability in project teams. Continue reading!

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This comprehensive blog aims to provide you with a complete overview of the Responsibility Assignment Matrix and its pivotal role in Project Management and organisational structure. 

Table of Content 

1) What is a Responsibility Assignment Matrix in Project Management? 

2)  Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) goal in Project Management 

3) How to create a Responsibility Assignment Matrix? 

4) Benefits of Responsibility Assignment Matrix 

5) Developing Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) best practices 

6) Conclusion  

What is a Responsibility Assignment Matrix in Project Management? 

A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) in project management is a tool that outlines and defines the roles and responsibilities of individuals or groups involved in a project. Its purpose is to ensure that everyone understands their specific duties and tasks. The primary purpose of a RAM is to bring clarity to the project structure, helping to prevent confusion, overlap, and accountability issues throughout the project lifecycle.

RAM in Project Management is also known as Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed (RACI). RACI represents different levels of roles and responsibilities for individuals or teams:

a) Responsible: The individual or group in responsible for finishing a certain job or project. They are the ones who perform the work.

b) Accountable: The individuals who have complete responsibility and decision-making authority over the job or result. They ensure that the task is completed and of satisfactory quality.

c) Consulted: Individuals or stakeholders are consulted for their views or skills before to making a decision or taking actions. They contribute essential insights but may not be directly responsible for the task.

d) Informed: Individuals or stakeholders who need regular updates on the task’s progress or result. They are not actively involved in its conclusion, but they must be notified of any advancements.  

Responsibility Assignment Matrix goal in Project Management 

The primary goal of a Responsibility Assignment Matrix in Project Management is to clearly define and communicate the roles and responsibilities of individuals or teams involved in a project. Here are the key goals of using a RAM in Project Management: 

a) Clear roles and responsibilities: The RAM establishes clear roles and responsibilities for each team member, minimising confusion and conflicts.

b) Enhanced communication: Documenting roles and responsibilities concisely in the RAM facilitates effective communication within the project team. Also, enabling quick identification of contacts for specific issues or inquires.

c) Conflict resolution: BY operating a reference point, the RAM helps to resolve conflicts or misunderstandings about responsibilities, providing a foundation for conversation and conflict resolution.

d) Improved project control: With the RAM in place, Project Managers and stakeholders can more easily monitor project progress, identifying task accountability and monitoring work package status.

e) Efficiency and accountability: By allocating responsibility to each project aspect, the RAM promotes accountability among team members, resulting in increased efficiency as everyone understands their duties and expectations.

f) Risk Management: The clear roles of RAM help detect potential hazards associated with functional gaps or overlaps, enabling proactive risk mitigation strategies.  

g) Optimal Resource Allocation: Project managers can optimise resource allocation by understanding task ownership and workload distribution as described in the RAM.

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How to create a Responsibility Assignment Matrix? 

Identify the project scope 

Start by recognising the project's scope or the exact purpose for which you are building RAM. This includes establishing project objectives, outcomes, and critical milestones.

Define roles and responsibilities 

a) Identify the key roles involved in the project. Common roles may include Project Manager, Team Leader, Team Member, Stakeholders, and other relevant positions. 

b) Clearly define the responsibilities associated with each role. These responsibilities should be specific and measurable so there is no ambiguity. 

Choose a framework - RACI, RASCI, or DACI 

a) Select a framework for your RAM. The most commonly used frameworks are RACI, RASCI, and DACI: 

b) RACI: RACI   Stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. It defines who is responsible for a task, who is accountable for its completion, who needs to be consulted, and who needs to be informed. 

c) RASCI: RASCI Similar to RACI, but with an additional role, the "S" for Support. This framework further clarifies who provides support for a task. 

d) DACI: This framework is similar to RASCI but adds the role of Driver. The Driver is responsible for ensuring that a task is completed. 

Assign roles using the framework 

a) For each task or work package within the project, assign the relevant roles using the chosen framework. Each task should have a Responsible person, an Accountable person, and, if necessary, people who need to be Consulted, Informed, or Supported. 

b) Be specific and ensure that there is only one person designated as "Accountable" for each task to avoid confusion. 

Document the RAM 

a) Create a table or chart that lists all the tasks or work packages on one axis and the identified roles on the other. 

b) Fill in the matrix with the appropriate role designations (R, A, C, I, S, D) for each task and role. 

Review and validate 

Share the RAM with the project team and stakeholders for evaluation and approval. Confirm that everyone agrees on the roles and responsibilities.

Implement and communicate 

Once the RAM has been completed and approved, communicate it to the project team and other stakeholders. Ensure that everyone understands their jobs and responsibilities. 

Regularly update the RAM 

As the project evolves, it is critical to improve the RAM as necessary. Roles and duties might shift, and new tasks may develop. Keep the RAM current to reflect the project's evolving needs.

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Benefits of Responsibility Assignment Matrix

a) Clarify roles and responsibilities: A RAM clearly defines who is responsible for each task, which helps prevent confusion and ensures that team members understand their roles.

b) Improved communication: The RAM serves as a central reference point for roles and responsibilities, promoting effective communication within the project team. Team members can quickly identify who to contact for specific issues or questions.

c) Conflict resolution: When there is a dispute or ambiguity regarding responsibilities, the RAM provides a basis for discussion and conflict resolution. It helps identify where accountability lies and facilitates problem-solving.

d) Enhanced project control: The RAM allows Project Managers and stakeholders to monitor and manage the project's development.  It helps you to track the status of assignments and ensure that tasks are getting done as planned.

e) Efficiency and accountability: Clearly defined roles and responsibilities create a sense of responsibility among team members, maybe resulting in improved productivity. When people understand what is required of them, and they are more likely to fulfil it.

f) Resource allocation: The RAM helps Project Managers optimise resource allocation by understanding who is responsible for specific tasks. This ensures that workloads are distributed evenly and that resources are used efficiently. 

Developing Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) best practices 

Developing a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) is a critical aspect of project management. To create an effective RAM, consider the following best practices: 

a) Involve key stakeholders: Define roles and responsibilities after consulting with project stakeholders, team members, and subject matter experts. Their participation can provide useful information about the project's objectives. 

b) Keep it simple: Use a simple framework (e.g., RACI, RASCI, or DACI) that team members are able to quickly understand and use.

c) Use clear and specific language: In order to prevent confusion, write tasks clearly and precisely. Avoid using confusing or unclear terms that may lead to confusion.

d) Designate a single "accountable" person: Assign only one person as "Accountable" for each task. This individual is ultimately responsible for the task's completion. Multiple accountable persons can lead to confusion and accountability issues. 

e) Consult and inform appropriately:   It is important to carefully consider the individuals who need to be consulted and informed for each task. Avoid unnecessary involvement, which can lead to inefficiency. Ensure that the right people are included in these roles. 

f) Review and validate with the team: Share the RAM with the project team and stakeholders for feedback and validation. Ensure that all parties agree with the assigned roles and responsibilities. 

g) Document assumptions and clarifications: If certain roles and responsibilities are based on assumptions or require clarification, document these notes alongside the RAM. This can help avoid misunderstandings in the future. 

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Conclusion  

A Responsibility Assignment Matrix is an important tool in Project Management and organisational systems. Its importance comes from its capacity to define, assign, and explain the roles and responsibilities, resulting in improved project effectiveness and performance.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Creating a Responsibility Matrix is appropriate for the project's initiation stage. It outlines roles, duties, and communication channels to promote responsibility throughout the project's lifecycle. 

The Responsibility Assignment Matrix or RACI model divides tasks as Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed. It promotes transparency and accountability among the project group.

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Creating a RACI matrix: define your team’s roles and responsibilities

How to create and use a RACI Matrix

Working on a complex project can be rewarding, stimulating, and, if we’re honest, frustrating. There are numerous elements that could grind a project manager’s gears, from delays to cost overruns . But there is little more frustrating than realizing too late that a member of the team had no idea they were accountable for a key component of the project.

No matter how talented and experienced your people are or how in-depth your project plan is, mistakes will happen if your team aren’t clear about their responsibilities. Being transparent about who needs to be involved and to what extent on every project task may feel overwhelming. Luckily, there’s a simple way to lay out this information and avoid mistakes due to unclear assignments.

Let’s discuss the RACI matrix and how you can create one to define your team’s roles and responsibilities.

What is a RACI matrix?

A RACI matrix, or RACI chart , is a type of responsibility assignment matrix that’s about making responsibilities clear. In simple terms, it’s a diagram that lists the tasks that make up a project and who is responsible for each task.

RACI stands for the four different levels of involvement someone may have in a task, Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. The ‘tasks’ listed can cover anything from a major milestone to a decision.

The function of a RACI matrix is to limit confusion about who should be responsible for what. That means less finger-pointing, avoidance tactics, and miscommunication when a difficult call needs to be made or an error needs addressing.

Is using a RACI matrix right for my project?

Using a RACI matrix will benefit most projects. However, there are specific scenarios where it’ll work best, such as for projects with a huge number of moving parts. If your project requires the team to work on multiple larger tasks at the same time or involves more than one external team, a RACI matrix will help keep you keep on top of everything.

Equally, that means there are certain projects where a RACI matrix may not be suitable. For example, if a project is relatively simple and responsibilities can be communicated clearly through the team using traditional methods, setting up a RACI matrix might not be worth it. Weigh up the effort of creating a RACI matrix against the benefits it could offer your team and project to see if it’s worthwhile.

RACI matrixes are popular in project management but can also be used for software development, business analytics, construction, and website development, among other disciplines.

A RACI matrix can be useful if:

• The team are known to forget their responsibilities
• There is a culture of finger-pointing
• Workload ends up being unevenly distributed throughout the team
• There is high turnover in the team
• Approvals need to be made quickly and efficiently

A RACI matrix may not be helpful if:

• The project is small
• The same team members retain the same level of responsibility across all tasks
• The team is known for its effective communication and healthy approach to collaboration

How to create a RACI matrix for project management

Now that we know what a RACI matrix is and what it is helpful for (and not helpful for) let’s delve into how to create one. This will help you better manage your team as a project manager.

Understand the definitions

The first step is to understand what RACI means. As mentioned, this stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. Let’s go over what each means.

• Responsible : This team member is responsible for doing the work needed to complete the task. This assignment is task-oriented and can relate to a whole team. There has to be at least one responsible person assigned to each task.
• Accountable : This team member takes charge of delegating work and has the final say over whether a task has been completed successfully or not. This assignment is focused on the outcome. There should only be one Accountable person for each task.
• Consulted : There may be multiple Consulted individuals assigned to a task, depending on its complexity. These people offer unique insights based on expertise and provide feedback on the task based on this and how it’ll impact their future work.
• Informed : Informed team members need to be kept up-to-date on progress relating to the specific task, but they aren’t directly involved. They may be a client or executive.

As you may have realized, some assignments will overlap. For example, the person Responsible for completing the task may also be Accountable.

List the deliverables

Now, let's go over how to set your RACI chart up. The easiest way to do this is using an Excel spreadsheet or similar. 

Start by writing ‘Task’ in cell A1. Then, input the list of tasks that need to be completed in your project below the title in column A. This can include individual tasks, deliverables, milestones, and decisions.

If you like to organize your tasks by category or project phase, you can add headers for each section to divide these up. How you approach this will be dependent on your style of organization and existing project plan.

Add your team members

Starting from cell B1, list the project roles that make up your team in the cells along row 1. You can include your team members’ names if this is going to be helpful. You may also need to include external stakeholders or suppliers if they will be involved, including those who will be assigned as Informed.

Assign the RACI values

The final step is to assign a RACI value to each person against each task. Go through the sheet line by line and populate your matrix based on the definitions above. 

You can even create a separate tab that details the definitions of each role. This can then be used to create a simple drop-down using ‘ data validation ’ if you find this easier than typing in each letter. It can also help avoid errors or typos.

Here’s an example of what your RACI matrix could look like:

Now that you can see it laid out, it becomes clear why a RACI matrix is helpful in keeping track of responsibilities and tasks.

Inform your team

RACI matrixes work best when they’re created collaboratively. Instead of simply assigning responsibilities and expecting your team to fall into line, inform them of your decisions and give them an opportunity to give feedback before finalizing your chart.

Remember the rules and best practices

When you begin using a new, unfamiliar tool, it's best to start out by abiding by its rules and best practices.

Best practices:

• Make sure everyone has been made aware of the decisions you’ve made about their responsibilities before the RACI matrix is approved.
• Don’t add meetings, reports, or repetitive to-dos to the matrix; instead, focus on tasks, milestones, and important decisions that drive the project forward.
• Make sure the task names are recognizable when compared with your project plan. This will help you track progress and pull up details quickly.

RACI rules:

• Don’t forget to assign at least one Responsible person to each task
• Don’t be tempted to assign more than one Accountable person. Doing so will confuse matters further!
• Dole out Responsible assignments carefully so no one person is overwhelmed by tasks.
• Involve every member of your team in every task, even if that means a few individuals are informed on multiple tasks.

The benefits of using a RACI matrix

If you’re not already convinced of the merits of creating a RACI matrix for your current project, let’s review some of the top benefits.

Clarified roles

Clearly delegating roles is fundamental to running a successful project. Even the tightest-knit teams can have slips in communication, and even the most organized individuals can forget a task on their to-do list. 

A RACI matrix makes it clear in no uncertain terms what needs to be done and the role that each person plays in each of those tasks. WIth inflexible definitions supplied for the four assigned roles, there is little room for misinterpretation.

Smooth handovers

When a key team member leaves and a new starter needs to be onboarded, mistakes can occur. With a RACI chart in place, it’s clear what responsibilities a leaver’s replacement needs to be picked up — including what is urgent — even if they’ve forgotten to add it to their handover. A RACI chart can even come in handy when workload needs to be reassigned during paid time off.

Ensures all eventualities are covered

As a project commences, it can be easy to get caught in the weeds. By setting your RACI chart up early, you protect yourself from tasks or decisions being forgotten along the way.

Optimized communication

Having a RACI chart available for all team members to refer to makes it clear when stakeholders need to be informed of updates so they aren’t left out of the loop unintentionally.

Alternatives to RACI charts

There are several alternative ways to approach responsibility assignments. If a RACI chart isn’t the right fit for you, you may be interested in trying out one of these alternatives.

• DACI chart: Standing for Driver, Approver, Contributor, and Informed, a DACI chart seeks to make decision-making roles clear.
• RAPID: Standing for Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide, a RAPID responsibility matrix is useful in clarifying authority versus accountability, with the Recommend role taking charge of driving the project forward and the Decide role having ultimate responsibility for decision-making.
• RASCI matrix: This final alternative adds a fifth role to the RACI mix. The Supportive role isn’t responsible for any outcomes, instead acting as a support to the Responsible individual.

Run smoother projects with Forecast

Making the roles and responsibilities in your team clearer is critical to project success, but it is only one part of the puzzle. Forecast offers a whole host of tools, from auto-generating reports to detailed project plans, that make the life of a project manager or scrum master easier.

Try Forecast out for yourself by signing up for a free trial below.

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A Definitive Guide to the RACI Chart

Smaller teams are much easier to manage, because you know them personally and you can make sure they are all aware of their roles and responsibilities.

However, it becomes more difficult to manage a growing team efficiently, leading to compromised organization and potential conflicts.

Therefore, you will use RACI Chart to solve these issues. The RACI Chart is a simple tool that the PMBOK Guide describes in plan resource management process.

The RACI Chart is also known as a RACI Matrix or Linear Responsibility Chart (LRC).

What is a RACI Chart?

A RACI Chart is a type of Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) that shows the roles and tasks assigned to each team member visually.

It identifies the roles and responsibilities of the individuals in tasks and projects. A glance at this chart can help you find out who is assigned to what in particular.

A RACI Chart is useful at all levels of project management; if the project is large, you can create it to connect high-level work packages with the project team, group, or unit. Also, you can make a low-level RACI Chart within teams, groups, or units, and use it to connect the tasks or activities with each individual.

What Does RACI Mean?

RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Informed.

Responsible

This team member is responsible for carrying out the activities required to complete the task. A task must have at least one responsible team member, who is in charge of decision making. A task can have more than one responsible team member.

Accountable

This team member is accountable for the job. In a small project, a team member can be responsible and accountable for the task, but it’s a good idea to separate these roles for larger projects. This team member will be answerable to the project manager about the progress and review of the tasks.

Please keep in mind that all tasks must have a responsible and accountable team member. Though a task can have multiple responsible parties, it is best to have only one that is accountable to individual tasks to avoid confusion and allow faster decision making. There can be more accountable team members for a task if the task is big or complex.

Consulting team members give their input and help define each task. These individuals may be directly impacted by the deliverable being completed and they will interface with you, the project manager, when presenting the deliverable.

These team members need to be contacted if any technical clarification is needed or if the deliverable has to be changed or reviewed.

Responsible and consulting team members must have two-way communication.

These team members have no direct involvement in a particular task but are kept informed about progress. They have the potential to be a replacement if another member leaves the project or is assigned somewhere else.

There is one-way communication with this group of team members.

Benefits of a RACI Matrix

A RACI Matrix is beneficial to managing a project in many ways. Some are as follows:

• Drawing a RACI Chart is easy to use and read.
• It shows how employee workload is managed.
• It prevents team members from being overworked.
• It clarifies who should be contacted for a particular task.
• It removes role confusion.
• It helps eliminating unnecessary tasks.
• It visualizes responsibility and accountability for a particular task.
• It helps to avoid conflict.
• It ensures smooth handoffs.
• It helps the project manager redistribute work, if needed.
• It is a great communication tool.
• It allows the project manager to address particular concerns with the correct team member.
• It enables you to make faster decisions.
• It helps with resource allocation.
• It avoids conflicting assignments and responsibilities.
• It helps team members take responsibility and leadership roles.

Drawbacks of a RACI Chart

The following are a few drawbacks of a RACI Chart:

• Complex projects make for extensive RACI Charts with many team members. It can also be difficult to identify which individual is responsible for any given task.
• A RACI Chart lacks flexibility when it comes to changing assignments, and responsibility and accountability can get mixed up if they are not defined well.

When Should you use a RACI Matrix?

A RACI Chart can be very helpful in managing projects in the following ways:

• If you want to know whether a specific team member is doing their assigned work.
• If there is conflict regarding who will manage a particular task
• If you want to shift a role from one team member to another.
• When management wants to see the role of a team member.

How to Develop a RACI Chart

Creating a RACI Chart is a simple process. You can create one with an Excel sheet or word processor, though the former is recommended as tables are vital to the chart.

The Steps of Creating a RACI Chart:

The steps of creating a RACI Charts are as follows:

List the Role

First of all, make a list of all the roles involved in your project, such as project manager, planning engineer, foreman, construction engineer, quality control engineer, etc.

Enter these roles in the top row of the table as shown in the picture. You can use the names of team members instead if you choose to.

Don’t forget to review the project charter , as it can provide valuable information on important stakeholders.

There is an advantage to entering roles into the chart For example, if a team member leaves the project, you don’t have to update the RACI Chart. On the other hand, entering names makes the project manager’s job easier when many team members share a similar role.

List the Tasks

Now review the project work, breaking it down into tasks and listing them all: developing project plans, identifying risks, testing deliverables, maintaining records, or what have you.

Once this is done, you can enter the information in the first vertical column, as shown in the image.

Assign the Value

Now for each task, you will assign a value:

• For responsible, you will use “R.”
• For accountable, you will use “A.”
• For consult, you will use “C.”
• For informed, you will use “I.”

Some Things to be Aware of While Creating a RACI Matrix

It’s often challenging to distinguish between responsibility and accountability, especially when these roles are shared. This happens when the project is big or complex and requires many resources. You will want to sit down with your team members to define the boundaries and make sure that they understand them.

Sometimes a team member in the informed category may feel left out. You have to explain them why they are kept in that particular group to continue getting their support.

If there are any changes in the roles or tasks, make sure that the RACI Chart is updated to avoid confusion and miscommunication.

A RACI Chart is an excellent tool to manage projects and avoid conflict; however, if not prepared well or if not all stakeholders are on board, there may be issues.

While creating a RACI Chart, please keep the following points in mind:

• Every task must have one person who is responsible.
• Every task must have one accountable person.
• Make sure that the accountable team member has the authority to help the responsible team member complete the job.
• Avoid using too many tiny tasks. This makes the chart messy.
• Try to avoid giving too many responsibilities to a single team member.
• Avoid sharing accountability for a single task.

Some Alternatives to a RACI Chart

You will find many types of Responsibility Assignment Matrixes (RAMs) used in project management; however, they are not discussed here, as they are not mentioned in the PMBOK Guide and are also not necessary for the PMP exam.

Some commonly used RAMs are as follows:

• RATSI (Authority, Responsible, Task, Support, Informed)
• RASCI (Responsible, Accountable, Supportive, Consulted, Informed)
• CARS (Communicate, Approve, Responsible, Support)
• DACI (Drivers, Approver, Consulted, Informed)
• CLAIM (Contributes, Leads, Approves, Informed, Monitors)
• PACSI (Performed, Accountable, Control, Suggested, Informed)
• RAPID (Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide)

A RACI chart is helpful in assigning work and avoiding conflicts. Stakeholders’ support is vital for a chart to be effective. Always update it as soon as any change occurs, as outdated information will nullify a RACI Chart. Make sure all stakeholders understand the terms and agree.

Do you use a RACI Chart in your project or any other type of RAM? Please share your experiences in the comments section below.

This topic is vital for those studying for the PMP exam. You may see questions on the exam that test your understanding of RACI Charts.

8 thoughts on “A Definitive Guide to the RACI Chart”

CLAIM the meaning of “I” is omitted. I think it stands for informed . The information is clear and easily applicable. The RACI chart is an essential for monitoring and controlling projects effectively. Thanks a million, Fahad. Keep up the great work.

Hello Rensom, thanks for letting me know about it.

I use these charts through Primavera P6 but I cannot say those are exactly the same but the concept is the same as of RACI. It is prepared there for all the teams working on our enterprise structure. Later, that is further sent to on-site teams but is updated from head office only for top-level executives.

A RACI chart can be designed in many ways depends on the requirements.

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