RACI Matrix: Responsibility Assignment Matrix Guide 2023

For example, one consulted party per affected team is generally considered best practice to avoid clogging the process with too much input. In Step 2, the business analyst must then delve more deeply into the process to help map out each facet of the business process to be overhauled. The business analyst is thus responsible for the task, with the project executive being accountable for signing off on this work. To better understand the technical underpinnings of the current process, the business analyst will consult with the technical architect.

This helps solidify the commitment of the person in their role on the RACI matrix. Feel free to group tasks by project phase like we’ve done in the RACI chart example below. First, make a list of all the work that needs to be done for your project down the left side of your RACI chart. Enter each project task, milestone, or decision in column A of your Excel worksheet. To build a RACI matrix in Excel, simply follow these 5 steps, using the examples below as your guide. In cases like these, don’t worry about taking the extra step of creating a RACI matrix.

Detailed RACI Matrix Template

RAPID stands for Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide and is another decision-making framework used to define authority vs accountability. The Recommend role kicks things off by suggesting an action, while the Decide role has the ultimate say in how things move forward. Every task needs at least one Responsible party, but it’s okay to assign more.

Of course, activities reported with the Responsible Accountable Consulted Informed framework tend to be high level. This means in turn that it is very unlikely each activity may be completed by a single individual. No problem for that, you should put departments instead of people to give responsibility, or even put the name of the department head or team leader. Even if the team will do the work, he will be responsible to coordinate the team.

RACI chart example

Examples are the sponsor, project manager, team members, analysts and more. It’s often the case that the role of Accountable is not part of the RACI Matrix. In that case, it is assumed this characteristic is joined with that of Responsible.

Since RACI Chart is a linear matrix, it can be hard to adapt it for all organizational structures. Furthermore, some organizations might prefer fewer people to make decisions and micromanagement might even be a necessity due to the lack of an experienced workforce. The first step in creating the RACI matrix is to identify all the tasks involved in a project and to list them. These tasks need to be listed on the left of the RACI chart in proper order of execution. You can get started much quicker with our RACI matrix template and share it with the entire team.

Step 3: Insert a new worksheet for RACI roles and definitions

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. It focuses on assigning decision-making responsibilities between different roles, unlike RACI which is purely task-driven. For example, a sales manager may be accountable for a software development RFP, while the sales rep is responsible for completing the RFP.

Since RACI matrix are high-level, it is common to prepare them in Microsoft PowerPoint rather than Excel or other tools. From the HR point of view, there is little need or desire to influence the outcome of the project. If the activities will be 6 months in delay, then HR will wait 6 months to prepare the training and it will not be the end of the world. However, they may need to know when the project is approaching completion so they can prepare training material. If you are still confused, think about Accountable-Responsible dichotomy with an activity that is performed by an external supplier, say mowing the garden. The Facility Team of your company will be accountable, and they will have the budget to do so, but they will hire an external company to do the actual mowing – that external company will be responsible.

Use the right digital tools to implement RACI at scale

However, apart from this exception, we recommend appointing each characteristic to only one person in the project. When a person falls under multiple characteristics, this could create stagnation in the project because it hinders the completion of specific tasks. RACI gives us a simple language to discuss a complex subject, our roles and how we relate to others around us.

• The RACI
  model is a relatively straightforward tool that can be used for
  identifying roles and responsibilities during an organizational change
  process.
• The RACI chart is one of the important documents in project management and a good communication tool for project managers.
• 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.
• In this post you are going to find out what a RACI matrix is, its meaning, how to make a responsibility matrix, plus some accountability matrix examples, to inspire you.
• And of course, it will contribute to your overall stakeholder engagement efforts.

Once these roles are defined, assignments can be attributed to the roles and work can begin. The RACI matrix, as the name suggests, is a matrix for responsibility assignment. It is created in the form of a linear chart, describing roles and responsibilities for departmental or cross-functional meaning of raci processes and projects. Zoho Projects is an online project management software that helps teams plan projects and track them efficiently to the finish line. By intuitive reporting of project progress and budget health, the solution enables teams to make quick decisions.

Managing people who are older than you

Informed parties are usually outside of the project team and often in different departments. They might include heads or directors of affected teams and senior leadership in a company. Informed folks need to be looped into the progress of a project but not consulted https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ or overwhelmed with the details of every task. They need to know what’s going on because it could affect their work, but they’re not decision makers in the process. Responsible parties are typically on the project team and are usually developers or other creators.

Although it’s important to include roles and the division of tasks, it is not necessary to include details on the activities and responsibilities. RACI Solutions empowers collaboration, accountability, and speed-to-decision for complex organizations and cross-functional teams. We provide training materials, custom workshops, and horizontal leadership development. Smartsheet is an online work execution platform empowering organizations of all sizes to plan, manage, automate, and report on work.

What Is A RACI Chart? How This Project Management Tool Can Boost Your Productivity

Catering to all kinds of teams, Zoho Projects facilitates automating tasks, workflows, and project notifications in a bid to improve productivity. That makes a RACI chart seem redundant for this method and possibly a poor use of a project manager’s time. Also called a RACI matrix, RACI charts are a type of responsibility assignment matrices in project management.