What is the Raci Matrix?

What is the RACI Matrix?

The RACI matrix is a model used for clarifying and defining roles in cross-functional teams.

RACI analysis is used to assign various levels of responsibility for a project to the various people charged with its implementation.

What does RACI stand for?

RACI is an acronym for the four levels of responsibilities recognised by the model:.

• R = Responsible
• A = Accountable
• C = Consulted
• I = Informed

It is important to note the above names are not denoting individual people or groups, they denote a set of responsibilities which may be performed by more than one person, and one person may have more than one RACI role.

Definitions of RACI roles

R = Responsible

Responsible means "Those people who are responsible for doing the physical work, in reality".

There must always be at least one person designated as "Responsible for doing the work in reality", because if there were nobody actually doing the work, then all the other roles have no value.

A = Accountable

Accountable means: The person who is ultimately responsible for the success (or not) of the project.

President Truman had a wooden sign on his desk which read, "The Buck Stops Here". It was an indication that he was accountable to the public for everything done, (or not done) by the administration he was leading.

For each task there must be only one accountable person specified.

C = Consulted

Consulted means: Expert people who have specialised knowledge or relevant experience and who provide advice to other members of the team.

I = Informed

Informed means: People who are not directly related to the work process, but who are stakeholders, and therefore need to be informed on progress, or sometimes only on completion of the task.

Assigning people to RACI roles

The RACI model is presented as a grid:

• Vertical axis: denotes the list of tasks, which shows how the major task is subdivided into its constituent subset tasks.
• Horizontal axis: denotes the job titles (and sometimes the names) of the participants.
• Grid boxes: The RACI roles are indicated in the grid boxes.

Template example of RACI matrix.

Each role in the RACI process should be allocated, because if a role is missing, the project will be regarded as poorly managed.

The person who is accountable is often, but not always, the person responsible for doing the work. Except for that case, there should ideally be only one RACI role allocated for each task. If there are multiple allocations of multiple RACI roles given to multiple people, then chaos will reign.

The purpose of the RACI roles method is to decide "who is doing what?", to formalise and communicate those decisions, for the purpose of eliminating the causes of confusion and therefore, to make the project more likely to succeed.

About the Author: Chris Farmer

Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.

Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.

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