Clarify roles with a RACI matrix

Good project management means that everyone knows their role, timelines and milestones are met, and stakeholders remain well informed. Transparent assignment and decision making is important to keep the project moving smoothly. When key members aren't kept in the loop, or when there's uncertainty about who "owns" a task, that's when things go off the rails.

One way to keep everyone on the same page is to develop and share a RACI matrix. A RACI matrix is a communication tool that ensures everyone on a project understands and agrees to who is responsible to get the work done, who will be accountable for milestones, who should be consulted for expertise, and who should remain informed.

The RACI matrix gets its name from the abbreviations in each role:

Responsible

The people who actually do the work or make decisions.

Accountable

The person who takes responsibility for the project. This is usually a project owner or project sponsor. You should only have one person who is listed as Accountable on a RACI matrix.

Consulted

Someone who provides advice or guidance about part of the project. This is usually an expert, either inside or outside your team.

Informed

A person who needs to be kept in the loop. This is usually a stakeholder, such as members of your executive team or board.

To create a RACI matrix, identify all of the tasks that need to be completed for a project. List these down one side of the RACI matrix, in the order that they need to be completed. Along the top of the matrix, list each of the project roles and stakeholders. For each cell in the matrix, where task and role meet, indicate if that person is (R) Responsible, (A) Accountable, (C) Consulted, or (I) Informed.

A completed RACI matrix might look like this:

Don't forget that the RACI matrix is just one step in defining a project. As with all other project communication tools, you should review the RACI matrix with project team members and stakeholders to ensure nothing was missed, that roles are correct, and that everyone agrees with who should be responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed at each phase in the project.

To learn more about how to apply a RACI matrix to your project, see this video from TECHtalk.