RACI Matrix

Overview

RACI assigns one of four roles to every person on every task or decision, eliminating the ambiguity that causes dropped work and duplicated effort. Each row is a task; each column is a person or team.

         Person A   Person B   Person C   Person D
Task 1      R          A          C          I
Task 2      A          R          I          C
Task 3      C          I          R          A

• R — Responsible: Does the work. Can be multiple people.
• A — Accountable: Owns the outcome; makes the final call. Exactly one per task.
• C — Consulted: Provides input before the decision or action. Two-way communication.
• I — Informed: Notified after the decision or action. One-way communication.

Role Definitions

R — Responsible

The person or people executing the task. They do the actual work. Multiple Rs are allowed, but each R must have a clearly scoped slice — two Rs with identical scope creates confusion, not coverage.

A — Accountable

The single owner. If the task fails, A answers for it. A has final authority to approve, reject, or change direction. There must be exactly one A per task — two As means no one is actually accountable.

C — Consulted

Their expertise or stake affects the outcome. They must be asked before decisions are finalized. Ignoring a C is a process failure. Keep this list short: Consulted is a cost — it adds latency and coordination overhead.

I — Informed

They need visibility, not a vote. Inform them after the fact. Over-informing is as harmful as under-informing — too many Is means noise, and people stop reading updates.

How to Apply

Step 1 — List all tasks and decisions

Write out every discrete deliverable, decision, or milestone. Be specific. "Design" is not a task. "Approve final UI mockup" is.

Step 2 — List all roles or people

Use roles (Engineering Lead, Product Manager, Legal) rather than names where possible — the matrix survives org changes longer.

Step 3 — Assign R, A, C, I for each task

Fill in the matrix cell by cell. For each task, ask: who does it (R), who owns the outcome (A), who must be asked (C), who must be told (I).

Step 4 — Validate against the rules

Check every row: exactly one A, at least one R, and no cell left blank. Review columns: anyone with all Is and no Rs or Cs is probably not needed in the matrix.

Step 5 — Review with stakeholders

Share the draft. The most productive disagreements surface here. If two people both write A for the same task, that conflict existed before the matrix — now you can resolve it.

Output Format

╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  RACI MATRIX  ●  [Project / Initiative Name]                    Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]     ║
╠═══════════════════════╦═══════════════╦═══════════════╦═══════════════╦════════════════╣
║        TASK           ║   [Role 1]    ║   [Role 2]    ║   [Role 3]    ║   [Role 4]     ║
╠═══════════════════════╬═══════════════╬═══════════════╬═══════════════╬════════════════╣
║  [Task 1]             ║       R       ║       A       ║       C       ║       I        ║
╠═══════════════════════╬═══════════════╬═══════════════╬═══════════════╬════════════════╣
║  [Task 2]             ║       A       ║       R       ║       I       ║       C        ║
╠═══════════════════════╬═══════════════╬═══════════════╬═══════════════╬════════════════╣
║  [Task 3]             ║       C       ║       R       ║       A       ║       ─        ║
╠═══════════════════════╬═══════════════╬═══════════════╬═══════════════╬════════════════╣
║  [Task 4]             ║       I       ║       C       ║       R       ║       A        ║
╠═══════════════════════╬═══════════════╬═══════════════╬═══════════════╬════════════════╣
║  [Task 5]             ║       R       ║       I       ║       C       ║       A        ║
╚═══════════════════════╩═══════════════╩═══════════════╩═══════════════╩════════════════╝

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  LEGEND                                                                                 │
├────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   R    │  Responsible  ►  Does the work; may be multiple people per task                │
│   A    │  Accountable  ►  Owns the outcome; exactly ONE per task (never share this)     │
│   C    │  Consulted    ►  Must be asked before action; two-way communication            │
│   I    │  Informed     ►  Notified after action; one-way communication                  │
│   ─    │  No involvement                                                                │
└────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  VALIDATION CHECKS                                                                      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ► Each row has exactly ONE  A  ──────────────────────── [ ] confirmed                  │
│  ► Each row has at least one R  ──────────────────────── [ ] confirmed                  │
│  ► No cell is blank             ──────────────────────── [ ] confirmed                  │
│  ► No column is all I with no R or C  ────────────────── [ ] confirmed                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  NOTES: [Any clarifications on split responsibilities or escalation paths]              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Each row maps one task to exactly one owner (A) — scan down the A column to see the full accountability chain. The validation checklist at the bottom should be completed before sharing the matrix with stakeholders.

Common Mistakes

• Multiple As on one task: "Co-accountable" is not accountable. Pick one. If two people insist they both own it, escalate to their shared manager before proceeding.
• Conflating R and A: The person doing the work (R) is not always the owner (A). A senior contributor can be R while their manager holds A.
• Too many Cs: Every C is a blocker. If you have more than 3 Cs on a single task, you are designing a committee, not a workflow. Cut ruthlessly.
• Skipping tasks that feel obvious: "Everyone knows who owns onboarding." They don't. Write it down.
• Building RACI and never revisiting it: Roles shift. Revalidate at each project phase or when team composition changes.

Footer

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