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RACI Matrix

At a glance

  • Purpose: Make clear who does the work, who owns the outcome, who must be consulted, and who is informed — removing the ambiguity that drops or duplicates work.
  • Use it when: When roles are agreed, and whenever a decision stalls with nobody certain whose call it is. Best used at activity level, not task level.
  • Owner: The project manager with the team and the accountable managers.
  • Related: Module 10 · Lab 12

A RACI matrix makes clear who does the work, who is accountable for it, who must be consulted, and who must be kept informed. It removes the ambiguity that causes work to be dropped or duplicated.

Copy the skeleton below and replace the bracketed text.

RACI skeleton

# RACI Matrix — [Project name]

| | |
| --- | --- |
| **Date** | [YYYY-MM-DD] |
| **Owner** | [Who] |

## Key

- **R — Responsible:** does the work.
- **A — Accountable:** owns the outcome and answers for it. **Exactly one A per row.**
- **C — Consulted:** gives input before the work is finalised (two-way).
- **I — Informed:** told after decisions are made (one-way).

## Matrix

| Activity / deliverable | [Role 1] | [Role 2] | [Role 3] | [Role 4] |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Activity] | A | R | C | I |
| [Activity] | I | A | R | — |

How to use this template

  1. Build it from the WBS or the deliverables list, so the rows correspond to things that actually have to happen.
  2. Assign exactly one A per row before assigning any R. Starting elsewhere produces matrices with two accountable people and no decision rights.
  3. Use roles, not names, in the header. A matrix keyed to individuals breaks on the first staff change.
  4. Ask every role with no letter on a row why it is on the project. Empty columns are informative, not embarrassing.
  5. Keep rows coarse — deliverables and key decisions, not each small task — or the matrix becomes noise and is ignored.
  6. Distribute it and confirm it. A RACI nobody has read resolves nothing; a five-minute walkthrough at the kick-off is what makes it useful.

Field descriptions

Field What goes in it Watch out for
Activity / deliverable A row from the WBS or a named decision Every small task
R — Responsible Who does the work Several R's with no A
A — Accountable Owns the outcome; exactly one per row Two A's, which means none
C — Consulted Gives input before the work is finalised Consulting everyone, which slows everything
I — Informed Told after the decision Inform-instead-of-consult on decisions people expect to shape
"—" No involvement A role with no letters anywhere

Worked example

From Lab 12, on the hospital appointment portal — invented for teaching:

Activity / deliverable Sponsor Product owner Clinical lead IT operations Developer
Agree the appointment rule set I A C — C
Build the appointment booking flow I C — — A/R
Data-protection review of patient data handling I C C A R
Agree the support model for go-live A C C R I
Performance verification at realistic volumes I C — C A/R

Two rows are worth studying. Row 3 puts accountability for the data-protection review on IT operations, not the project — the review is their professional judgement, and the project supplies the evidence. Row 4 is the row Lab 22 shows being missed in practice: nobody had agreed who owned the support model, so it was still unresolved a fortnight before go-live. The clinical lead appears as C rather than I wherever appointment rules are settled, because a clinical decision made without that input will be reopened.

Common mistakes

  • Exactly one A per row. Two accountable people means nobody is accountable.
  • Keep rows coarse. A RACI for every small task becomes noise and gets ignored.
  • C is expensive; use it sparingly, I is cheap; use it generously. Consulting everyone on everything slows work down; informing people who need to know prevents surprises.
  • Roles, not names, in the header — otherwise the matrix breaks when people change.
  • The "—" column is informative. A role with no letters on any row may be wondering why it is on the project at all.
  • Confusing consulted with informed. People who find out after a decision they expected to shape become obstacles — a purely avoidable form of resistance.
  • A/R combined everywhere. Legitimate for one role on a small activity, but it removes the independent check that accountability is supposed to provide when used throughout.
  • A matrix nobody has read. Distributed is not the same as agreed, and an unread matrix resolves nothing.