RACI Chart

What is RACI Chart?

A RACI Chart is a responsibility assignment matrix that defines who is Responsible (does the work), Accountable (owns the outcome), Consulted (provides input before the decision), and Informed (notified after the decision) for every task in a project. It eliminates the ambiguity that kills projects: "I thought you were doing that." Every task has exactly one Accountable person.

When to Use It

• •In Step 4 (Select & Plan) when building the implementation plan
• •When a project crosses departmental boundaries and roles are unclear
• •When tasks are falling through the cracks because nobody owns them
• •When onboarding new team members who need to understand their responsibilities

How to Use It: Step by Step

1. 1

   List all tasks

   Break the implementation plan into individual tasks or deliverables. Be specific enough that each task has a clear completion point.

2. 2

   List all people or roles

   Identify everyone involved in the project. Use role names if specific people are not yet assigned.

3. 3

   Assign R, A, C, I

   For each task-person intersection, assign one letter. Rules: exactly one A per task, at least one R per task, C and I are optional. A person can be both R and A for the same task.

4. 4

   Validate and communicate

   Review the chart with all parties. Confirm every A agrees they own the outcome. Resolve any gaps or overlaps. Post the RACI where the team can reference it.

Pro Tips

• ✓If a task has two Accountable people, it has zero — split the task or pick one owner
• ✓Minimize the number of C (Consulted) people — too many slows decisions to a crawl
• ✓Review the RACI at each milestone check-in — roles may need to shift as the project evolves
• ✓Look for people with too many A assignments — they are likely bottlenecks and need tasks redistributed

Facilitation Guide

Run a 2-hour selection and planning workshop. Review the shortlisted ideas from Step 3 (10 min). Define evaluation criteria as a team and assign weights by consensus (20 min). Score each solution independently, then discuss and reconcile scores (30 min). Select the winning solution and document the rationale (10 min). Build the RACI chart — list tasks, assign R/A/C/I for each team member (20 min). Draft the implementation timeline with milestones, owners, and dates (25 min). Close with a risk brainstorm and mitigation plan (15 min).

Other Tools in Step 4