RACI Matrix
Assign clear roles (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) to every stakeholder in a decision.
When to Use
Use the RACI matrix when a decision involves many stakeholders and you need absolute clarity on who does what. It prevents the 'too many cooks' problem by assigning exactly one Accountable person per task while keeping others appropriately looped in. Ideal for cross-functional projects, compliance workflows, and any situation where ambiguity around ownership has historically caused delays.
Steps
- 1
List all tasks or deliverables
Break the decision into discrete tasks, milestones, or deliverables that need to happen.
- 2
Identify all stakeholders
List every person or role involved, from the decision-maker to teams who need to be kept informed.
- 3
Assign RACI roles
For each task, assign exactly one Accountable person, one or more Responsible people, those who should be Consulted, and those who need to be Informed.
- 4
Validate with the team
Walk through the matrix with all stakeholders. Resolve overlaps, fill gaps, and confirm everyone agrees with their role.
- 5
Use it as a living document
Reference the RACI matrix throughout the project. Update it as scope changes or new stakeholders join.
Real-World Example
A fintech company launching a new compliance feature used RACI to clarify that Engineering was Responsible for implementation, the VP of Product was Accountable for delivery, Legal was Consulted on regulatory requirements, and Customer Success was Informed of the timeline. This eliminated three weeks of back-and-forth about who owned the regulatory sign-off.
Pros
- Eliminates ambiguity about ownership
- Scales well to large cross-functional teams
- Easy to audit for compliance purposes
- Forces explicit role assignment before work begins
Cons
- Can become bureaucratic for small, fast-moving teams
- Doesn't capture the nuance of shared accountability
- Requires maintenance as teams change
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