RACI matrix (responsibility assignment)
List the work, give each item exactly one accountable role, and check the result with the people named before you call it agreed.
- Time
- 40 min
- People
- 4–8
- Kind of work
- Plan · Scale
In short
A RACI matrix is a table that lists the activities or deliverables of a piece of work and, for each one, marks who is Responsible for doing it, who is Accountable for the result, who must be Consulted and who must be Informed. Each item has exactly one accountable role, and the people named confirm it.
What it is
RACI is a simple way to make roles explicit when several people or teams share work. Down the side of a table you list the activities or deliverables. Across the top you list roles. In each cell you write R, A, C or I. Responsible means the role does the work. Accountable means the role owns the result and signs it off. Consulted means the role gives input before a decision. Informed means the role is told afterwards.
The value is less in the table and more in the conversation it forces. Most confusion in shared work comes from two people each thinking the other is in charge, or nobody knowing who must approve. Writing it down exposes those gaps. The single rule that matters most is one accountable role per item: shared accountability usually means none.
When to use it
Use it when
- A plan or roadmap involves several teams, units or partners and roles are not obvious.
- Work keeps stalling because people wait for approvals or do not know who decides.
- A new service or process is being handed from a project team to the people who will run it.
- Two teams are disputing who owns a task, and you need a calm way to settle it.
Skip it when
- A small team with clear roles already works well together; a matrix adds paperwork without benefit.
- The real problem is a lack of time or budget, not unclear roles.
- You want to use it to assign blame after something went wrong; that destroys trust in the tool.
You need
- Time
- About 40 minutes for a first draft, plus time for each named role to confirm.
- People
- Four to eight people representing the roles involved, with authority to agree on behalf of their team.
- Materials
- A grid on a wall or shared sheet, with activities as rows and roles as columns; the worksheet with Activity, Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed; the current plan or roadmap.
How to run it
Step 1: List the activities or deliverables
Write the main pieces of work down the side of the grid, from your plan or roadmap. Use outputs rather than vague verbs: "inspection report issued" is better than "inspection". Ten to twenty rows is usually enough. More than that and people stop reading.
Step 2: List roles, not names
Across the top, write the roles involved, such as service owner, inspection lead, records team or legal adviser. Use roles so the matrix stays useful when people move on. Include outside partners if they do part of the work.
Step 3: Mark one A per row
For each activity, agree the single role that is accountable: the one that owns the result and says it is done. If the group cannot agree, write the question down and escalate it. Do not put two As in one row.
Step 4: Mark R, C and I
Now mark who does the work (R), who must give input before decisions (C) and who needs to be told (I). A role can be both A and R. Keep C small; every consulted role adds time.
Step 5: Read the matrix both ways
Read across each row: is there exactly one A and at least one R? Then read down each column: does any role carry too many Rs or As, or none at all? Columns full of Cs and Is often point to people who want to be involved but do not need to be.
Step 6: Check it with the people named
Send the draft to each role, or walk through it with them, and ask whether they accept what is marked. Change the matrix where they raise real concerns. A RACI that has not been checked is only one person's opinion.
Step 7: Publish it and review with the plan
Put the agreed matrix where everyone can find it, next to the roadmap. Review it at each roadmap review, and whenever a new team joins or a role changes.
Worked example
A regional health authority was introducing a new food safety inspection process for hospital kitchens. Inspectors, kitchen managers, a quality unit and a records team all had a part, and early pilots showed reports sitting unsigned for weeks.
The group listed twelve activities, including "inspection scheduled", "inspection carried out", "inspection report issued", "corrective actions agreed" and "follow-up visit completed".
On "inspection report issued", both the inspector and the quality unit had assumed the other signed it off. The group agreed the inspection lead was accountable, the inspector responsible, the kitchen manager consulted on facts, and the records team informed.
Reading down the columns showed that the quality unit was consulted on every row. The group reduced this to the three rows where its view changed the outcome, which removed a common delay.
Each role confirmed the matrix by email within a week. In the next two months, the average time from inspection to signed report dropped from about three weeks to four days.
IllustrativeTips and mistakes
Tips
- Run the session with people who can actually agree for their team, not delegates who must check back.
- Use colour or bold for A so the single accountable role per row stands out.
- If a row has no R, nobody is doing the work; add one or remove the activity.
- Keep definitions of R, A, C and I printed on the sheet, because people often swap R and A.
Common mistakes
- Putting two or more As on one row to keep everyone happy, which brings back the confusion.
- Writing people's names instead of roles, so the matrix is out of date at the first staff change.
- Marking a long list of consulted roles, which slows every decision.
- Filling in the matrix alone and sending it out as agreed, without checking it with the people named.
What you walk away with
You leave with a short, agreed table showing, for each piece of work, who does it, who owns the result, who gives input and who is kept informed. That removes a common source of delay and friction in shared work. Link it to your roadmap so each milestone has a clear accountable role, and use a stakeholder communication plan to make sure the Informed roles actually receive the information they need.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Responsible and Accountable in RACI?
Responsible is the role that does the work. Accountable is the role that owns the result, makes the final call and signs it off. Several roles can be responsible for one activity, but only one should be accountable. The same role can be both.
Can there be more than one accountable person in a RACI?
No. Each activity should have exactly one accountable role. If two teams both feel accountable, split the activity into two smaller ones, each with its own owner, or escalate the question to someone who can decide.
What are alternatives to RACI?
Some teams use variants that add a role for support or for sign-off, or a simpler owner and contributors list. The format matters less than the habit: clear ownership, one accountable role per item, and agreement from the people named.
Tool card
The worksheet your team fills in, one box per field.
- Activity
- Responsible
- Accountable
- Consulted
- Informed