Without a systematic approach, navigating project responsibilities can feel like herding cats – tasks slip through the cracks and accountability quickly becomes a blurred line.
RACI charts help clarify who’s in charge of what, enhancing collaboration and driving project success.
In this article, you’ll learn what RACI charts are, why they’re important and how to use one to streamline your project management efforts. You’ll also gain access to a useful RACI chart template you can customize for any team and project.
What is a RACI chart?
A RACI chart (or RACI matrix) is a project management tool that clarifies roles and responsibilities for a project. It’s a simple chart that clearly links each stakeholder’s involvement in the project, from direct responsibility to oversight roles.
The acronym RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed. Here’s what each term means:
Responsible
The “Responsible” people perform the work to complete project deliverables. They’re hands-on and need to take action to get the job done.
For example, when it comes to a marketing campaign launching a new product, the “Responsible” people might include content creators who write blog posts, create social media content and design graphics for ads.
Accountable
The “Accountable” person is ultimately answerable for the task or deliverable. This person reviews completed work and signs off on its quality. To avoid confusion, you should assign only one person per task for each project.
The marketing manager might be accountable for the same marketing campaign. They oversee the project, review content before it goes live and report metrics to senior management.
Note: A single person can be assigned both the responsible and accountable role for a task, especially in smaller teams.
Consulted
“Consulted” people are any individuals you ask for opinions and insight. They’re typically experts, managers or C-level executives who oversee the project from a distance and offer helpful advice when necessary.
For example, during a product launch campaign, you might ask product managers for specific information about the campaign. They might provide detailed product information and insights into target customer personas to create more accurate marketing materials.
Informed
“Informed” people are those who need to be kept updated on the project’s progress but don’t participate in the decision-making process.
Informed parties might include senior executives, business owners or external partners who want to know how the overall project is going but don’t influence day-to-day activities.
RACI chart example (and template)
A RACI matrix works by mapping out each task against the responsibilities of team members in a table format. Each square in the matrix represents a specific person’s part in a particular task, shown by one of the RACI roles: Responsible (R), Accountable (A), Consulted (C) and Informed (I).
Here’s what this looks like in practice:
Take a look at the first task: market research. The RACI chart makes it easy to see the following information:
The marketing manager is accountable for this task
The content creator is the responsible party who will perform market research
The graphic designer and senior executive are aware of the task but won’t take part in it
The product manager will provide insights and feedback to assist with market research
By clearly defining each role, the RACI matrix helps avoid confusion, improve accountability and streamline project management.
Download your RACI chart example (and template)
How to create a RACI matrix
Follow these steps to develop a RACI matrix that ensures team members understand the project’s tasks and responsibilities clearly.
1. Identify the project tasks and deliverables
The first step involves identifying and listing all the project’s tasks, activities and deliverables. Consider a project where you want to improve your sales processes. Tasks within the project plan might include:
Mapping out your existing sales process and identifying inefficiencies
Developing new sales strategies
Implementing new sales tools
Creating sales training materials
Evaluating the impact of the improvements
To avoid ambiguity, define each task clearly and specifically. For instance, you might break down “developing new sales strategies” into three steps: analyzing customer data, identifying key sales tactics and drafting a sales playbook.
Note: Including key team members in a brainstorming session can help you create a more comprehensive task list. It’s also important to document and organize your tasks methodically to lay a strong groundwork for assigning roles in the next steps.
2. Map out roles and stakeholders
The second step in creating a RACI matrix is identifying key stakeholders and their roles. Begin by listing everyone who will participate, directly or indirectly. Try to capture a complete view of all team members, managers and external stakeholders.
For example, key roles in the sales process improvement project might include the sales reps, an external business consultant and the sales manager. Consult your organizational chart to ensure you don’t overlook important employees or stakeholders.
Clearly defining each role is crucial. At the very least, each task should have a responsible and accountable person.
In our example, the sales manager might be accountable for the entire project but not for any task, while the business analyst simply provides advice based on sales data analysis.
3. Build a RACI matrix
The next step is to build the RACI matrix using your list of tasks, roles and stakeholders.
Start by setting up a table. You could use a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, or a project management software that supports RACI chart creation. If you want to save time, use the template shared above.
In the table, list the tasks in the first column and all roles/stakeholders in the first row (or vice versa).
For the sales process improvement project, rows might include “Conduct Sales Process Assessment” and “Develop New Sales Strategies.” Columns would include “Sales Manager,” “Sales Representatives,” “Business Consultant” and “Senior Executives.”
You may want to include a legend in your chart explaining any acronyms, roles or tasks that aren’t immediately obvious.
4. Assign responsibilities, review and implement
For each task, assign the Responsible (R), Accountable (A), Consulted (C) and Informed (I) roles by placing the respective letter in the square that intersects the task row and the role column. Each task should have one accountable person to ensure clear ownership. Multiple people can be responsible if more than one person executes the task.
Example assignments for the task “Develop New Sales Strategies:”
Responsible (R): Sales Representatives
Accountable (A): Sales Manager
Consulted (C): Business Consultant
Informed (I): Senior Executives
Record the assignments clearly and note any areas you might need to revise later.
Once the RACI matrix is complete, review the assignments with all team members and stakeholders and ensure everyone understands their roles. If there’s any feedback, make final adjustments and share the final RACI matrix with everyone who will participate in the project.
The benefits of using a RACI matrix
RACI matrices can help various departments, including project management and marketing and sales, operate more efficiently. Here are the main benefits of using a RACI matrix:
Clarified roles and responsibilities. Using a RACI matrix ensures that everyone knows their specific tasks and duties. This clarity reduces ambiguity, prevents overlapping responsibilities and streamlines project delivery.
Improved accountability. RACI charts highlight a single accountable person for each task, clearly defining ownership and authority. This accountability prevents confusion and increases commitment to task completion.
Enhanced communication. A RACI matrix sets clear lines of communication, outlining who you’ll ask for advice or information about progress, ensuring that stakeholders receive timely updates and feedback.
Streamlined decision-making. Clearly designating who makes decisions and who provides input accelerates the decision-making process. In this way, RACI charts can avoid delays and ensure more agile decisions.
Tip: Integrate your RACI matrices into your customer relationship management (CRM) tool to enhance project efficiency. Link the chart to relevant tasks and fields to centralize project-related information, helping team members track progress and maintain consistent communication with stakeholders.
7 RACI best practices to improve project management
Here are seven best practices that will help you execute your projects smoothly, meet deadlines and achieve your goals:
1. Set at least one “R” and only one “A”
As we mentioned above, each task should have at least one “Responsible” (R) person who executes the work and only one “Accountable” (A) person who oversees it. You can have more than one person responsible for a task, but you should try to avoid having more than one accountable person.
2. Avoid overloading team members with too many responsibilities
Assigning too many “Responsible” (R) roles to a single team member can lead to burnout and delays if that member becomes a bottleneck. Instead, share responsibilities equally and periodically assess workloads to ensure you don’t overload any team members.
3. Update your RACI matrix if things change
Projects are dynamic. Roles and responsibilities may need to change as the project progresses. An up-to-date RACI matrix will ensure roles reflect the current project state.
Schedule regular check-ins (for instance, at the end of each project phase) to review and update the RACI chart.
If you do update it, inform all team members to maintain alignment on the project.
4. Keep stakeholders onboard
Engaging stakeholders helps gain their support and ensures you align projects with larger business objectives.
Provide them with periodic updates, emphasizing any major achievements or role changes. Hold regular meetings and open communication channels to gather feedback and promptly address concerns.
5. Avoid using RACI charts for simple projects
For small projects with few tasks and team members, a RACI chart is unnecessary and will only add time-consuming work to the project.
Before you start a project, evaluate whether you’ll need a RACI chart. If you don’t need one, consider using simpler project management tools like checklists or project-tracking software.
RACI charts are most effective for complex projects with multiple teams and intricate dependencies.
6. Don’t set the RACI chart and forget it
A RACI matrix should be an active document that evolves with your project. It shouldn’t be a static chart you create at the start of a project and then ignore.
To ensure you use it to its full extent, integrate the RACI matrix into your project management resources and discussions.
7. Keep it simple
Your RACI chart should be clear and straightforward. Overcomplicating it (e.g., including small administrative tasks) can make it harder to understand and reduce its effectiveness.
To avoid this, ensure that each entry relates directly to the project’s objectives and strategic goals. Focus on the main tasks, roles and responsibilities and avoid adding too many details. Use clear definitions for each item and ensure everyone understands the chart before implementing it.
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RACI alternatives to consider
RACI charts aren’t the only method of organizing project roles and responsibilities. Here are some alternative responsibility assignment matrices to consider if RACI isn’t right for you:
RASCI
RASCI adds a supportive role to the RACI model, making it more suitable for projects where tasks need additional help. Here’s what each letter in the RASCI model stands for:
| Responsible (R) | Those who do the work to complete the task. |
| Accountable (A) | The accountable party who must sign off on decisions. |
| Supportive (S) | Those who assist in completing the task, usually under the direction of the “Responsible” person. |
| Consulted (C) | The people who offer advice and insights, typically subject matter experts. |
| Informed (I) | Those who need to be kept up to date on the progress or decisions but don’t do any direct work. |
RASCI is a useful model in larger teams where supportive employees have a larger role.
DACI
DACI is similar to RACI but focuses more on making decisions than completing projects. Here’s what each role means:
| Driver (D) | The person responsible for driving the task or decision forward. |
| Approver (A) | The person with final decision-making authority. |
| Contributor (C) | Those who contribute to the decision with input and feedback. |
| Informed (I) | Someone who needs to know about the progress and outcomes of the project, but doesn’t take part directly. |
DACI is ideal for projects involving significant decision points that require a clear distinction between drivers and approvers.
CARS
CARS is another project management chart that provides multiple check-in points for projects. This model ensures thorough quality controls and clear staging. The abbreviation stands for:
| Create (C) | The person or team who creates a deliverable or completes a task. |
| Approve (A) | The decision-maker who approves finished tasks and deliverables throughout a project’s lifecycle. |
| Review (R) | Project team members who review the work for quality and completeness before final approval. |
| Support (S) | Any non-team members who help execute the task with advice or input. |
The CARS methodology is useful for document-heavy projects or deliverables that undergo multiple stages of creation, review and approval.
RAPID
RAPID is a slightly different decision-making framework that helps clarify team roles within organizations. The letters stand for:
| Recommend (R) | The person who gathers information, analyzes options and proposes what the project needs. |
| Agree (A) | The individual who provides input before applying the recommendation. They must agree before the project moves forward. |
| Perform (P) | The responsible person for executing the decision and carrying out activities. |
| Input (I) | Those who provide feedback on the recommendation that helps shape the following tasks and activities. |
| Decide (D) | The person with the authority to make the final decision and resolve disagreements. |
RAPID is a particularly useful tool in complex projects or large organizations with multiple stakeholders, as it provides layered feedback and approval mechanisms.
Final thoughts
RACI charts are powerful roadmaps that help clear up responsibilities on projects, leading to enhanced accountability and better outcomes. Using our RACI template, you can easily create a RACI matrix and effectively implement it in your projects.
For even greater efficiency and team collaboration, consider Pipedrive’s powerful CRM system. Try Pipedrive today and optimize your project management workflows, customer interactions and sales efforts.
