What is RACI ?
- Martin Lindberg
RACI is an acronym that stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. It is a responsibility assignment matrix used to assign roles and responsibilities to team members in a project or a business process. Here's what each letter in the acronym signifies:
Responsible (R): These are the individuals who actually complete the task. They are the doers and have the responsibility to complete the work. There can be multiple people responsible for a task.
Accountable (A): This is the person who is ultimately accountable for the correct and thorough completion of the task. There must be only one accountable person to provide clear ownership. This person is the "yes" or "no" on decisions and takes on the responsibility if the task fails.
Consulted (C): These are the people who need to be consulted before a final decision or action is taken. They have the expertise needed for the task and can provide information and guidance. This is a two-way communication.
Informed (I): These individuals need to be informed after a decision or action is taken. They are kept in the loop and updated on progress or decisions, but they do not need to be consulted. This is typically one-way communication.
The RACI matrix is a tool that creates a visual map of tasks against the roles in a team or project to ensure everyone knows what they are expected to do and that every task has someone clearly assigned to it. It's particularly valuable in clarifying roles in complex projects, preventing confusion and overlapping duties, and ensuring accountability.