RACI Matrix: Responsibility Assignment Matrix Guide

What is a RACI matrix?

A RACI matrix is a tool in project management that clarifies task ownership, clearly defining each team member’s role in completing a task. 

Each role is categorized as Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed, ensuring that everyone understands their role in a project’s success. By assigning these roles, project managers prevent confusion and overlapping duties while increasing accountability. 

The RACI framework is especially beneficial for complex projects where clear role distribution is essential for smooth workflows and improved communication.

What are the 4 core roles of RACI?

RACI roles help ensure that communication between all roles is ongoing. When you consider that nearly half of all project spending is at risk of being wasted due to a lack of effective team-based communication, it becomes all the more important to prioritize. Below are the four core roles of RACI, with definition and examples.

Responsible

Recognized as the actual owner of a project or task, the Responsible individual is expected to develop and complete the work assigned to them. As the executor or doer, this team member takes a hands-on approach to ensure that the deliverable is submitted on time. 

Some examples of responsible parties are:

• Project managers
• Business analysts
• Developers
• Graphic designers
• Copywriters

One risk when using a RACI matrix is unintentionally overloading a single team member with too many responsibilities. If one person is designated as Responsible for too many tasks, they may struggle to manage their workload, leading to delays or burnout. To avoid this, project managers should carefully distribute responsibilities across the team and ensure that no individual is overwhelmed. Regularly reviewing the matrix throughout the project helps identify and address any imbalances before they become critical.

Accountable

Accountable ensures the work is getting done per guidelines and following the agreed timeline. They sign off on the work and determine whether the deliverable or task is indeed completed and if it meets quality standards.

Some examples of accountable parties are:

• Product owners
• Signature authorities
• Business owners
• Sponsors
• Key stakeholders

By clearly defining roles, a RACI matrix prevents decision-making bottlenecks and confusion in the approval process. When roles are ambiguous, critical decisions can get delayed, as team members might not know who holds final accountability. The RACI model eliminates this issue by ensuring that the individual responsible for approvals is clearly designated as Accountable. 

Consulted

A Consulted party’s opinion is crucial. They provide guidance that is often a prerequisite to other project tasks (for example, providing legal guidance on a project throughout the process). If you are working on new product development or expansion, this could essentially be the entire organization.

Some examples of consulted parties are:

• Legal experts
• Information security and cybersecurity experts
• Compliance consultants

Identifying who needs to be consulted or informed reduces unnecessary back-and-forth, allowing decisions to be made quickly and efficiently without roadblocks. This clear communication flow optimizes project progression and prevents delays.

However, as important as their opinion is, note that a Consulted individual is only to be asked about what they think should or could be done, but the project team is not required to follow or apply their recommendations.

Informed

Informed persons are those who need to remain in the communication loop throughout the project. These individuals do not have to be consulted or involved in the decision-making, but they should be kept aware of all project updates. While they may share their opinions, they are not obligated to do so.

Typically, the Informed party consists of business owners or stakeholders who are primarily interested in a 30,000-foot view of the project, focusing on overall progress and outcomes rather than day-to-day details. As the project manager, you must remember to keep this group on your CC list for awareness of topics, decisions, and progress — that includes making them part of the initial project kickoff and project demos as optional attendees. This group often also falls under the accountable group.

Some examples of informed parties are:

• Project committee members
• External stakeholders
• Business owners

How does a RACI matrix help project managers?

Many project management professionals have highlighted the value of the RACI matrix in ensuring that team members understand their roles in completing a project.

It provides clarity on roles and responsibilities

RACI provides a sense of organization and clarity for teams that are looking to divide roles and keep team members accountable for their contributions. 

President and founder of Projects by Molly, LLC, Molly Beran, has used RACI in several situations and shared, “RACIs are a great way to help keep your project team and stakeholders accountable to what they should be doing. Sometimes people forget things like who makes decisions or who is in charge of setting agendas, especially over the course of a long project. It can be a useful reminder or an easy way to help bolster requests for project team members to complete their duties on a project.”

Jamilyn Trainor, senior project manager and owner at Müller Expo Services International, uses a RACI on every project and considers it his team’s go-to tool. He shared, “[RACI matrices] force owners of the project to clear timelines for approvals, provide clarity, push decisions faster, and call out gaps before they become failures. Many teams misplace alignment with agreement. The RACI forces clarity.”

Pynest CTO, Roman Rylko, highlights the importance of the RACI matrix  when multiple teams or external vendors are involved in the same project. Talking about one of their past works, Rylko said, “With over 200 developers across different levels, it’s essential to define who’s informed, who’s executing, and who owns the final call. Otherwise, senior engineers get stuck waiting on input no one feels responsible for. RACI cuts that noise early.”

It eliminates duplicate effort

Zenius co-founder Rohit Agarwal has been using RACI charts when planning for bulk or team recruitment projects easier. He said, “When everyone knows what they are responsible for, multiple people don’t unknowingly work on the same task, like writing job descriptions for the same position. This also helps us save time and resources.”

James Foote, SEO director at POLARIS, also shared, “[RACI] is the most effecient way to communicate responsibility across various parties. Without a RACI, managing to keep everyone informed only where they are required would not be as easy.” 

Ruth Phillips, head of training delivery at Parallel Project Training, talked about how on multiple occasions, RACI matrix has helped her avoid confision or duplication of effort when project roles overlap across departments. Phillips said, “By using a RACI, I am able to clarify who is doing, approving, and supporting every task. […] I would always use a RACI matrix when working across functions or with different organisations, where assumptions about roles and responsibilities might vary. A RACI chart provides clarity on who does what.”

It helps prevent delays

Creating a RACI matrix at the begining of the project helps project managers avoid unnecessary delays that can hurt the project’s chance at success. Ruth Phillips notes, “[RACI] prevents delays by aligning expectations early in the lifecycle and ensures that accountability is clear for everyone to see.”

Chandler Paul, senior project manager at NEWMEDIA.com, recalled an instance where RACI helped him solve a specific issue  in marketing and web development. Paul shared that during a national campaign launch, a basic handout was stalling their multimillion-dollar media plan. His team addressed the problem by setting up a RACI chart to clarify who’s responsible for the copy, who’s accountable for the overall quality and final approval, whose input should be sought, and who needs to be informed of the progress and results. According to Paul, because of the change, “… feedback was cut by about two-thirds and we were able to deliver the asset five business days sooner than before.”

It enhances communication

The RACI matrix significantly enhances communication by clearly defining who needs to be involved at each stage of a project. 

Chandler Paul said, “Assigning one Accountable person per task makes it clear who to escalate issues to, which matches what PMI says about how having engaged project sponsors is a main factor in project success. Organizations that communicate well are far more likely to achieve their goals, and just clearly distinguishing two-way Consulted from one-way Informed in a RACI chart makes a big difference in keeping communication clear.”

How to create a RACI matrix

If you’re looking to implement a RACI matrix as part of your team’s project planning process, take these steps to create a RACI matrix.

1. Plan ahead before taking action. Ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the project and its demands before outlining any further steps by communicating with key stakeholders and decision-makers.
2. Define the scope of the project. List down all key activities and deliverables in a project document such as statement of work (SOW) or a project charter. These shall guide the team throughout execution so they know what deliverables are needed for the project to be completed. 
3. Determine who the involved parties are. Identify who needs to be part of the project or initiative.
4. Outline each project role. Determine the project roles and responsible job titles and persons for each activity and deliverable.
5. Gather as a group. Hold review sessions with key members of the team for alignment, and if you haven’t already, host a kickoff meeting with the entirety of the team and key stakeholders to unveil the matrix, address questions, and more. 

If the project has already started, it’s not too late to implement a RACI matrix. Just follow the following steps:

1. Outline the story. Using research from multiple sources, do a, b, c, and d.
2. Utilize steps 2 and 3 (as shown above). Ensure the right groups are assigned and engaged. 
3. Hold a review session. Ensure that the team acknowledges and discusses the plan and the roles assigned.

If you need more information on how to create a RACI matrix, there are several RACI training courses and other resources you can use to get started.

What are RACI matrix examples?

A RACI matrix helps break down what roles individuals will play as work is carried out and to what extent they will be involved in the project overall. The horizontal axis represents each person on the project team and the vertical axis represents each task.

Each square of the matrix represents an individual, a task, and that individual’s role within the project, either responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed. 

In this situation, for example, the project manager is accountable for assessing risk, defining performance requirements, creating designs, executing construction, and approving construction work. However, they are only informed about approving construction work and defining functional and aesthetic needs.

Who creates the RACI matrix?

The RACI matrix — sometimes called RACI model or RACI diagram — is created typically, but not exclusively, by the project manager at the start of the project. After defining its scope and breaking the project down into tasks and deliverables using a work breakdown structure, the RACI matrix is then created to clarify who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed for each.

Because miscommunication is a common threat to any project, RACI charts are a great asset to teams dealing with any type of work, from very simple projects to highly complex ones. 

Which software solutions do RACI charts integrate into?

Integrating the RACI matrix into project management software makes it easier to assign roles and responsibilities. Here’s how the RACI Matrix works with popular tools:

Asana

Asana allows you to assign tasks and label roles like Responsible or Accountable directly in its project boards. By integrating RACI, project managers can easily track who is accountable for each phase, preventing miscommunication and task overlap. This tool also supports team collaboration by keeping all RACI role assignments visible in one place.

Visit Asana

Jira

In Jira, RACI roles can be linked directly to project tickets. This integration helps project managers oversee who is accountable for each task while tracking the project’s progress through detailed reporting. Jira’s focus on issue tracking aligns perfectly with the RACI framework, ensuring that each decision and approval process is well-defined.

Visit Jira

Trello

Trello utilizes labels and categories to represent RACI roles. With its simple, card-based format, project managers can visually assign and manage tasks, ensuring clarity on who is responsible or consulted at each stage. This tool is especially effective for smaller teams needing a clear overview of task assignments.

Visit Trello

Integrating the RACI matrix into these tools enhances accountability and clarity, making it easier for teams to stay aligned on task responsibilities and avoid delays.

RACI and stakeholder analysis

Stakeholder analysis is a crucial step that directly connects to the RACI matrix. By identifying all relevant stakeholders, project managers can effectively assign roles within the matrix. 

This process helps clarify who has a vested interest in the project and ensures their roles are properly reflected in the matrix. 

To run a stakeholder analysis:

1. Identify key stakeholders: Determine who has a vested interest in the project’s success (e.g., clients, executives, team members).
2. Define stakeholder influence: Assess how much influence each stakeholder has over project decisions.
3. Align stakeholder roles with RACI: Assign stakeholders based on their role in the project. Typically, a stakeholder is assigned Consulted or Informed.
4. Maintain communication channels: Ensure stakeholders are appropriately informed of project progress, updates, and changes.
5. Review regularly: Reassess stakeholder involvement as you revisit your RACI. RACI charts should be updated regularly based on the needs of the team as project phases evolve. As you do so, consider whether there’ve been changes in the level of influence some stakeholders hold.

Aligning stakeholder involvement with RACI creates a roadmap for communication and decision-making that keeps everyone engaged and informed throughout the project lifecycle.ycle.

Common mistakes when creating a RACI matrix

• Failure to plan ahead: A RACI matrix should not be the first step in your project planning. Before preparing the matrix, ensure you have a fully assembled project team and a clear understanding of your project scope and key tasks. Without a basic structure in place, the matrix can become chaotic and difficult to manage. Starting with a rough project plan helps ensure that the RACI matrix aligns with your overall goals.
• Working with too large a team: The larger the team, the more complex the RACI matrix can become, leading to confusion rather than clarity. A matrix with too many roles or stakeholders can make responsibilities difficult to track and dilute accountability. For larger teams, consider breaking the project into smaller, manageable components, or you can use alternative frameworks. 
• Not communicating with the project team: A RACI matrix is meant to formalize responsibilities, not just introduce them. Ensure that all team members are briefed on their roles and the project’s objectives before creating the matrix. Holding a kickoff meeting where tasks and responsibilities are discussed ensures everyone is aligned and prepared, preventing misunderstandings or confusion about their roles in the execution of the project. And as you meet up with your team more as the project progresses, regularly visit and reference the RACI to ensure all parties are familiar with it and each team member understands their assignment.
• Overburdening team members: Assigning too many roles to a single person can lead to burnout and inefficiencies. No team member should be designated as both Responsible and Accountable for multiple tasks, as they may become overwhelmed and unable to perform. Regularly review the RACI matrix to ensure workload distribution is balanced and that no individual is shouldering too much responsibility.

RACI matrix pros and cons

RACI alternatives 

While the RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) matrix is a widely used tool, several alternatives may be more suitable depending on your project’s needs:

• RASCI: Adds a Support role to the traditional RACI structure, providing extra assistance where necessary.
• DACI: The DACI framework focuses on decision-making by identifying clear Decision Makers and those accountable for final outcomes.
• RAPID: A decision-making framework that defines who Recommends, Agrees, Performs, Inputs, and Decides on critical decisions.
• Gantt chart: Provides a comprehensive view of who does what and when, combining responsibilities with timelines in a visual format.
• Work breakdown structure: Breaks down the entire scope of work in a project, offering a detailed view of all tasks in a hierarchical structure.
• Project dashboard: Offers dynamic, real-time oversight, keeping teams informed with up-to-date information on project progress, roles, and responsibilities.

Each RACI alternative differs on task ownership and project management. The best project managers choose the right approach based on their project’s needs.

Free RACI matrix templates

A number of project management software solutions include a native RACI matrix template. Here are just a few we found.

Our pick: most useful free RACI matrix template

We love this template from Smartsheet because it’s colorful, thorough, and includes room for every party involved in the project. Additionally, we appreciate the extra work SmartSheet put into these key areas:

• Project phases make the matrix more immediately understandable for stakeholders of all kinds.
• Simple status column gives the reader a bird’s-eye view of the project’s progress.
• Roles by deliverable clarify for any given team member whether they’re an R, A, C, or I which is important; very few people end up having the same level of responsibility from a project’s beginning to its end.

Visit Smartsheet.com to download template

Robust RACI template for clarifying roles and responsibilities

Wrike’s RACI template is efficient for identifying and clarifying roles and responsibilities of members within a project team.

Visit Wrike to download template

RACI matrix template ordered by task and stakeholder

This template from the Academy to Innovate HR is a great choice for project managers who want to organize their team roles with an easy-on-the-eyes chart that evolves beyond the simple spreadsheet.

Visit the Academy to Innovate HR website to download remplate

Simple RACI chart

These RACI templates from ClickUp have enough variety to fit any of your project needs, but are simple enough for even beginner PMs to use.

Visit ClickUp.com to download template

Detailed RACI matrix template

This template is a great starter template for anyone looking to explore RACI charts in their project management strategy. As an added bonus, it comes with the RACI definitions already built in!

Visit Vertex42.com to download template

Excel-based RACI chart template

Are you an Excel or Google Sheets user looking to take advantage of the RACI matrix? An Excel-formatted template from Project Management Docs might just be the solution for you. This template is a great template for users who want a chart that comes in a preformatted structure.

Visit ProjectManagementDocs.com to download template

FAQs

Bottom line: Why RACI matrix is a valuable project management tool

The RACI matrix remains a powerful tool for defining roles and responsibilities in project management, helping teams avoid confusion and delays. By clearly assigning who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed, project managers can streamline communication, prevent decision-making bottlenecks, and ensure accountability. 

While alternatives like RASCI or DACI exist, RACI is especially useful for smaller teams and simpler projects. When used correctly, it significantly enhances project clarity and efficiency, leading to smoother execution and more successful outcomes.