The RACI (and RASCI) Chart

What is a RACI chart?

A RACI chart is a simple matrix used to assign roles and responsibilities for each task, milestone, or decision. By clearly mapping out which roles are involved in each task and at which level, you can eliminate confusion and answer the age-old question, “Who’s doing what?”

RACI is a useful complement to a process map, since it can get into more detailed and specific activities than a high-level process map. Think of a process map at one level of abstraction and RACI as the next level of detail

What does RACI stand for?

RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed. Each letter in the acronym represents a level of task responsibility.

When to use RACI

RACI’s are best used in procedures as part of the responsibilities section or to start each section in a long procedure.

RACI’s are great tools that can help:

Design or re-design processes more efficiently by highlighting decisions
Clarify overlapping, redundant, “bottle-necked,” or inconsistent responsibilities
Structure and distribute responsibility and authority
Establish clear lines of communication
Reduce duplication of efforts; pinpoint what can “come off the plate”

RACI definitions

A RACI is a matrix of tasks or deliverables and the roles associated with them.

Each box in the matrix identifies that role’s function in the task

Responsible – primary role performing the work
Accountable – role primarily responsible for the work getting done (and done correctly)
Consulted – roles providing input into the task or deliverable. Consulted means prior to the decision/activity.
Informed – roles to be informed of the outcome of the task or deliverable so that they may fulfill execute their role in the process or other process.

I’m a big fan of adding Supporting, and doing a RASCI. Supporting is very helpful in identifying individuals who provide support services, and often capture indirect accountabilities.

Key point – only one Responsible and one Accountable role for any task or deliverable. In some processes, Responsible and Accountable may be the same role

How to create a RACI

Follow these 3 steps, using the RACI chart example below as your guide:

Enter all responsibilities in the procedure across the top row.
List all procedural steps/tasks, milestones, and decisions down the left column.
For each step, assign a responsibility value to each role or person on the team.

Ensure the following:

Every task has one Responsible person (and only one!).
There’s one (and only one!) Accountable party assigned to each task to allow for clear decision-making.
If you have a lot of C and I roles on your matrix, make sure you have an easy and lightweight way to keep them informed in the procedure.

Some points to consider:

Have a representative from each of the major functions that participate in the process
Reach consensus on all Accountabilities and Responsibilities
Consider the emotional aspects of documenting “A”s and “R”s, including job justification
Eliminate excessive “C”s and “I”s
Consider the organization’s culture

Review the RACI chart vertically to:

Avoid under- or over-committing positions or team members
Eliminate unnecessary gates and bottlenecks
Designate appropriate skill sets

Review the RACI chart horizontally to:

Clarify any ambiguous division of labor
Ensure adequate continuity across decisions and process steps
Ensure accountability and authority to get the job done

Although the RACI is a simple tool, the process of creating it and having it agreed is a political process.

Developing RACI charts surfaces many organizational issues because it confronts the three elements of roles and responsibilities:

Role Conception: what people think their jobs are and how they have been trained to perform them
Role Expectation: what others in the organization think another person’s job is and how it should be carried out
Role Behavior: what people actually do in carrying out their job

Example

	Deviation Creator	Area Responsible	QA	Investigation Team	Site Head
Take real-time action to minimize and contain the effect of an event	R	A	I	–	–
Assemble cross functional team for Triage	R	A	I	–	–
Determine if the event is a deviation	R	C	A	C	–
Define batch association strategy	C	R	A	I	–
Define Containment	C	R	A	C	–
Create Deviation in eQMS in 24 hr	R	A	I	–	–
Gather Data	C	A/R	C	C	–

Using the Outcome Identification Loop

The Outcome Identification Loop asks four questions around a given outcome which can be very valuable in understanding a proposed design, event, or risk.

The four questions are:

1	Who else might this affect?	Stakeholder Question
2	What else might affect them?	Stakeholder Impact Question
3	What else might affect this?	System/analysis Design Question
4	What else might this affect?	Consequence Question?

4 questions in the Outcome Identification Loop

Through answering these questions, outcomes and relationships to further define a central question, and can be used to shape problem-solving, risk mitigation, and process improvement.

Questions 1 “Who else might this affect?’ and 2 “What else might affect them?’ are paired questions from stakeholder identification and analysis techniques.

Question 3 “What else might affect this?” relates to system analysis and design and can be fed by, and lead to, the chains of outcomes elicited using analysis methods, such as process modelling and root cause analysis.

Question 4 “What else might this affect?” considers uncertainty and risk.

These four questions can be iterative. Use them near the beginning to define the problem and then at the end to tie together the entire work.

Facilitating Stakeholder Analysis

Recently shred this with a team member and figured it would be of use to someone else.

I use a a table like this for recording stakeholders

Role	Stakeholder Organization (e.g. Department, Function)	Name & Title	Pains	Gains	Impact of Proposal on Role	Importance of securing stakeholder support	RACI

Stakeholder Table

Identify and engage stakeholders

Every change (and lets be frank, most everything involves change) requires understanding the individuals and groups that will participate or are affected – directly or indirectly.

Stakeholder analysis involves identifying the stakeholders and analyzing their various characteristics. These characteristics can include:

Level of authority within the organization and the domain of change
Attitudes toward or interest in the change
Attitudes towards the process
Level of decision-making authority

The goal of stakeholder analysis is to choose the best collaboration and communication approaches and to appropriately plan for stakeholder risks.

There are a variety of mechanisms for doing this and then mapping it out.

Start by brainstorming a list of the stakeholders by answering these questions:

Who will be impacted?
Who will be responsible or accountable
Who will have decision authority
Who can support
Who can obstruct
Who has been involved in something similar in the past?

Map these on a stakeholder matrix based on relative power and interest. This should be an iterative process.

High influence/High Impact: these are key players and effort should be focused here to engage this group regularly
High influence/Low impact: these stakeholders have needs that should be met so engage and consult with them while also attempting to increase their level of interest.
Low influence/High impact: these stakeholders are supporters and potential goodwill ambassadors. Engage the group for their input and show interests in their needs.
Low influence/Low impact: the stakeholders can be kept informed using general communications. Additional targeted engagement may move them into the goodwill ambassador quadrant.

Another way to look at stakeholders is though an onion diagram.

A RACI is another popular way to look at stakeholders.

Once stakeholders are identified is is important to define how communication and engagement will achieved. There is usually no one sized fits all approach and it is important to meet the needs of each stakeholder group to ensure their interest and involvement is maintained. Some considerations include:

timing and frequency
location
tools
delivery methods (in-person or virtual)
preferences of the stakeholders
geographic considerations or impact

Document this in a communication plan, including:

what needs to be communicated
what is the appropriate delivery method
who the appropriate audience is
when communication should occur
frequency of communication
level of detail appropriate for the communication and stakeholder
level of formality of communication