How to use a RACI chart to solve workplace confusion

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Whose problem is this?

Have you ever been unclear who is supposed to solve a problem?

Have you ever waited for someone to just tell you what you need to do?

Have you ever been unclear who you need to ask for more information?

Have you ever wondered why some problems just linger and don’t get solved?

Oh if you need that, you’ll need to talk to Shirley.

Oh no, that’s not my responsibility.  You’ll need to ask John.

If you’re asking these question in your organization, you need a tool to help you:

  1. Determine who is responsible for what
  2. Find out who you need to speak to
  3. Decide who will be responsible when there’s a gap.

What’s a RACI chart?

A RACI chart is a spreadsheet of the various roles and responsibilities within a group or organization.

  • R – Responsible
  • A – Accountable
  • C – Consulted
  • I – Informed

Responsible individuals or groups are the ones who DO the work. They produce the deliverables. They are empowered to solve the problems that they know need to be solved.

An Accountable individual is the person that approves the work, confirms it meets the appropriate level of quality, and is the “one throat to choke” if there are problems.  They ensure those responsible are clear with what they need to do to be successful.

Consulted individuals or groups have knowledge that can help those who are responsible. They will answer questions, provide their experience, give their advice. It is important that they are available to help.

Informed individuals or groups want to know what’s going on. They need to know the status of deliverables. They need to be aware of problems.

Another form of responsibilities chart is a RASCI chart (or RASIC) which is the same, yet with another role: Supportive. Depending on your team size, it’s preferable to simplify your chart with just one person who is Responsible, and those that support their work are Supportive. This provides the Accountable individual a clear “owner” of the problem.

One of the most confusing parts of starting a new job is finding who can help you with something. A detailed RACI allows everyone to be clear who does what.

Some people will struggle with some roles where they are both Responsible and Accountable, and put R/A for some tasks.  This defeats the purpose of the chart – try your best to find a way to break this up.

RACI Example

raci example

RACI Rules

  1. All tasks have someone who is Responsible and someone who is Accountable for a task.
  2. Avoid someone who is both Responsible and Accountable for the same task.  This isn’t a hard rule because sometimes there just aren’t enough people.
  3. If someone would like to be CCed information, they should be Informed.
  4. If someone will be consulted about the work, identify them as Consulted.
  5. If someone is not Responsible for a task, though will support the work to be accomplished, identify them as Supportive.

RACI top tips

  1. Don’t overwhelm anyone with responsibilities. The exercise of creating a RACI is to ensure proper allocation of responsibilities, and ensure that people can be successful in their positions.
  2. Be cautious about creating a RACI for an existing team. Creating a potential over-simplification of what people do all day is dangerous if not made with collaboration and information. That said, do not avoid RACI’s as they are extremely helpful for allocating work and empowering people with decision-making opportunities.
  3. Keep updating! RACI charts are not meant to be created once and then forgotten. Roles in your organization will be added/removed and split/merge. Keep yours up to date.

 star25Apply this effectively

If you’re a new manager, team lead, or project manager, a RACI chart clarifies roles, responsibilities, and communication. Identify all the ongoing tasks, who’s responsible for them, and complete the chart for all the individuals/groups.

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