Description
The purpose of a RACI Matrix is to determine the level of responsibility of individuals or teams in completing the tasks involved in a project. RACI is an acronym for the four levels of responsibility used in the matrix: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. This chart is a long-standing project management tool that helps to define tasks, clarify roles, manage workload, and improve decision-making. The process of creating a RACI Matrix collaboratively as a team can help align everyone on expectations and mitigate potential areas of conflict. These tools are becoming more popular within marketing teams as work has become more distributed and cross-functional, and agile processes are being more widely adopted.
Question
What is everyone’s level of responsibility for each part of this project?
Steps
Identify all of the tasks involved in your project, and list them in sequential order. Make sure each task relates to a meaningful milestone, not every meeting. Capture tasks using an action verb (e.g., ‘create’).
Identify all of the roles involved in your project. Capture these as roles rather than the specific names of people, agencies, or departments so that the RACI Matrix can be used across teams over time.
Create a matrix with your project tasks listed vertically and roles horizontally. Working down your project tasks, assign the appropriate level of responsibility for each role involved. This is your first draft.
Review vertically. Consider if the level of responsibility assigned for each role is appropriate and manageable. Too many entries may indicate an unrealistic workload. Too few may indicate an unnecessary role.
Review horizontally. Consider how your assigned responsibilities will impact the process. The more people involved at each stage may help with communication and alignment, but may slow things down.
Considerations
Make sure that there is only one ‘A’ per task so that there is a clear owner at each stage of your project.
If you have too many ‘R’s for a task, consider dividing the task even further to clarify who is doing what.
A RACI Matrix should never be created in isolation; ensure you have input and alignment before putting into action.