RACI chart guide — what it is and examples.

What is a RACI chart?

A RACI chart is a method for identifying project teams’ roles and responsibilities for all tasks, milestones, and project deliverables for an individual project.

Project managers tend to oversee several team members working across several different departments. Therefore, it can be challenging to delineate responsibilities for one team member in one department and one team member in another. RACI charts are beneficial for complex endeavors involving collaboration from many perspectives.

The letters in RACI stand for “responsible,” “accountable,” “consulted,” and “informed” and indicate the roles assigned to different team members involved with each task:

• Responsible: Those responsible are actively involved in completing a specific task. At a minimum, one team member should be accountable for each task, but you may have more than one, depending on the project scope. That said, there should never be more people assigned to this role than needed.
• Accountable: The member assigned to the accountable role is responsible for signing off on the task, that is, approving its completion. It is almost always best that this is a single person. This role typically falls on the project manager, who might assign it to someone else.
• Consulted: Consulted team members may provide expertise or contribute in other ways, such as verifying information or reviewing the work product and how it fits in with the enormous scope of the overall project. No minimum or maximum number of members may fall into the consulted category.
• Informed: Individuals who need to be aware of progress or the completion of a particular task fall into the informed category. The reason they may need to be informed varies but often relates to how the task ties into other tasks they might be responsible for concurrently or in the future as a next step.

In this guide:

• How to make a RACI chart.
• When to use RACI charts.
• Best practices for using RACI charts.
• RACI chart examples.
• RACI chart variations.

Creating a RACI chart for your next project can help streamline the project completion process by clarifying roles in an easy-to-read manner. RACI charts are typically presented in a spreadsheet, which lists all tasks associated with the project and specifies the RACI roles for each member involved in each task. The following steps outline this process.

1. Determine the overarching project goals and priorities.

The first step involves identifying the scope of the project. You may make a list of the main goals or deliverables for the project with a prioritized list of the main steps required for completion.

For example, if you are designing a brochure, you would have the final product as your deliverable and recognize that subtasks include consulting with the client to determine expectations for content, conducting research, writing the interior copy, and creating custom graphics.

2. Break down the larger goals into smaller objectives and tasks.

Once you have identified the overall outline of the project, it is time to break each goal down into individual tasks with a work breakdown structure. Continuing with the brochure example from the previous step, you might break down the goal of writing the copy into outlining, writing, editing, and formatting.

3. List all tasks in chronological order.

It is time to enter information into a spreadsheet to create the RACI chart. In the first column of the spreadsheet, list the tasks in order of how you should complete them. You may not need to complete some tasks in a particular order, so list those in the order in which they are most likely to happen.

Listing the tasks chronologically helps you visualize the roles and responsibilities and makes it easier to determine whom to inform at each stage.

4. Determine all stakeholders who will be involved in the project.

Look over all steps in the process and create a list of everyone involved at any point. Depending on the project’s scope, you may choose to list people individually or the roles by department or team.

In the spreadsheet, these individuals or teams should be the headers for each column to the right of the task column. You can list those with the most involvement first to allow those members to view their roles more readily about each task.

5. Assign RACI responsibilities for each task.

The final step involves assigning the RACI roles. In each cell, you will enter an R, A, C, or I to indicate who has which particular role for each task.

For example, if you have the task “create custom graphics” listed in a particular row, you will enter a letter under each individual or team.

• R might go in the cell under the column labeled with the “graphic artist.”
• A might go in the cell under the column labeled “project manager.”
• C might go in the cell under the column labeled “customer liaison” and again under the role of “document formatting.”
• I might go under each role involved in the project’s next step. For anyone not involved in this task, leave their spreadsheet cells blank.

6. Confirm assigned roles with every stakeholder.

Finally, it is good to consult with the entire project team to verify that they understand which roles are theirs and ensure there are no errors in role assignments. You should also make sure that each task has at least one R, exactly one A, and the appropriate numbers of Cs and Is as needed.

RACI charts are handy in the following situations:

• At the start of a project: Defining roles and responsibilities from the outset sets clear expectations and communication channels, preventing issues and fostering collaboration.
• For complex projects with many team members: RACI charts simplify complexities by outlining specific duties and communication pathways, reducing confusion and promoting coordination.
• During organizational changes: RACI charts provide stability and clarity during restructuring or personnel shifts, aligning new team members with project goals.
• During agile transitions: RACI charts clarify roles and processes during agile transitions, define responsibilities for scrum roles, and outline participation in agile events.
• During project reviews: RACI charts maintain accountability and help identify bottlenecks or deviations, allowing for role reassignment.
• When many people are involved: RACI charts provide clarity and structure when numerous individuals contribute to a project.

To maximize the effectiveness of RACI charts, consider these best practices:

• Keep it simple: Focus on the essential tasks and responsibilities, avoiding unnecessary complexity. A concise and easily understandable chart is more likely to be used and referred to by team members.
• Involve the team: Engage team members in creating and reviewing the RACI chart to ensure buy-in and accuracy. Collaborative development promotes ownership and shared understanding.
• Regularly review and update: As projects evolve, revisit and update the RACI chart to reflect changes in scope or responsibilities. A dynamic RACI chart ensures that it remains relevant and valuable throughout the project lifecycle.
• Document changes: Track any modifications to the RACI chart, including the date, reason, and person responsible for the change. This documentation provides a clear record of the chart’s evolution and helps to maintain transparency.
• Ensure consistency: Use RACI charts consistently across projects and teams to avoid confusion. A standardized approach to RACI chart creation and implementation promotes clarity and understanding.
• Integrate with other tools: Combine RACI charts with other project management tools, such as Gantt charts and work breakdown structures, for a comprehensive project view. This integration provides a holistic project perspective, enhancing planning and execution.
• Clarify job roles vs. task roles: Understand the distinction between job and task roles. RACI charts focus on task roles and define responsibilities within the project context.
• Guide “responsible” individuals: Those assigned R for responsible should ensure they understand the task and timing, have the necessary resources, and provide regular updates to the accountable person. This guidance promotes effective task execution and communication.

RACI charts can be applied to various scenarios:

Marketing campaign: A RACI chart could clarify the responsibilities of marketing managers, content creators, designers, and analysts in activities like content creation, social media promotion, and campaign analysis. For instance, the marketing manager might be accountable for the overall campaign performance. At the same time, content creators are responsible for developing engaging content, designers are responsible for creating visually appealing materials, and analysts are responsible for tracking key metrics and providing insights.

Software development: In a software development project, a RACI chart might outline the roles of developers, testers, project managers, and stakeholders in tasks such as defining requirements, coding, testing, and deployment. For example, the project manager might be accountable for the project’s overall success. At the same time, developers are responsible for writing code, testers are responsible for identifying bugs, and stakeholders are consulted on key design decisions and informed of progress updates.

Event planning: In event planning, a RACI chart can define the roles of event coordinators, vendors, sponsors, and volunteers’ roles in venue selection, logistics, marketing, and on-site management. The event coordinator might be accountable for the overall success of the event. At the same time, vendors are responsible for providing specific services (such as catering or entertainment), sponsors are consulted on key decisions and informed of event updates, and volunteers are responsible for assisting with various tasks during the event.

While the traditional RACI model is widely used, some variations cater to specific needs:

• RASCI: This model adds a “supportive” role for individuals who assist in completing a task but are not directly responsible. This role acknowledges the contributions of those who support the responsible party.
• CARS: This model focuses on communication, with roles for “communicate,” “approve,” “responsible,” and “support.” It emphasizes the importance of clear communication channels and designates specific roles for those involved in communication and approval processes.
• DACI: This decision-making model has roles for “driver,” “approver,” “contributor,” and “informed.” It clarifies the decision-making process by assigning specific roles to those who drive decisions, those who approve them, and those who contribute to or are informed of the decisions.

Facilitate collaboration to generate momentum.

RACI charts can be used for projects of any size and are particularly useful for projects with complex role assignments and cross-departmental processes. Clearly and visually clarifying roles allows a team to move forward with momentum while avoiding confusion and hiccups.

Adobe Workfront is a powerful work management platform that creates, manages, and shares RACI charts. To understand Workfront’s capabilities, take a product tour now.