01 Mar Keep Projects on Track with a RACI!

Keeping any project on time, on budget and on track is a complicated job. There’s so much to think about, so much to do. With so many moving parts, it’s a like a juggler trying to keep all their balls in the air at once, in a stiff breeze. Hard, but not impossible.

In projects that involve factors like program communication plans, stakeholder management and change management, to name a few, roles can become unclear and boundaries are often blurry. Without crystal-clear knowledge and delegation of all the activities and decisions required for the effective operation of a project, teams are at risk of both a drop in morale and low productivity.

RACI is our way of keeping an organized matrix or chart of a project’s roles, tasks and responsibilities. It stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed.  We’ve been able to successfully complete over 800 challenging assignments, many using this relatively simple tool.

Sales Beacon’s project methodology defines roles and responsibilities through a responsibility assignment matrix. In our RACI Matrix, we break down who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed for each activity, task, or decision for a project. The matrix works well because it identifies gaps, duplication and confusion and keeps teams engaged and incredibly productive.

Here are the four steps to develop a RACI Matrix for your team.

1. Determine the Activities

We’ve all made lists, right? Shopping lists, bucket lists, to-do lists. This is the same except we’re making a list of tasks: all the tasks required to complete a project. We’re not going to assign each task to a specific person yet, that comes later.

A good trick is to begin naming each task with a verb, which makes sense since each task is an action that needs to be done. When an action involves judgement or decisions, for example, verbs like “evaluate” or” inspect” will do nicely. Verbs like “complete”, “research” “compile” are good starting points as well. Be specific in naming the tasks but avoid trivial or assumed activities such as “attend meetings”. They’re just going to clutter up your matrix.

A good activity statement might look like this: “Analyze data to locate source of delay.” Remember KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid!

2. Define Roles and Responsibilities

Once your actions are listed, determine the roles which individuals, groups, or entire departments have for each task. In a role, one may be either responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed about the task and its completion.

Responsible

Those who do the work to complete the task. This is the person entrusted to do the work or make the decision and is responsible for the quality and timing of a specific piece of work.

Accountable

Think of an accountable as a supervisor. The accountable individual is the one ultimately responsible for the proper completion of the task and has agreed-upon decision-making power over the process. There can only be one accountable person for a task and this person is ultimately accountable for end-to-end results of process. Just as only one person at a time can drive a car only one person can be accountable.

Consulted

A consulted role is like an oversight committee. Any consulted individual would be consulted prior to a final decision being made for feedback.  They are meant to look at each task with a critical eye.  A consulted individual does not override decisions made by accountable individuals but is responsible for raising major issues or concerns before moving ahead and for providing input and understanding for the ramifications of those actions and decisions.

Informed

Finally, an informed individual is ‘kept in the loop’ about conclusions or decision points in the process, usually only when a task has been completed.

3. Build the RACI Model

The idea behind RACI is to create a simple visual representation through a matrix or chart. The chart lets you map your tasks against the roles you’ve defined.

Start by filling in the accountable (A) or responsible (R) cells, then move on to consulted (C) and informed (I).

For an effective matrix, all roles and responsibilities must be documented, communicated, and accepted by stakeholders. Build the chart with feedback from your team. 100% accuracy is not essential and the document should be updated and adjusted as needed. Changes are always going to happen, and you need your RACI model to reflect each change as it happens.

4. Evaluate the Model

Once the model is filled in, you must assess whether it’s going to be effective. Just filling in the blanks doesn’t mean much if the roles aren’t complementary or if your group hasn’t properly divided the tasks and responsibilities. Here are some things to watch out for:

• Is there more than one “A” per task? Only one person can be accountable for each task.
• Are there enough “R”s? Without enough responsible people, an activity won’t get done.
• Are there too many “C”s? Too many consulted groups can lead to “paralysis by analysis”.
• Have you included enough “I”s? There may not be enough communication with stakeholders.

As you get more comfortable with using a RACI model, you’ll find that it will become second nature.

In Conclusion

RACI is an efficient way to move your project forward but only if you follow through! Put your matrix to work and review and adjust it regularly with your team and stakeholders. You’ll find that not only will the tasks get done, the projects will get completed and everyone involved is going to feel great about their contributions!

Learn more about effective project management methodologies here and feel free to reach out to us anytime.