RACI Matrix

Revision as of 18:47, 9 February 2021

Abstract

This article focuses on the RACI project management matrix. RACI being a synonym for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. ^[1]

Successful project organizations are the result of careful planning and collaboration of project team members. ^[1][2] Having clear roles and responsibilities is a crucial success factor for any kind of project. ^[1] Therefore, role definitions, responsibilities, and accountabilities must be determined to increase productivity, gain better results, and better communication with fewer misunderstandings and disruptions. The RACI matrix addresses this problem while providing a simple and effective tool for defining and documenting project roles and responsibilities. ^[3]

The RACI matrix brings structure and clarity to describing the roles that stakeholders play within a project. ^[1][3] The overall goal of the RACI matrix is to map out every task, milestone or key decision involved in completing a project and assigns which project individuals, as well as stakeholders, are responsible, accountable, consult and inform statuses for different project activities. ^[4] A RACI matrix can be implemented at any time after a project has been conceived or is underway. ^[3]

The following article is going to describe what the RACI matrix is, what RACI roles are, what the overall benefits of RACI are, and how the RACI matrix can put into practice. The article also discusses the considerations and rules of RACI and gives alternatives to the conventional RACI matrix. At the end of the article, RACI’s limitations are going to be explained in more detail. Project groups can use this article to identify their team structure, roles, and responsibilities to make team operations more smoothly. Overall, all projects should introduce the RACI matrix to eliminate confusion while at the same time ensuring that all project team members understood their responsibilities.

The RACI Matrix

Definition of the RACI Matrix

The RACI matrix is a popular type of a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM). RAM being a grid that shows the project resources assigned to each work package to illustrate the connection between work packages or activities and project team members. At a high-level, RAM defines all responsible of a project team group or unit within each component of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), while low-level RAMs are used within a group to designate roles, responsibilities, and levels of authority for specific activities. ^[1]

A WBS can be the underlying foundation for a RACI matrix as a WBS divides a project into its elements that need to be planned and controlled. ^[5] Therefore, the RACI matrix can be used to divide the project into subtasks and work packages as part of the structuring process. “Activities (tasks), roles and activities are basic elements of a process." ^[6] The RACI matrix is most useful for multiple people or groups assigned to a certain project activity. The matrix shows key activities as rows and participating parties as columns. For each participating party, the RACI matrix indicates the responsible, accountable, consulted or informed (https://www.ibm.com/garage/method/practices/manage/raci-matrix/). “The RACI matrix serves as the baseline of the communications plan by stipulating who receives information, how frequently, and at what level of detail.” The RACI matrix should be established by the end of the planning phase of a project or being used to get stuck projects in the execution phase moving again. As soon as a RACI matrix has been created, it should be and published in the Project Charter document. ^[7]