RACImatriser

RACImatriser, or RACI matrices, are a project management tool used to clarify roles and responsibilities for tasks within a process. The matrix lists activities down the left and stakeholders across the top, and for each activity assigns one of four roles: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. The goal is to prevent responsibility gaps and overlap by making decision rights explicit.

In a standard RACImatriser assignment, there is typically a single Accountable person for each task; one or more people can be Responsible; and the Consulted and Informed groups may include several stakeholders. The Accountable person is the owner who ensures the task is completed and approved. The Responsible are the doers who perform the work. Consulted are those who provide input, and Informed are kept up to date about progress.

Creating a RACImatriser involves listing all task activities, identifying participants, assigning R, A, C, and I for each activity, and validating the assignment with stakeholders. The matrix should be reviewed regularly and updated as projects evolve. Effective use requires clear criteria for roles and avoidance of ambiguity or excessive consultation.

Benefits include improved clarity, faster decision-making, and better governance through documented accountability. Limitations include potential rigidity for agile teams, the risk of overloading roles with too many C or I assignments, and the need for ongoing maintenance.

Variants exist, such as RASCI (adds a Support role) and RACI-VS (adds Verify and Sign-off). Some teams use lighter versions to suit rapid environments.

Example: For a software release task, the DevOps engineer may be Responsible, the Release Manager Accountable, the Security and QA leads Consulted, and the Project Sponsor Informed.