In the second part of our three part series on successful implementation strategies, we discuss one of the most important project setup strategies – the RACI. As you may know, a RACI is a responsibility assignment matrix that defines who is responsible for all aspects of the project. RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform. Based on an organizational matrix from the contractor and customer companies, it tells you which people do what to deliver all aspects of a project.  So what do these four types of “project people” look like?

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Rockin’ Relationships: Documents
Drive the Details
Sarah Huhner
Senior Consultant

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RACI
In the second part of our
three part series on
successful implementation
strategies, we discuss one
of the most important
project setup strategies –
the RACI.

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Implementation Project
• As I’ve mentioned before, implementation projects end
up being mostly about the people involved.
• Project success hinges upon how effective the project
team is in harnessing their own particular
talents and in placing the right eyes over the right set
of project deliverables to ensure quality down the line.

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Implementation Project
• Last time, we talked about how to build a solid
logistical framework for implementation.
• Next time, we’ll discuss effective communications
protocol.
• Today, we’ll discuss the way to get the right people
doing the right things using a RACI.

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Don’t race through your RACI
• As you may know, a RACI is a responsibility
assignment matrix that defines who is responsible for
all aspects of the project.
• RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consult,
and Inform.
• Based on an organizational matrix from the
contractor and customer companies, it tells you which
people do what to deliver all aspects of a project.
• So what do these four types of “project people” look
like?

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Responsible
• Responsible individuals are the people that will
actually perform the work to complete a particular task
or deliverable.
• These individuals coordinate all other team members
who will have input or involvement on the task.
• This can include coordinating draft reviews, meetings,
and sign-off to drive a task to completion.
• They are also responsible for communicating and
reporting on the task progress. A good “R” assignee
doesn’t necessarily have all of the information required
to do the task up front.

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Responsible
• However, they should be on a logical team for the
task, as well as in a project role that’s a good fit for
knowing the task scope and how it’s going to get it
completed.
• Note that a project manager is not a common “R”
assignment within a RACI.
• The only exception is for project tasks that are
strictly project management in nature – a great
example of this is the RACI itself!

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Accountable
• Accountable individuals have a role in signing off on a
particular task and considering it complete to the
highest quality.
• To be the “A” for a task means that person is signing
off on the “R” person’s work. All content and language
must be sound and clear, which is also what the “A”
must enforce.
• If referring back to any designs that turn out to be
incorrect or late deliverables, the Accountable person
is the team member on the hook for explaining what
happened.

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Accountable
• Final sign-off should not be the first time an “A” is
reading content, but rather an affirmation of the
already reviewed material.
• A proper Accountable assignment is one that has
enough knowledge of the deliverable and project
scope to know if something meets content quality
expectations.
• If an individual is at too high of a management level,
they may not have enough information to know if it’s
been done to the proper standard.

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Consulted
• These individuals may be considered the Subject
Matter Expert (SME) for a particular task or knowledge
area.
• They are engaged by the Responsible team member
to provide input and review deliverables for accuracy.
• A Consulted person’s expertise should absolutely be
included before a task can be considered complete.
• It is important to identify the individuals specifically and
communicate timelines and time estimates of when
they will be needed.

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Consulted
• This makes sure they are available when required in
order to avoid any project plan delays.
• For example, an architecture guru might need weeks
to promise you attendance at a crucial meeting—make
sure they’re on board from the very start.

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Inform
• These individuals will be provided status updates on a
particular task or deliverable.
• They also may be just a user of the end product when
the task is complete.
• An Informed individual does not typically provide
feedback back to the Responsible team member –
consider this role more of a “carbon copy” or “FYI” role
that is copied on particular updates throughout the
process.

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Demystify project responsibilities
• The act of creating a RACI demystifies project
responsibilities which will help a project be a well-oiled
machine down the road.
• It allows people to manage their own time and
workload within a project timeline since they know
when and for what they are needed.
• I have found that the activity of doing a RACI is just as
helpful as the resulting artifact.
• Make sure you have the crucial conversations about
true responsibility and accountability to clear up
potential confusion later in the project.

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Experience with RACIs
I’d love to hear about your experiences
with planning RACIs. And I can’t wait to
talk about good communications with you
in my next post. But until then, keep your
RACIs – and project relationships – rockin’.

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Sarah takes a customer-focused and results-driven
approach to project management and demand-driven
manufacturing systems implementation. With hundreds of
projects under her belt, Sarah is fearless when it comes to
challenging the status quo and delving into the details to
ensure an optimal user experience. As such, her posts
reflect tips and best practice advice for managing people
and processes through projects - and getting the most out
of your systems.
Sarah Huhner

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