Accountability: RACI Tool

| February 2006

Accountability: RACI
Tool
Purpose
Timing
Steps
Tips

Purpose

To clarify roles, responsibilities, and authority within teams or

among people involved in managing or performing processes

To help teams:

Design or re-design processes more efficiently by highlighting decisions

Clarify overlapping, redundant, bottle-necked, or inconsistent

responsibilities

Structure and distribute responsibility and authority

Establish clear lines of communication; reduce duplication of efforts;

pinpoint what can come off the plate

To help form a team, re-design a process, or manage a function

Timing

While it is useful to have identified stakeholders prior to applying

RACI, it is not necessary

RACI can be applied anytime

RACI is particularly helpful as a team starts its work

If the project bogs down or confusion impedes progress, RACI may

point to the source of problems and to solutions

Step 1: Clarify Key Steps

Clarify the key decisions or process steps that are being analyzed or
designed or that the Team is accountable for. List these in the lefthand column of the RACI Analysis Chart (see below).
Identify stakeholders, positions, team members, and/or groups (but
not specific individuals) involved in the decision or process being
analyzed. List as column headings in the RACI Chart.
STAKEHOLDERS/POSITIONS/GROUPS
KEY DECISIONS OR
PROCESS STEPS

Position 1

Position 2

Position 3

Position 4

Decision/Step 1
Decision/Step 2
Decision/Step 3

Step 2: Complete the RACI Chart

Complete each cell of the RACI Chart for each decision or process by
designating which stakeholders should be:
(R)
(A)
(C)
(I)

Responsible (The doer): The individual responsible for completing/

implementing the task at hand. Responsibility may be shared, as determined by
the team
Accountable (The buck stops here): The individual holding authority and the
ability to say yes or no. Ultimately accountable. Only one A should be
assigned to a decision or set of process activities
Consulted (In the loop): The individual and/or group consulted prior to a final
decision or action
Informed (In the picture): The individual and/or group that needs to be informed
after decisions are made or actions are taken so that they may fulfill their duties

Begin with the A. Guidelines for designating roles:

Designate one point (role, position) of Accountability (A) for each decision/ step.
Assign responsibility (R) at the level closest to the action or knowledge required
for the task. Verify that any shared responsibilities are appropriate and feasible.
Ensure that appropriate positions/individuals are Consulted (C) and Informed (I),
but limit these roles to necessary involvement only

RACI Tool: Example

STAFFING (EXAMPLE)
KEY DECISIONS OR
PROCESS STEPS

Recruiting
Head

Recruiting
Team

Business
Partner

Hiring
Manager

Making the Offer:

Develop Templates

Making the Offer:

Approve Offer

R, C

Making the Offer:

Negotiate

R - Responsible (the doer)

A - Accountable (buck stops here)
C - Consulted (in the loop)
I - Informed (in the picture)

Step 3: Follow-up

Follow-up: Review the RACI chart vertically to:

Avoid under- or over-committing positions or team members

Eliminate unnecessary gates and bottlenecks
Designate appropriate skill sets

Review the RACI chart horizontally to:

Clarify any ambiguous division of labor
Ensure adequate continuity across decisions and process steps
Ensure accountability and authority to get the job done

RACI Tips
RACI is a useful complement to a process map, since it can get into
more detailed and specific activities than a high level process map.
Think of a process map at one level of abstraction and RACI as the
next level of detail.
Consider the benefits of pushing responsibilities down (e.g.,
increasing the level of responsibility of a C to that of an R, and an
R to an A)
Authority must accompany accountability
Eliminate unnecessary checkers checking checkers by designating
only essential Cs and Is

Document and communicate all roles and responsibilities to

appropriate stakeholders. Be sure that RACI analysis involves the
individuals directly involved with decisions
9