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Guide with a worked example

RACI chart: what it is, how to build one, with an example

Short answer

A RACI chart is a table of tasks against roles. Each cell says whether the role is Responsible (does the work), Accountable (owns the result), Consulted (asked first) or Informed (told after), and every task needs exactly one A.

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  • R

    Responsible

    Does the work. There can be more than one, and there must be at least one.

  • A

    Accountable

    Owns the result and signs it off. Exactly one per task.

  • C

    Consulted

    Asked for input before the work is done. Two-way: they answer back.

  • I

    Informed

    Told once it is done. One-way: no reply needed.

Task 4: Draft the new standard work sheet

  • AProd. supervisor
  • CCI lead
  • ROperators
  • CMaintenance
  • CQuality
  • CSafety
An example with sample data. One row of the sample chart below.

The definition

What is a RACI chart?

A RACI chart lists the tasks of a project down the left and the people or roles across the top. Each cell holds R, A, C, I or nothing. It settles who does each task, who owns it, who must be asked and who only needs to know, before the work starts. RACI chart and RACI matrix are the same thing.

The point of a RACI chart is to have the argument about who owns what before the work starts, not in the third week. It is a small table, and it is usually the first thing a kaizen event or a project charter needs once the tasks are listed.

It has other names. Wikipedia lists responsibility assignment matrix and linear responsibility chart, and says it is also called a RACI matrix. On this site the two words, chart and matrix, mean the same table.

The four letters

What do R, A, C and I mean?

R is Responsible: does the work. A is Accountable: owns the result and signs it off. C is Consulted: asked for input before the work is done. I is Informed: told after it is done. One person can hold two letters on a task, and when the owner also does the work it is written A/R.

  • R

    Responsible

    Does the work. There can be more than one, and there must be at least one.

    In the sample: Operators draft the new standard work sheet.

    Ask: Who will actually do it?

  • A

    Accountable

    Owns the result and signs it off. Exactly one per task.

    In the sample: The production supervisor owns the draft sheet.

    Ask: Who do we call if it is not done or not good enough?

  • C

    Consulted

    Asked for input before the work is done. Two-way: they answer back.

    In the sample: Maintenance, Quality and Safety are asked about the draft sheet.

    Ask: Whose input would change the task?

  • I

    Informed

    Told once it is done. One-way: no reply needed.

    In the sample: The plant manager is told when the 30-day check is done.

    Ask: Who is hurt if they hear about it late?

The one rule

What is the one rule of a RACI chart?

Every task gets exactly one A and at least one R. With two As, each person can think the other has it. With no A, nobody signs the work off. With no R, nobody does it. Then read each column down: if one person holds most of the As, that person is a bottleneck.

  • Draft the new sheet

    Follows the rule
    • ASupervisor
    • ROperators
    • CMaintenance
    • IQuality

    One A, one R. Clear.

  • Approve the new sheet

    Breaks the rule
    • ASupervisor
    • COperators
    • no letterMaintenance
    • AQuality

    Two As. Each can think the other signs it off.

  • Approve the new sheet

    Breaks the rule
    • CSupervisor
    • ROperators
    • CMaintenance
    • IQuality

    No A. The work is done and nobody signs it off.

  • Approve the new sheet

    Breaks the rule
    • ASupervisor
    • COperators
    • CMaintenance
    • IQuality

    No R. Everyone has an opinion and nobody does it.

The rule: one A and at least one R on every row. Roles here are generic.

A worked chart

What does a RACI chart look like, with an example?

The sample below is a changeover standard work update on a press line: ten tasks and seven roles. Read each row across for one A and at least one R. Then read each column down. The production supervisor holds the A on six of the ten tasks, which is worth a question before the chart is signed.

Sample RACI chart for update the changeover standard work on a press line: ten tasks down the side, seven roles across the top, a letter in each cell, and a check on each row for exactly one A and at least one R
TaskPlant managerProd. supervisorCI leadOperatorsMaintenanceQualitySafetyOne A, one R
1Approve the goal and the line time for trialsARCIIno letterno letterOK
2Time the current changeover and list every stepIARRCno letterno letterOK
3Split the steps into internal and external workno letterARCCno letterno letterOK
4Draft the new standard work sheetno letterACRCCCOK
5Review the lockout and guarding stepsno letterIno letterCCno letterA/ROK
6Set the first-part check after a changeoverno letterIno letterRno letterAno letterOK
7Trial the new sheet on one shiftIACRRCCOK
8Train the other shifts on the final sheetno letterARRno letterIIOK
9File the sheet in document controlno letterCRIno letterAno letterOK
10Check the changeover time at 30 daysIARCno letterIno letterOK
Holds the A1600021
Does the work (R)0155101
  • R Responsible
  • A Accountable
  • C Consulted
  • I Informed
  • A/R Owns it and does it
An example with sample data. An illustrative press line. The project is to update the changeover standard work so the change takes less time and is done the same way on every shift.

How to read it

  1. 1

    Read across: one A, at least one R

    Every row has one A. Task 5 shows the same person doing both: Safety is A/R on the lockout review. The check column on the right turns red if a row breaks the rule.

  2. 2

    Read down: who is carrying the project

    The production supervisor holds the A on six tasks. The CI lead and the Operators each do the work on five. Maintenance does the work on one. Ask whether the supervisor has the time, or whether the A on tasks 2 and 3 should sit with the CI lead.

  3. 3

    Look for who is missing

    Plant manager is Informed on three tasks and the A on one. That is right for a sponsor. A role with no letter anywhere should come off the chart, and a task with only Cs needs an R.

  4. 4

    Check the Cs

    Task 7, the trial, has three Cs. Each one is a conversation before the trial can run. If the trial keeps slipping, cut the Cs to the people whose input changes the task.

Building one

How do you build a RACI chart?

List the tasks first, each starting with a verb. Put the roles across the top. Mark the A on every row before anything else, then the Rs, then the Cs and Is. Read across and down, fix what is wrong, and agree the chart with the sponsor before work starts. One meeting is enough for a small project.

  1. 1

    List the tasks, each starting with a verb

    Time the changeover. Draft the sheet. File the sheet. If a task cannot be finished by one person in about a week, split it. Ten to twenty rows is plenty.

  2. 2

    Put the roles across the top

    Use roles first, such as maintenance or quality. Then write a name under each role, so everyone knows who to call.

  3. 3

    Mark the A on every row first

    Pick the one person who will answer for the result. Not the boss by default. The person who can say yes or no to the work and has the time to look.

  4. 4

    Mark who does the work

    Put R on everyone who does the work. If the owner does it too, write A/R.

  5. 5

    Add C and I, and keep the Cs few

    C only where the input changes the task. I for those who must hear about it. Leave the rest blank.

  6. 6

    Read across and down, then agree it

    Each row: one A, at least one R. Each column: is anyone overloaded or left out? Take it to the sponsor and the people named, and attach it to the charter.

What goes wrong

What mistakes ruin a RACI chart?

  • Two As on one task

    Two managers both want to sign off, so both are marked. Pick one to be A and make the other C.

  • Everyone is Consulted

    A row full of Cs is a meeting for every task. Consult the people whose input changes the work and inform the rest.

  • No one is Informed

    The people who hear last, such as the next shift or the supplier, are the ones who find out by surprise. Add an I for anyone who acts on the result.

  • Departments instead of people

    An R under Maintenance does not tell anyone who to call. Write a name under every role before the chart is final.

  • The A goes to the most senior person

    A is for the person who owns the result and has time to look at it. A plant manager as A on forty tasks owns none of them.

  • Filled in and filed

    A chart made for kickoff and never opened again does not stop the slow drift. Look at it in the meetings where the work is reviewed.

After the kickoff

How do you keep a RACI chart alive?

Open it where the work is reviewed, not in a folder. Change it when the scope, the people or the line changes, and tell anyone whose letter moved. Link it to the goal the project serves, so the A on the key tasks is the person who owns that goal. A chart that is never opened is a draft.

  • Review it when the project changes

    A new scope, a person who leaves, a second line added. Each one moves a letter. Change the chart the same day.

  • Open it in the regular meeting

    Put it on the screen in the weekly project review. A row with a late task starts the question: who is A?

  • Link it to the goal

    If the project serves a goal, the A on the key tasks should be someone who owns that goal. If the owner of the goal appears nowhere on the chart, ask why.

  • Tell people when their letter changes

    A person who becomes A on Friday should hear it on Friday. A letter that changes quietly is the same as no chart.

  • Hand it over at the end

    When the project closes, the open rows go to the process owner. Pass the chart with them.

Start from a page

Is there a free RACI chart template?

The free RACI matrix template on this site is built for a kaizen event or an improvement project. It has 17 tasks by ten roles, R, A, C, I drop-downs and a check for one accountable per task. Start from it, delete the rows you do not need and add your own.

Get the free RACI templateRead the RACI blog post

Not sure RACI is the right tool? The RACI vs RASCI, DACI and RAPID page compares them. The short definition is in the glossary.

One level up

Where does a RACI chart fit with goals?

A RACI chart says who owns each task. The same question comes up one level higher, for each goal.

  • Goals have owners

    In LeanSuite each goal has an owner, a pillar and a reason it matters. The strategy deployment page shows how goals are held and cascaded.

  • Actions have owners and dates

    In LeanSuite's continuous improvement software every action has an owner and a due date.

Sources

Read more on RACI and ownership

FAQ

Questions about RACI charts

  1. Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed. The Responsible people do the work. The Accountable person owns the result and signs it off. The Consulted people give input before the work is done. The Informed people are told once it is done.

  2. None. Chart and matrix are two names for the same table of tasks against roles. Wikipedia also lists responsibility assignment matrix and linear responsibility chart. Pick one name for your plant and use it every time, so nobody wonders whether two documents exist.

  3. Yes. On many tasks the owner also does the work, and the cell is written A/R. The rule still holds: one person is accountable and at least one is responsible. The A/R cells to watch for are the ones that pile up on one person down a column.

  4. This site's advice is one A, one or two Rs, and Cs only where their input changes the task. There is no standard number. If a row has five Cs, the task is probably a meeting in disguise. Split it or cut the Cs to the people who change the answer.

  5. One person is still accountable. Choose the person whose team lives with the result, and make the other team's lead R or C. If you cannot choose, the task is probably two tasks. Split it so that each part has its own owner.

  6. RASCI adds an S for Support, a person who helps deliver the task without owning the result. The comparison page lays RACI, RASCI, DACI and RAPID side by side, with one decision worked under each and a guide to which to use when.

  7. Yes. The free RACI matrix template on this site has 17 kaizen project tasks by ten roles, R, A, C, I drop-downs and a check that flags any task with no accountable person or more than one. There is an Excel version and a one-page PDF for a planning meeting.

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