§1The four letters
RACI is a decision-rights map disguised as a table.
| Letter | Meaning | The test |
|---|---|---|
| R — Responsible | Does the work. | If they stop, the activity stops. |
| A — Accountable | Answers for the outcome; signs it off. | Exactly one per activity — the name the sponsor asks for. |
| C — Consulted | Two-way input before the decision. | Their absence would change the outcome. |
| I — Informed | One-way notice after the decision. | Their absence changes nothing but their surprise. |
§2Building one that survives contact
Four steps, in a workshop, with the people whose names go in the cells.
1 · Rows are activities, not job descriptions. “Approve design changes” is a row; “engineering” is not. If a row can’t fail, it isn’t a row. 2 · Columns are roles, not departments. Five to eight columns; beyond that the matrix is describing an org chart, not a project. 3 · Place the A first in every row, then the R, then argue about C — the C column is where matrices bloat, and every C you grant is a meeting you schedule. 4 · Read it back aloud, one row at a time, with everyone named present. The matrix is agreed when nobody flinches.
Contents§3The worked matrix — 7 activities × 5 roles
A plant-upgrade delivery team; the accountable cell is marked in every row.
| Activity | Sponsor | Project Manager | Project Engineer | Site Lead | HSE Advisor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm scope baseline | C | A | R | C | I |
| Develop the schedule | I | A | R | C | I |
| Approve design changes | I | A | C | R | I |
| Procure long-lead items | I | C | A | R | I |
| Run site inductions | I | I | C | R | A |
| Report monthly to the board | A | R | C | I | I |
| Close out and hand over | I | A | R | C | C |
Read down the columns as well as across the rows: the Sponsor holds two As and is otherwise informed — exactly the altitude a sponsor should fly at — while the doing concentrates in the Project Engineer and Site Lead columns, where it belongs.
Contents§4Diagnostics — reading the smells
A finished matrix diagnoses the organisation that wrote it.
| Smell | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Two As in a row | A negotiation deferred, waiting to become a dispute. | Force the choice now, in the workshop. |
| No R in a row | Everyone expects it done; nobody is doing it. | Name the doer or delete the activity. |
| A row of Cs | Consensus culture pricing every decision at one meeting. | Demote Cs to Is unless their input changes outcomes. |
| A column with no A anywhere | A role with a seat but no stake. | Give it accountability or take it off the matrix. |
| One column full of Rs | A bottleneck wearing a hero costume. | Redistribute, or resource that role honestly. |
§5Variants, briefly
Extensions earn their place only when the base letters are already disciplined.
RASCI adds S — Support — for hands that help the R without owning the work; useful on site-heavy jobs, noise elsewhere. RAPID reorganises around the decision itself (Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide) and suits governance-heavy programmes. Whatever the alphabet, the two invariants of §3 travel with it: one accountable name per row, and at least one pair of hands.
Contents§6Quick reference
The working core of the resource on one card rack.
Invariants
One A per row · at least one R per row.
Rows
Activities that can fail — never job descriptions.
C is a cost
Every C granted is a meeting scheduled.
Read-back
Agreed aloud, one row at a time, everyone present.