Quality Improvement Zone

A RACI matrix maps project tasks, activities, milestones or decisions against the people or roles involved, making it clear who is responsible for doing the work, who makes decisions and who needs to be involved.

A RACI matrix helps teams develop a shared understanding of who is doing what and can reduce confusion, duplication and gaps in responsibility. It is particularly useful when several people or teams are contributing to the same project.

RACI stands for:

• Responsible (R)

The person or people who complete the task or deliverable. More than one person may be responsible for a task.

• Accountable (A)

The person with overall accountability for ensuring the task is completed. This person has final ownership or approval responsibility.

Each task should normally have only one accountable person.

• Consulted (C)

People who provide advice, expertise or guidance before decisions are made or actions are taken. Communication is typically two-way.

Where possible, avoid assigning large numbers of consulted stakeholders, as this can create delays and make decision-making more difficult.

• Informed (I)

People who need to be kept updated on progress or outcomes. They are affected by the work or have an interest in it, but are not directly involved in completing the task or making decisions.

Communication with informed stakeholders is usually one-way.

Improvement projects often involve multiple people, teams and stakeholders. Without clear agreement about roles and responsibilities, misunderstandings can occur and important activities may be missed.

A RACI matrix can help you:

• clarify roles and responsibilities across a project
• reduce duplication of effort
• identify gaps in ownership and accountability
• improve communication and collaboration
• support decision-making and governance arrangements
• help stakeholders understand how they will be involved
• support effective project management throughout the improvement journey

The value of a RACI matrix comes from the conversations used to create it. Discussing responsibilities as a team often helps identify assumptions, overlaps and areas requiring clarification.

1. Identify project roles

List the people, groups or roles involved in the project.

Examples may include:

• project sponsor
• project lead
• project team members
• stakeholders
• subject matter experts
• governance groups

2. Identify project tasks and deliverables

List the key tasks, milestones, decisions or deliverables required throughout the project.

These can be grouped into phases such as:

• planning
• testing
• implementation
• evaluation

3. Assign RACI responsibilities

For each task, identify who is:

• Responsible
• Accountable
• Consulted
• Informed

Ensure responsibilities are clear and realistic.

A useful check is to confirm that:

• every task has at least one Responsible role
• every task has one Accountable role
• Consulted and Informed roles are used proportionately

4. Review and agree as a team

Discuss the draft matrix with the project team and key stakeholders.

Consider:

• Is ownership clear?
• Are there any gaps?
• Are there too many people involved in decision-making?
• Does everyone understand their role?

Agreement at this stage helps create clarity and shared expectations.

5. Review and update regularly

A RACI matrix should be treated as a living document.

Review it when:

• project roles change
• new stakeholders become involved
• project scope changes
• new tasks emerge
• governance arrangements are updated

Regular review helps ensure responsibilities remain accurate throughout the project.