What Is a RACI Chart? How to Use RACI to Assign Project Roles
Here’s something every project manager knows: Even the best plan fails when roles are unclear.
Ineffective decision-making is one of the biggest reasons projects stall. A McKinsey study highlights the impact:
- Managers spend 37% of their time making decisions.
- More than half of that time is wasted.
- For Fortune 500 companies, the inefficiency adds up to 530,000 lost workdays and about $250 million in wasted labor costs each year.
This wasted effort shows why accountability matters—and why RACI charts are so effective at keeping projects on track.
In this article, we’ll explain what RACI stands for and how it’s used in project management. We’ll also share practical examples of how to apply the RACI model to different types of projects.
What is a RACI chart?
A RACI chart is a responsibility assignment matrix used in project management to define roles across 4 categories:
- Responsible (R)
- Accountable (A)
- Consulted (C)
- Informed (I)
It answers the following questions for each task, milestone, or decision:
- Who does the work?
- Who calls the shots?
- Whose opinion matters?
- Who needs to stay in the loop?
A RACI chart breaks roles and responsibilities down further than simple resource assignments. That way, team members and stakeholders know exactly what’s expected of them.
What do the RACI roles mean?
RACI stands for responsible (R), accountable (A), consulted (C), informed (I). Here’s what each role means:
- Responsible: The person who does the work to complete the task.
- Accountable: The person who ultimately answers for the correct and thorough completion of the task.
- Consulted: People who provide input and feedback before the work is done.
- Informed: People who need to be kept up to date on progress or decisions.
Responsible (R)
This team member does the work to complete the task. Every task needs at least one responsible party, but it’s okay to assign more.
Examples of people in the responsible role:
- Content writer
- Graphic designer
- UI/UX designer
- Software developer
- Business analyst
- QA specialist
Accountable (A)
This person delegates work and is the last one to review the task or deliverable before it’s deemed complete.
On some tasks, the responsible party may also serve as the accountable one. Just be sure you only have one accountable person assigned to each task or deliverable. (Note: It might not be your project manager!)
Examples of people in the accountable role:
- Project manager
- Product manager
- Department head
- Team lead
Consulted (C)
Consulted parties are typically the people who provide input based on their domain of expertise or how a task will impact their future project work.
Examples of people in the consulted role:
- Sales team
- Software architect
- Content editor
- Creative director
- QA manager
- Compliance officer
- Security specialist
- Legal counsel
Informed (I)
Informed stakeholders simply need to be kept in the loop on project progress. They don’t need to be roped into the details of every deliverable.
Examples of people in the informed role:
- Executive leadership
- External clients
- Team members assigned to dependent tasks
- Customer support team
- Administrative staff
What’s the difference between responsible and accountable?
The same person can be both responsible (R) and accountable (A) for a task in RACI—including a project manager.
But they’re not one and the same. So what’s the difference?
Responsible is a task-oriented designation.
- Responsible applies to the person (or people) actually completing the work.
- A whole team can be responsible for the execution of one task.
Accountable is an outcome-oriented designation.
- Accountable applies to a single person who must answer for and sign off on the deliverable.
- This person must also deal with the consequences if a deliverable falls short of goals.
What are the benefits of using the RACI model?
The RACI model brings clarity to project roles and responsibilities. That clarity drives better accountability, faster decisions, and smoother collaboration.
Here are some of the biggest benefits RACI provides.
Reduces confusion and overlap
Without clear roles, work gets duplicated or dropped. McKinsey’s Organizational Health Index found that organizations with clear role definition and accountability are more than three times as likely to achieve top-quartile organizational health.
In practice, that kind of clarity can mean the difference between a stalled initiative and a project that delivers measurable results.
Improves accountability and follow-through
Every task has a designated owner. That means deadlines don’t slip and sponsors know exactly who is on the hook for results.
According to PMI Pulse of the Profession (2015), projects with actively engaged executive sponsors are significantly more likely to succeed—underscoring the power of clear accountability.
Assigning an accountable (A) role ensures sponsors know when they own the decision and stay fully engaged.
Streamlines decision-making
Decision-making is a weakness for most organizations. A McKinsey global survey found that only 20% of companies excel at decision-making, and 61% of decision-making time is used ineffectively.
RACI clarifies who gets to make the call by assigning one accountable (A) person to each task. This reduces bottlenecks that slow projects down.
Enhances collaboration and communication
Consulted (C) and informed (I) roles ensure stakeholders have visibility without being overloaded. This prevents miscommunication and keeps everyone aligned.
In one case involving a building materials distributor, redefining the RACI matrix improved operational efficiency by 25%. It also lifted employee satisfaction by 30%, thanks to clearer role alignment and smoother teamwork.
Delivers measurable efficiency gains
A global semiconductor company struggled with project delays and cost overruns due to unclear accountability and slow decision-making.
After redefining its RACI framework, the company cut decision-making time by 15%. It also reduced project delays by 20%.
How do you create a RACI chart?
Building a RACI chart is simple. The hardest part is deciding which role makes sense for each person involved in each task.
You’ll want to map out RACI assignments during the planning stage. This ensures responsibilities are clear before work begins. It also gives you time to adjust for gaps or overlaps.
Here are the basic steps:
- List project tasks and deliverables. Write down all key phases, milestones, and tasks in a column on the left side of your chart. Be as detailed as needed, depending on project complexity and team size.
- Identify all roles or people involved. Enter project participants across the top row. Each person (or role) should have their own column header. You can use names or job titles—whichever is clearest.
- Assign RACI roles. For each task, assign a responsible (R), accountable (A), consulted (C), or informed (I) designation to the appropriate person. Every task should have at least one responsible and exactly one accountable.
- Review and adjust for clarity. Look for tasks with no coverage, multiple accountables, or too many consulteds. Adjust assignments to eliminate gaps and bottlenecks.
- Finalize and communicate. Share the completed RACI chart with the team. Use it to guide communication plans and ensure stakeholders know when they are responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed.
What rules should you follow when building a RACI matrix?
When your RACI chart is complete, check it against these rules:
- Every task has at least one responsible (R). Each task needs a clearly defined owner who will do the work.
- Assign exactly one accountable (A). Only one person should be accountable for each task to ensure clear decision-making.
- Give everyone a role. Each team member should appear in the chart for every task—even if they are only Informed (I).
- Balance workloads. No team member should be overloaded with too many responsible (R) tasks.
What are the best practices for using a RACI chart?
Follow these best practices to get the most out of your chart:
- Focus on tasks, milestones, and decisions. Avoid cluttering the chart with admin items like status meetings.
- Align tasks with your project plan. This prevents confusion about due dates and details.
- Keep RACI definitions nearby. Responsible (R), accountable (A), consulted (C), and informed (I) can be easy to forget.
- Assign roles directly in your project tool. This ensures everyone sees ownership at a glance while the project moves forward.
What are real-world examples of the RACI model?
Let’s look at two examples that show how RACI works in practice.
1. Producing a marketing handout
Imagine you’re creating a RACI chart for a handout your marketing manager will distribute at an industry conference.
Basic tasks might include:
- Write project brief
- Create content
- Design handout
- Review first draft
- Update handout
- Approve final
- Send to printer
Team members involved:
- Project manager
- CMO
- Marketing manager
- Editorial director
- Content writer
- Creative director
- Designer
Zooming in on the “Create content” task:
- Responsible (R): Content writer actively creates the content.
- Accountable (A): Editorial director ensures quality and accuracy and reviews against editorial standards.
- Consulted (C): Marketing manager provides subject matter input and helps fill content gaps.
- Informed (I): Creative director and designer (because the design task depends on content), plus project manager and CMO (to stay in the loop).
2. Developing a new software product
In Agile projects, developers may communicate constantly, but cross-functional teams and senior leaders often need clearer role definition. Here’s how RACI might apply.
Market research
- Responsible (R): Business analyst, marketing manager
- Accountable (A): Product manager
- Consulted (C): Sales rep, customer support
- Informed (I): Project manager, software developers
Requirement gathering
- Responsible (R): Business analyst
- Accountable (A): Product manager
- Consulted (C): UI/UX designer, software architect
- Informed (I): Project manager, QA analysts
Design and prototyping
- Responsible (R): UI/UX designer
- Accountable (A): Product manager
- Consulted (C): Business analyst, software developers
- Informed (I): Marketing manager, QA analysts
Software development
- Responsible (R): Software developers/engineers
- Accountable (A): Software architect
- Consulted (C): Product manager, QA analysts
- Informed (I): Project manager, technical writer
Testing
- Responsible (R): QA analysts/engineers
- Accountable (A): Project manager
- Consulted (C): Software developers, DevOps engineer
- Informed (I): Product manager, technical writer
Deployment
- Responsible (R): DevOps engineer
- Accountable (A): Project manager
- Consulted (C): Software developers, QA analysts
- Informed (I): Product manager, customer support
Maintenance
- Responsible (R): DevOps engineer, software developers
- Accountable (A): Project manager
- Consulted (C): QA analysts, technical writer
- Informed (I): Product manager, customer support
Monitoring
- Responsible (R): DevOps engineer, QA analysts
- Accountable (A): Project manager
- Consulted (C): Software developers, technical writer
- Informed (I): Product manager, customer support
Marketing and sales
- Responsible (R): Marketing manager, sales rep
- Accountable (A): Marketing manager
- Consulted (C): Product manager, customer support
- Informed (I): Project manager, software developers
User training
- Responsible (R): Customer support specialist
- Accountable (A): Product manager
- Consulted (C): Technical writer, UI/UX designer
- Informed (I): All project team members
When should you use a RACI chart?
A RACI chart works for almost any project, but it’s especially helpful when:
- Decision-making or approvals may cause delays
- Ownership is unclear and conflict arises over who does what
- Workload distribution feels uneven across team members
- Turnover occurs and new people need to be onboarded quickly
When might you skip a RACI matrix?
Not every project needs a RACI chart. For example:
- Small projects where tasks are simple and straightforward
- Teams with excellent communication who already stay aligned without extra structure
In these cases, you can skip RACI. Just be sure you have a clear plan in place to guide work.
What are common RACI pitfalls and how can you avoid them?
Using a RACI chart is simple, but mistakes can limit its effectiveness.
Harvard Business Review notes that accountability often breaks down in complex organizations, where roles overlap and processes cross departments.
Here are 3 pitfalls to watch for:
1. Failing to get buy-in
Without stakeholder alignment, even tools like RACI risk creating confusion.
- Pitfall: Assigning roles without input from team members or stakeholders.
- How to avoid it: Walk through assignments together so everyone understands their role. Confirm that the chart removes confusion instead of creating it.
2. Setting it and forgetting it
RACI is not a one-time exercise.
- Pitfall: Building the chart at project kickoff and never revisiting it.
- How to avoid it: Review RACI roles during weekly check-ins. Keep the chart accessible so team members can reference it as work progresses.
3. Overcomplicating stakeholder communication
Too many consulted (C) and informed (I) roles can overwhelm communication.
- Pitfall: Adding long lists of people to every task without a clear plan to update them.
- How to avoid it: Use lightweight communication methods so they stay informed without extra meetings.
Frequently asked questions
Keep teams in sync—and accountable—with TeamGantt
A RACI chart is a simple tool that makes projects easier to manage by creating less confusion and more accountability.
But you’ve got more than roles and responsibilities to keep straight.
TeamGantt makes it easy to build a project plan your whole team can contribute to and collaborate on. Everything happens online, so you can stay on top of deadlines and monitor progress in real time.
Use our built-in RACI chart to assign roles and keep them visible from project start to finish. That way, everyone knows how they contribute to success.
Lay a clear path to success with a visual plan that’s easy to understand, and keep everyone in sync with flexible workflows and team collaboration.
