Accountability: RACI Tool

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Accountability RACI Tool

• February 2006

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Accountability RACI Tool

• Purpose
• Timing
• Steps
• Tips

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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

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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

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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 left-hand
  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
Position 4
Position 3
Position 2
Position 1
KEY DECISIONS OR PROCESS STEPS

• Decision/Step 1

• Decision/Step 2

• Decision/Step 3

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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) Responsible (The doer) The individual
  responsible for completing/ implementing the task
  at hand. Responsibility may be shared, as
  determined by the team
• (A) 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
• (C) Consulted (In the loop) The individual
  and/or group consulted prior to a final decision
  or action
• ( I ) 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

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RACI Tool Example
STAFFING (EXAMPLE) STAFFING (EXAMPLE) STAFFING (EXAMPLE) STAFFING (EXAMPLE)
KEY DECISIONS OR PROCESS STEPS Recruiting Head Recruiting Team Business Partner Hiring Manager
Making the Offer Develop Templates A R I I
Making the Offer Approve Offer C C R A
Making the Offer Negotiate A C R, C

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

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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