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RACI Matrix Template

It’s funny when a circus clown drops the ball during a juggling act. Watching your team drop the ball during a project isn’t so funny, it’s completely frustrating! You can keep all those balls in the air with The PMO Squad RACI Matrix Template, which removes the guesswork of who is responsible for what on a project, eliminates surprises, and ensures communication flows smoothly.

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Why Use a RACI Matrix Template?

First, what is RACI? RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.

Responsible - 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. These people are the “doers.”
Accountable - This person delegates work and is last 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. This role is usually filled by the project sponsor.
Consulted - Every deliverable is strengthened by review and consultation from more than one team member. Consulted parties are typically the people who provide input based on either how it will impact their future project work or their domain of expertise on the deliverable itself.‍
Informed - These team members simply need to be kept in the loop on project progress, rather than roped into the details of every deliverable. They don’t contribute directly to decisions but need to be aware of them.

There are a number of reasons why you should use the RACI Matrix Template:

It Keeps Everyone on the Same Page - The RACI Matrix creates a shared understanding of who is responsible for what and when. It is a visual map that is easy to understand and explain to others.
Prevents Important Items From Being Dropped - The RACI Matrix maps out all approvals, sign-offs, and other activities. If there are gaps, they can be filled in with the appropriate owner.
Eliminates Double Work - A RACI Matrix identifies areas where people may be doubled, or even tripled, up. No need to have two people assigned to being Accountable when only one is necessary.
Serves as a Foundation for Your Communication Plan - Referring back to the RACI Matrix serves as a basis for what you need to communicate to whom and when.

Gathering Project requirements is critical to successful project outcome

How do you use the RACI Matrix?

Follow these steps to make the most of the RACI Matrix Template:

Add Your Process Down the Left - Review your project plan and include the material deliverables and phases down the left side. No need to include every single task in the project plan, but rather focus on those tasks and deliverables that are gateways to the next phase or major milestone.
Add Roles Across the Top - Identify all the roles, typically job titles, along the top row of the matrix. You’ll quickly see what roles are needed as you make ensure RACI coverage for the process you identified in Step #1.
Identify Each Person’s Role - Take your list of project team members and begin filling in their names at the intersection of the Role (across the top and as identified above) and the Task or Deliverable (along the left side). It’s recommended to color code each cell to correspond with the legend at the bottom, but also include the RACI letter and name of the person responsible in that cell. For example, R - Jay or A - Jennifer
Look for Patterns and Resolve - Look for patterns that don’t make sense and fix them. For example, are there too many ‘Rs,’ the equivalent of too many cooks in the kitchen? Are there no ‘As’ for a task or deliverable, meaning no one is accountable? Are so many ‘Cs’ being consulted that it could slow things down? Are there too many ‘Is’ involved in the plan that don’t need to be?
Communicate the Plan - You now need to make sure that everyone listed on the matrix knows what to do and when. The best laid plans will go to waste if those that are expected to do the work don’t know about it.

Then, refer to the RACI Matrix as a communication and approval guide throughout the project. Use it to make sure the appropriate people sign off on approvals, to ask questions of subject matter experts, or keep up to speed on the decisions made during the project.

Benefits of using a RACI Matrix Template

Using the RACI Matrix Template:
- Eliminates “I Didn’t Know about This”- The RACI Matrix keeps everyone up to speed on decisions, timelines, and status of the project. The “Informed” column will be particularly important in removing surprises where stakeholder says they didn’t know something was coming.
- Ensures Smooth Transitions During Turnover - People leave companies, but the work must go on. The RACI Matrix will allow the replacement person to quickly plug into whatever they need to review, do, approve, or know about.
Helps You Think Through and Clarify Your Processes - The exercise of identifying the major deliverables, phases, and milestones and mapping them to the appropriate roles and owners gives you a well-thought-out project plan.

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You’re not running a circus; you’re running a project! The PMO Squad RACI Matrix Template will ensure that nothing gets dropped, duplicate work is not happening, and everyone is on the same page. You’ll be thrilled with the results as you refer back to the RACI Template time and time again to obtain approvals, communicate out decisions, and better deliver projects.

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