What is a RACI Matrix in Project Management?
A RACI matrix is a grid that assigns responsibility for each project deliverable to each role. Deliverables run down the left, roles run across the top, and every cell carries a letter: R for responsible, A for accountable, C for consulted, I for informed.
The four letters mean different things. Responsible does the work. Accountable owns the outcome and signs it off. Consulted provides input before the work is done, in two-way conversation. Informed is told afterward, one-way. It is also called a RACI chart, a RACI table or a responsibility assignment matrix, and the formal name in project management is the last of those.
What's Included in This RACI Chart Template
The roles shipped in the template are capital project roles: management office, project control group, financial operations, portfolio manager, program manager, project manager, consultant team, quantity surveyor, architect and building contractor. Both roles and deliverables are meant to be replaced.
The deliverable rows are grouped by discipline, covering project controls, cost, reporting, registers, schedule and the governance plans. Each has a name row above it, so the chart records who holds the role as well as what the role is.
RACI Matrix Example for a Project Management Team
Here's an example of a completed RACI matrix, covering eighteen deliverables across eleven roles on an aquatic center redevelopment.
RACI Rules: How Many Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed
Four rules cover almost every RACI argument.
- Exactly one A per row. Accountability cannot be shared. Two A's on a deliverable means nobody owns it, and the first time it slips both will point at the other.
- At least one R per row. A deliverable with an A and no R is a deliverable nobody is doing.
- Multiple R's are fine. Several people can do the work. One person answers for it.
- A person can be both A and R. Common on small teams, and usually written as A/R in the cell.
A row with no letters at all means a deliverable exists that nobody has been assigned. A column full of C's usually means somebody is being consulted out of politeness rather than need, which slows every decision they touch.
Keep C and I honest. Consulted means their input changes the work and they get asked before it is finished. Informed means they are told once it is done. Marking a stakeholder C when you mean I creates an approval step you did not intend.
How to Create a RACI Chart Using This Excel Template
List deliverables down the left, roles across the top, then assign one letter per cell. The template below already has that structure, so most of the work is replacing what is in it.
- Enter the project name and the date the chart was agreed.
- Replace the role columns with the roles on your project, and name the person holding each one.
- Replace the deliverable rows with what your project actually produces, keeping them grouped by discipline.
- Describe each deliverable on the Deliverable Descriptions sheet, so a row title cannot be interpreted two ways.
- Assign letters one row at a time rather than one column at a time, since the row is where the rules apply.
- Check every row has exactly one A and at least one R.
- Leave a cell blank where a role has no part in a deliverable, since a blank is a real answer.
- Circulate it to everyone named and get the A's confirmed, because an accountability nobody agreed to is not one.
- Revisit it at each phase gate, as the roles that matter change between design, procurement and delivery.
A RACI is an agreement, not a diagram. If it was never sent to the people named in it, nothing has been assigned.
Responsibility Assignment Matrix: RACI and Its Variants
Responsibility assignment matrix, or RAM, is the formal term. RACI is the most common version of one, and several variants add letters for situations the four do not cover.
Add a letter only where the extra one changes behavior. Most projects that adopt a five-letter model end up using it as a four-letter one. If you need support recorded separately, the RASCI matrix template is set up for it.
Assign Clear Roles and Deliver Projects with Confidence in Mastt AI
Mastt's AI generates a construction-ready RACI matrix template tailored to your project. Upload your documents, describe your build, and download in Excel or Word.
Related Articles and Templates
Explore these resources for project roles, accountability, governance, and team planning:
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Written by
Doug Vincent
Doug Vincent is the co-founder and CEO of Mastt, the AI capital-project management platform used by governments, Fortune 500 companies, and consultancies across APAC, North America, and MENA. Before founding Mastt in 2019, he spent a decade at RPS delivering more than $2 billion in capital works, including the $2.1B Defence Navy Infrastructure program, and holds a CPSPM certification with the AIPM. He contributes content and speaks on AI in capital project delivery at Mastt.
Free RACI matrix template in Excel to assign roles to every project task. Define team ownership before work starts and eliminate the confusion that causes delays.
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