RACI matrix: a free template with a filled-in example.

What is a RACI matrix

A RACI matrix is a table that crosses a project's activities with the people (or roles) involved and shows what role each one plays in each activity. The name comes from four letters: R for Responsible (who does the work), A for Accountable (who answers for the result and signs off), C for Consulted (who is asked before) and I for Informed (who is told afterward).

It is also called a responsibility assignment matrix. The payoff is direct: the doubt about who decides, who does and who needs to know goes away. The example above shows a company website project with five roles and ten activities.

How to fill it in, letter by letter

The same role can hold both R and A on small activities. On others, the roles split: in "define the page structure," the designer does the work (R) and the project manager answers for the result (A). In "approve the layout," the manager drives the process (R), but the A is the client, because the client is the one who answers for the approval. This kind of decision is exactly what the matrix forces you to make.

Step by step to build yours

1. List the project's activities as a verb and a result. Ten to twenty rows are enough; if you have more, group them.
2. List the roles in the columns. Use job roles (manager, designer, client), not just names, so the matrix survives changes of people.
3. Start with the A. In each row, first decide who answers for the result.
4. Then the R, who does the work.
5. Only then C and I. Ask: who needs to weigh in before? Who needs to know afterward?
6. Review it with the team. Show the matrix to the people and confirm. An R that nobody knew they had turns into conflict in the middle of the project.

Common mistakes

• Two A's in the same row. It looks democratic and, in practice, nobody decides. Pick one.
• A row with no R. The activity exists, but nobody does it. Check the whole row.
• Too many C's. If everyone is consulted on everything, the matrix becomes a permanent meeting. Consult whoever changes the decision.
• Treating I as a meeting obligation. Informing means a message or an automatic notice, not an invitation.
• Never updating it. When someone leaves the project or the scope changes, the matrix has to change.

When the template isn't enough

The RACI matrix says who is responsible for what, but not when. For that, pair it with a project schedule with dates, or with a 5W2H action plan when the focus is a list of actions. To understand the technique in depth, with variations such as RASCI and DACI, read the RACI matrix guide.

Another limit: the spreadsheet doesn't notify anyone. The C isn't asked to weigh in and the I receives nothing unless someone remembers to send the message. That is where RACI usually dies.

How to use the RACI matrix in Tasskee

1. Add each activity from the matrix as a project task. The R becomes the task's assignee.
2. Add the A as an approver and the C's and I's as watchers. Watchers and approvers are available from the Start plan.
3. For the client who approves (the A in the example), invite them through the guest portal: they follow along, comment and approve without taking up a seat.
4. If the approval needs a formal record, use an acceptance form with a simple electronic signature (name, IP, date and time, and hash), which records who approved and when.
5. Use permission profiles to reflect the matrix: whoever is only informed can see the project but can't change it.

Want a ready-made delivery and acceptance record? See the delivery acceptance form template.