RACI matrix: what it is and what it means

The RACI matrix is a tool for clarifying decision-making roles that assigns four distinct roles to each activity in a process: Responsible (who does the work; can be more than one person), Accountable (who answers for the result to the organization; one person per row), Consulted (who must be heard before the decision is made, with the right to give an opinion) and Informed (who is notified after the decision; one-way communication). The cardinal rule is only one A per row: when several people are accountable, no one really is.

Distinctive: only one A per row
Distinctive: with the right to give an opinion
Essential: who answers for the result to the organization
Essential: who must be heard before the decision is made
Essential: who is notified after the decision
Constant: four distinct roles
Constant: clarifying decision-making roles

Glossary

RACI matrix

A tool for clarifying decision-making roles that assigns to each activity in a process the letters R (Responsible), A (Accountable), C (Consulted), I (Informed).