1. Responsibility Charting
RACI Charting Training

2. Training Objectives
After completing this training, participants should understand
The importance of clearly defined roles and responsibilities
The RACI Chart format and definitions
How to create a RACI Chart

3. R-A-C-I Definition
RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed
The above roles are essential to almost any business process
Defining these roles up-front brings clarity, ownership, and communication to all parties
RACI Charts provide a structured approach for teams to follow when assigning these roles

4. Class Exercise
We each bring different ideas of “what works” to our current roles
Breakout Discussion
Note which household member completed the following tasks (1) when you were growing up and (2) in your current household
Paying the Bills
Putting out the Trash
Cleaning the Common Areas (kitchen, living room, etc.)

5. Class Exercise Wrap-Up
A business is far more complex than a household, and confusion around roles and responsibilities is common –
How does this effect the team?
Important tasks are not completed
Important decisions are made by the wrong people, or are not made at all
Individuals are perceived as not doing their jobs by one or more people in the organization
Can anyone share examples from experience?

6. What RACI Charting Does
RACI charting accelerates role clarification, accomplishing in a few hours what might take months or years if things are left to “work themselves out.”

7. Activities / Decisions
RACI Chart Format
Business Process or Project Name
Functional Roles
Activities / Decisions  R A C I R  I

8. Detailed Definitions – R-A-C-I
R = Responsible: The person or function that performs the work. There must be one “R” in every row, no more and no less.
A = Accountable: The person or function ultimately accountable for the work or decision being made. Use this letter when appropriate, but not to excess – only when an important decision or task is at hand. There can be from zero to one “A” in each row, but no more than one.
C = Consulted: Anyone who must be consulted prior to a decision being made or a task completed. A “C” is typically a subject matter expert or a functional leader whose team will be affected by the decision/action. There can be from zero to multiple “C’s” in each row as appropriate.
I = Informed: Anyone who must be informed after a decision is made or work is completed.  There can be as many “I’s” as are appropriate in each row.

9. RACI Chart Example
In the following example we will build a RACI Chart for the following project:
A manufacturing plant will resurface its employee parking lot during a planned shutdown week

10. RACI Chart – Resurfacing Parking Lot
(1) Major activities and decisions are identified and listed in the left-hand column
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
Identify a minimum of three asphalt contractors from Angie’s List
Arrange contractor visits and quotations
Review quotes and references, select a contractor
Review and finalize contract, confirm week that work will be performed
Provide security gate access codes to contractor by June 15
Communicate project to plant leadership, ensure that all cars are removed from lot by July 7
Oversee project during the plant shutdown week, ensure it is completed on time

11. RACI Chart – Resurfacing Parking Lot
(2) Applicable roles are identified and listed in each column
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
FACILITIES MGR
PLANT MGR
HUMAN RESOURCES
SECURITY
PROJECT MGR
Identify a minimum of three asphalt contractors from Angie’s List
Arrange contractor visits and quotations
Review quotes and references, select a contractor
Review and finalize contract, confirm week that work will be performed
Provide security gate access codes to contractor by June 15
Communicate project to plant leadership, ensure that all cars are removed from lot by July 7
Oversee project during the plant shutdown week, ensure it is completed on time

12. RACI Chart – Resurfacing Parking Lot
(3) The team meets and completes the RACI chart
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
FACILITIES MGR
PLANT MGR
HUMAN RESOURCES
SECURITY
PROJECT MGR
Identify a minimum of three asphalt contractors from Angie’s List C - R
Arrange contractor visits and quotations I
Review quotes and references, select a contractor A
Review and finalize contract, confirm week that work will be performed
Provide security gate access codes to contractor by June 15 R  I 
Communicate project to plant leadership, ensure that all cars are removed from lot by July 7
Oversee project during the plant shutdown week, ensure it is completed on time

13. Review of R-A-C-I Assignments
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
FACILITIES MGR
PLANT MGR
HUMAN RESOURCES
SECURITY
PROJECT MGR
Identify a minimum of three asphalt contractors from Angie’s List C - R
The project manager is Responsible doing the work of finding potential contractors
The facilities manager, who has experience with various contractors in the area and will ultimately pay the bill, needs to be Consulted before the contractor list is finalized
The plant manager, human resources function, and security do not need to be involved with this task in any way

14. Review of R-A-C-I Assignments
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
FACILITIES MGR
PLANT MGR
HUMAN RESOURCES
SECURITY
PROJECT MGR
Arrange contractor visits and quotations I - R
The project manager is Responsible for coordinating the contractor visits
The facilities manager wants to be Informed after the contractors have visited and submitted their quotations
The remaining three functions do not need to be involved with this step

15. Review of R-A-C-I Assignments
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
FACILITIES MGR
PLANT MGR
HUMAN RESOURCES
SECURITY
PROJECT MGR
Review quotes and references, select a contractor A I - R
The project manager is Responsible for selecting the contractor
As the functional leader for this project, the facilities manager is ultimately Accountable for making sure the right contractor decision is made
The plant manager and human resources function need to be Informed as to which contractor is selected, but do not need to be involved with the selection process
Security does not need to be involved with this step

16. Review of R-A-C-I Assignments
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
FACILITIES MGR
PLANT MGR
HUMAN RESOURCES
SECURITY
PROJECT MGR
Review and finalize contract, confirm week that work will be performed I - R
The project manager is Responsible for working out the details of the contract and locking in the week that the work will be done
The facilities manager and plant manager want to be Informed after the contract is finalized and the date is confirmed with the contractor
HR and security do not need to be involved with this task

17. Review of R-A-C-I Assignments
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
FACILITIES MGR
PLANT MGR
HUMAN RESOURCES
SECURITY
PROJECT MGR
Provide security gate access codes to contractor by June 15 I - A R  I 
Since plant security issues the gate access codes, they are Responsible for assigning an access code to the contractor by June 15.
Human resources (who security reports into) is ultimately Accountable for the access code getting assigned – this assignment of accountability was requested by the plant manager due to some past problems with security codes not being assigned on time
The project manager would like to be Informed after the access code is assigned

18. Review of R-A-C-I Assignments
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
FACILITIES MGR
PLANT MGR
HUMAN RESOURCES
SECURITY
PROJECT MGR
Communicate project to plant leadership, ensure that all cars are removed from lot by July 7 I R
Human resources is Responsible for communicating the project to the plant leadership team, and also for having all cars removed from the parking lot by the specified date
All other functions including the project manager want to be Informed (copied via in this case) of this communication

19. Review of R-A-C-I Assignments
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
FACILITIES MGR
PLANT MGR
HUMAN RESOURCES
SECURITY
PROJECT MGR
Oversee project during the plant shutdown week, ensure it is completed on time A I - R
The project manager will work closely with the contractor while they are at the facility, and will be Responsible for a successful, on-time completion
The plant manager made it clear that the facilities manager is ultimately Accountable for a successful, on-time completion of project
The plant manager and human resources want to be Informed when the project is completed

20. Review of R-A-C-I Assignments
Completed RACI Chart
PARKING LOT RESURFACING PROJECT
FACILITIES MGR
PLANT MGR
HUMAN RESOURCES
SECURITY
PROJECT MGR
Identify a minimum of three asphalt contractors from Angie’s List C - R
Arrange contractor visits and quotations I
Review quotes and references, select a contractor A
Review and finalize contract, confirm week that work will be performed
Provide security gate access codes to contractor by June 15 R  I 
Communicate project to plant leadership, ensure that all cars are removed from lot by July 7
Oversee project during the plant shutdown week, ensure it is completed on time

21. Basic Steps for Completing a RACI Chart
Identify the work process or project that is to be charted.
List the important activities and decisions in the work process.
Using the RACI definitions, identify the functional roles that need to be involved with each activity or decision.
Based on (3), invite the appropriate representative from each function to a working session for developing the RACI chart. Meeting length should be two hours maximum, unless there is fundamental disagreement around roles/responsibilities (in which case, make sure that senior leaders are invited as well).
Complete the chart in the working session, and publish it to the team. Make modifications as needed moving forward and keep the chart up to date.

22. Summary
Defining roles and responsibilities early for a new team, project, or work process can prevent a great deal of confusion and ensure that critical actions and decisions are properly assigned
RACI Charts are a simple, visual tool for clearly assigning roles and responsibilities
R=Responsible
A = Accountable
C = Consulted
I = Informed
There is a straightforward, 5-step process for developing a RACI Chart