RACI matrix
Clarify roles and responsibilities across project phases — assign Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for every deliverable.
About this template
The RACI Matrix template helps teams eliminate confusion about who does what. For every task or deliverable, you assign four roles: Responsible (who does the work), Accountable (who owns the outcome), Consulted (who provides input), and Informed (who needs to know).
Use project phases as columns — from Planning through Maintenance — so responsibilities are clear at every stage of your delivery lifecycle.
Task types cover common governance items: Decisions, Deliverables, Meetings, Reviews, and Approvals. This keeps your board focused on what matters for accountability, not day-to-day tickets.
What is a RACI matrix?
A RACI matrix is a project management tool that defines who is responsible for what on every task or deliverable. RACI stands for four roles: Responsible, the person who does the work; Accountable, the person who owns the outcome and answers for the result; Consulted, people whose input is needed before a decision is made; and Informed, people who need to know the outcome after. One rule applies without exception: there can only be one Accountable person per task.
RACI matrix, RACI chart, and RACI diagram are three names for the same tool. "Matrix" refers to the table format where tasks are rows and people are columns. "Chart" refers to the visual representation of that table. "Diagram" is a less common term for the same structured view. All three terms are used interchangeably in project management.
A RACI matrix is most useful when multiple teams or departments are working on the same project and ownership is unclear. It is also the right tool when a new team member joins and needs to understand who makes decisions, when a project is handed over between teams, or when recurring confusion about approvals is slowing work down.
The most common RACI mistakes are assigning two people as Accountable for one task, listing too many people as Consulted, and skipping the Informed column entirely. A well-built RACI matrix is lean: most tasks have one Responsible, one Accountable, and only the people who genuinely need to be consulted or informed. Used alongside a RAID log, a RACI matrix becomes more powerful: RACI defines who owns each decision, and the RAID log tracks the risks and dependencies attached to those decisions.
What’s inside
Columns included
Task types
Custom fields
Key features
- Four responsibility roles per deliverable (R/A/C/I)
- Project lifecycle phases as columns
- Task types for decisions, deliverables, meetings, reviews, approvals
- Clear single-point accountability
- Works for projects or ongoing operations
Who is this template for?
- Project managers defining ownership
- Cross-functional teams with shared deliverables
- Organizations clarifying decision rights
- Teams onboarding new members
- Governance and compliance workflows
How to use this template
Use this board to define who does the work, who owns the outcome, and who needs to be consulted or informed at each phase of delivery.
Step 1
List the work by phase
Capture key decisions, deliverables, meetings, reviews, and approvals in the relevant lifecycle column, from Planning through Maintenance. This keeps the board focused on governance-critical items instead of every small operational task.
Step 2
Assign roles before work moves
Fill in Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each item before it advances. Keeping one clear Accountable owner per deliverable prevents shared ambiguity from sneaking into the process.
Step 3
Review responsibility at every handoff
As work moves from phase to phase, confirm that the same role assignments still make sense. This is especially important for reviews, approvals, and deployment steps where decision rights often get fuzzy.
Compare this template
Explore how this raci matrix workflow compares with other tools across real use cases.
Jira vs Vaiz for RACI matrix
Jira alternative for RACI matrix. Clarify roles and responsibilities across project phases. Assign Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for every deliverable.
Learn moreAsana vs Vaiz for RACI matrix
Asana alternative for RACI matrix. Clarify roles and responsibilities across project phases. Assign Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for every deliverable.
Learn moreMonday vs Vaiz for RACI matrix
Monday alternative for RACI matrix. Clarify roles and responsibilities across project phases. Assign Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for every deliverable.
Learn moreLinear vs Vaiz for RACI matrix
Linear alternative for RACI matrix. Clarify roles and responsibilities across project phases. Assign Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for every deliverable.
Learn moreFrequently asked questions
What is a RACI matrix template?
What does RACI stand for?
Why can there be only one Accountable?
What's the difference between Consulted and Informed?
Can I use this for ongoing operations, not just projects?
How do I avoid a RACI that no one uses?
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