---
name: raci-matrix
source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/raci-matrix@1/SKILL.md
source_sha256: 2ccc765b5412
---

# RACI responsibility matrix

## Contract

Enforces the RACI responsibility-assignment convention whenever responsibilities for a set of
activities must be allocated across a set of roles: a grid with activities as rows and roles as
columns, every cell holding one of the letters R, A, C, I (or staying blank), and every row
carrying exactly one A. Not for drawing org charts, building schedules, or headcount planning.

## Rules

1. **Four letters, fixed meanings.**
   - **R — Responsible**: performs the activity. The hands that do the work.
   - **A — Accountable**: answers for the outcome and gives the final sign-off. One per row.
   - **C — Consulted**: gives input before or during the work. Two-way communication.
   - **I — Informed**: receives one-way updates on progress or completion. Never asked first.

2. **Exactly one A per activity — never zero, never two.** An activity with no A is an orphan;
   an activity with two A's has no owner at all (the classic violation is a cell pair sold as
   "shared accountability"). When two roles both claim ownership, exactly one keeps the A; the
   other becomes R or C.

3. **At least one R per activity.** An owner with nobody doing the work is a wish, not a plan.
   A row may carry several R's; it must carry at least one.

4. **The grid orientation is fixed.** Activities are the rows. Roles are the columns. Never
   transpose it, and never replace the grid with prose paragraphs about collaboration.

5. **Cells hold letters only.** R, A, C, I, a combined A/R — or nothing. No sentences, no
   personal names, no percentages, no "leads" / "supports" / "helps". Nuance goes in a footnote
   beneath the grid, never inside a cell.

6. **Blank means not involved.** A role with no part in an activity gets an empty cell. Handing
   out letters "to be safe" produces a wall of noise that says nothing.

7. **One role may hold both A and R.** Write the combined cell as A/R. It still counts as the
   row's single A.

8. **Keep C and I honest.** C is two-way — the role's input genuinely shapes the work before it
   is done. I is one-way — the role hears about it afterwards. Marking every stakeholder C
   manufactures review bottlenecks; when input is not truly needed, downgrade to I.

## Worked examples

**Prose ownership → grid.** The default answer describes collaboration; the convention demands
letters.

BEFORE:

> The office relocation will be coordinated by the operations manager, working closely with
> facilities. IT will take care of the network cutover, and department heads should be kept in
> the loop throughout.

AFTER:

| Activity              | Ops manager | Facilities | IT lead | Dept heads |
| --------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------- | ---------- |
| Floor-plan selection  | A           | R          | C       | C          |
| Packing and labelling | R           | R          |         | I          |
| Network cutover       | I           | C          | A/R     | I          |
| Move-day logistics    | A/R         | R          |         | I          |

**Two A's → one A.** A monthly customer newsletter where the editor and the marketing lead
"co-own" publication:

BEFORE (violates rule 2):

| Activity          | Editor | Staff writer | Marketing lead | Support desk |
| ----------------- | ------ | ------------ | -------------- | ------------ |
| Issue publication | A      | R            | A              | I            |

AFTER:

| Activity          | Editor | Staff writer | Marketing lead | Support desk |
| ----------------- | ------ | ------------ | -------------- | ------------ |
| Issue publication | A      | R            | C              | I            |

The editor answers for the issue going out; the marketing lead is consulted on timing; the
support desk merely hears that it shipped.

**Prose in cells → letters.** A cell reading "reviews the draft and suggests edits" becomes C.
A cell reading "keeps everyone posted" dissolves: the receiving roles get I, and the sender is
already covered by its R on that row.

## Edge cases & exceptions

- **Two roles insist on joint ownership** → one gets A, the other R or C. If neither will
  yield, split the activity into two rows with genuinely separate outcomes; each new row still
  gets exactly one A.
- **A committee appears as a column** → a committee can be R, C, or I; the A belongs to a
  single role. Put the chair (or one named office) in the A position rather than the whole
  body.
- **A role wants visibility on everything** → a column full of I's is legitimate; a column full
  of C's is a bottleneck warning sign.
- **An activity spans phases with different owners** → split it into one row per phase so each
  row keeps a single A.
- **Nobody is actually doing the work** → rule 3 forces the gap into the open: assign an R or
  admit the activity is unstaffed.

## Do / Don't

- Do give every row exactly one A. Don't write A under two columns, and don't leave a row with
  none.
- Do keep at least one R on every row. Don't let an activity exist with only C's and I's.
- Do put activities in rows and roles in columns. Don't transpose the grid or answer in prose.
- Do leave uninvolved cells blank. Don't pad every cell with a letter.
- Do write A/R when the owner also does the work. Don't invent letters beyond the four.
- Do reserve C for genuine two-way input. Don't mark a role C when an after-the-fact update
  would do.

## Common mistakes

- Prose paragraphs about "coordinating closely" and "keeping everyone aligned" instead of a
  grid.
- Two or more A's on one row — or a row with no A anywhere.
- Cells containing names, job descriptions, or phrases instead of the four letters.
- Every cell filled: a wall of C's and I's that hides who actually acts.
- An activity with an A but no R — owned, yet unstaffed.
- Marking a role C to be polite when it only needs to be informed.

## Quick checklist

- Activities as rows; roles as columns.
- Every cell: R, A, C, I, A/R, or blank — nothing else.
- Each row: exactly one A (A/R counts), at least one R.
- C only where input truly shapes the work; I for update-only roles.
- Uninvolved cells left blank.