RACI matrix: the template, and the three cases where it breaks down
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- A RACI matrix assigns each task four levels of involvement: who does the work (R), who answers for the result and signs it off (A), who is consulted before (C), who is informed after (I).
- The rule that matters most: one A per row. Two As means two people who each think they have the final say.
- The free template (Excel, no form) checks the single-A rule by itself, puts roles rather than names in the columns, and carries a review date.
- A RACI matrix breaks down in three cases: when roles change hands, when the decision cuts across several teams, and when it ages in a spreadsheet at company scale.
- What holds in those three cases is responsibilities attached to roles and kept current where the work happens, as in Talkspirit’s role structure.
What is a RACI matrix?
A RACI matrix is a table that shows, for each task or deliverable in a project or process, who does it (R), who answers for it and signs it off (A), who is consulted before (C) and who is informed after (I). Rows are tasks or deliverables, columns are roles, and each cell holds one letter. You will also see it called a RACI chart or a responsibility assignment matrix.
It prevents two familiar failures: work done twice, and work nobody does. Its scope is narrow on purpose: it is a tool for a project or a process, not a description of the whole organisation.
The four letters, and the single-A rule
Each letter describes a level of involvement, and only one is limited in number: the A.
The four letters of a RACI matrix
| Letter | Meaning | What the person does | How many per row |
|---|---|---|---|
| LetterR | MeaningResponsible | What the person doesDoes the work | How many per rowAt least one |
| LetterA | MeaningAccountable | What the person doesAnswers for the result, signs off the deliverable | How many per rowExactly one |
| LetterC | MeaningConsulted | What the person doesGives input before, two-way exchange | How many per rowAs many as needed, no more |
| LetterI | MeaningInformed | What the person doesKept up to date after, one-way | How many per rowAs many as needed |
Four rules follow. One A per row. Two As means two people who each think they have the final say. At least one R per row, more if needed. The A and the R can be the same person, written “A/R”. And one C too many slows things down as much as a missing one.
Two variants exist, described in Atlassian’s Confluence template (read on 07/10/2026). RASCI adds an S (Support) for people who help the responsible person without being responsible themselves. RACI-VS adds Verify and Sign-off for regulated industries.
The RACI matrix template, with an HR example
The template is filled in with onboarding a new employee, to be replaced with your own process.
RACI matrix example: onboarding a new employee
| Activity or deliverable | Type | Line manager | HR officer | HR director | IT manager | Buddy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activity or deliverablePrepare and send the employment contract | TypeTask | Line managerC | HR officerR | HR directorA | IT manager | Buddy |
| Activity or deliverableOrder the workstation and set up access | TypeTask | Line managerA | HR officerI | HR director | IT managerR | Buddy |
| Activity or deliverableBuild the first-week programme | TypeTask | Line managerA | HR officerR | HR director | IT managerI | BuddyC |
| Activity or deliverableWelcome the new hire on day one | TypeTask | Line managerA | HR officerR | HR director | IT managerC | BuddyR |
| Activity or deliverableIntroduce the organisation, roles and key contacts | TypeTask | Line managerA | HR officerC | HR director | IT manager | BuddyR |
| Activity or deliverableSet objectives for the probation period | TypeTask | Line managerA/R | HR officerI | HR directorC | IT manager | Buddy |
| Activity or deliverableConfirm the end of probation, or not | TypeDecision | Line managerR | HR officerC | HR directorA | IT manager | BuddyC |
R does the work · A answers for the result and signs it off · C consulted · I informed · A/R signs off and does the work.
Download the RACI matrix template. Excel, free, no form to fill in. Roles as columns, an automatic single-A check and a review tab. Filled in with the example above, ready to adapt.
Download the template (.xlsx)
Three things to read in the table. Each row has a single A. The line manager holds most of the As, because onboarding is their process. And the last row is a decision, not a task: that is the first sign of the second case, below.
How to build a RACI matrix in six steps
A RACI matrix is built in six steps, from scope to review, and filled in row by row starting with the A.
- Set the scope: one project or one process, not the whole company. A matrix that tries to cover everything stops being readable.
- List 10 to 20 deliverables or activities, not every micro-task. Each row should be a result someone can sign off.
- Put roles in the columns, not names (“IT manager”, not “Karim”). The current holder is written separately, on the row provided in the template, so the matrix survives their departure.
- Fill in row by row, starting with the A, then the R, then the Cs and Is. Starting with the A forces the awkward question early: who answers for the result.
- Check: a row with no A or with two As, a column with no R at all (is the role needed?) or full of As (is the role overloaded?). The template does this by itself, in the “Check” column and the “Load per role” row.
- Name an owner for the matrix and a review date, then review it at every role change and every reorganisation. If the roles themselves are still unclear, start by working out how to define a team’s roles and responsibilities, then how to assign roles to the right people.
The three cases where a RACI matrix breaks down
A RACI matrix is right for the project it describes; it breaks down as soon as the organisation moves. Three situations show it, and each has a fix inside the template and a lasting fix.
1. When roles change hands
The matrix names people, or roles everyone associates with one person. A departure, an internal move, a new team: rows become wrong without anyone noticing, and nobody knows who inherited what.
The fix inside the template: roles as columns, an owner and a review date. The lasting fix: responsibilities attached to the role, not the person. In Talkspirit’s role structure, “when a role changes hands, its context, responsibilities, and history remain accessible” (talkspirit.com, read on 07/10/2026).
2. When the decision cuts across teams
The A answers for a deliverable; it does not say who settles a question when two teams each hold part of the answer. The symptom: two As on the same row, or an A that escalates to the executive committee. A RACI matrix assigns the work, not the decision.
For a cross-team decision, a decision framework fits better: RAPID (Bain & Company: Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide) or DACI (Atlassian: Driver, Approver, Contributors, Informed). In Talkspirit, each role carries its scope of decision-making, and every governance decision is recorded, timestamped and linked to the relevant roles.
3. When it ages in a spreadsheet
Stretched to the whole organisation, the matrix becomes a file of hundreds of rows, kept apart from where projects, meetings and goals happen: nobody opens it any more. Atlassian advises treating it as a living document; a file only lives if someone updates it.
Talkspirit’s solution page asks the question directly: why manage roles in Talkspirit instead of an HR document? Its answer: “Because an organisation is constantly evolving. In Talkspirit, roles are dynamic: they remain connected to decisions, projects, meetings, and daily exchanges, rather than quickly becoming obsolete.” Big Blue Marble, an Austrian broadcast provider of 280 people, kept its hierarchy and still got there. As Markus Mantsch, Process and Compliance Manager, puts it in the Big Blue Marble case study: “Talkspirit played a key role in clarifying roles, responsibilities, and cross-team collaboration within our hierarchical organisation.”
Where to keep roles and responsibilities
A project matrix fits in a spreadsheet; the organisation’s roles and responsibilities fit in a role structure.
Where to keep roles and responsibilities: three options
| Where | What it holds well | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| WhereA role structure (Talkspirit) | What it holds wellThe roles of the whole organisation, their responsibilities and scope of decision-making, linked to goals, projects and meetings, with their history | Where it stopsYou have to describe your roles at the start; for a one-off project matrix, a spreadsheet is enough |
| WhereA spreadsheet (the template on this page) | What it holds wellOne project’s or process’s matrix, free, straight away | Where it stopsDoes not follow role changes; lives apart from the work |
| WhereThe RACI template of a project management tool (Confluence, for instance) | What it holds wellOne project’s matrix, next to its documentation | Where it stopsClarifies a project, not the organisation |
Talkspirit does not replace a project’s RACI matrix: it is where roles and their responsibilities stay current once the project ends and the organisation changes. It adapts to your operating model, whether it is hierarchical, matrix, agile or inspired by distributed governance. To go further, see how to clarify who does what and who decides what, and the guide to role-based organisation.
Not a tool. Your Organisation’s Operating System.
FAQ
A table that shows, for each task, who does it (R), who answers for it and signs it off (A), who is consulted (C) and who is informed (I). It is used for a bounded project or process.
No: one A per row. Two As means two people who each think they have the final say; there can, however, be several Rs.
Yes, the one in this article: a free Excel file, with no form to fill in, that checks the single-A rule by itself. Talkspirit provides it with an example of onboarding a new employee.
It says who answers for a deliverable, not who settles a decision that cuts across several teams. For those decisions, a framework such as RAPID or DACI fits better; in Talkspirit, each role carries its own scope of decision-making.
By putting roles rather than names in the columns, with an owner and a review date. Beyond one project, responsibilities hold better when they are attached to roles, as in Talkspirit’s structure, where they stay in place when a role changes hands.
A role structure rather than a spreadsheet: each role with its responsibilities and scope of decision-making, linked to goals, projects and meetings. That is what Talkspirit does, including in a hierarchical organisation.
