RACI is a decision-making and responsibility framework that assigns four roles to each task or decision: Responsible (does the work), Accountable (owns the outcome and approves), Consulted (provides input before the decision), and Informed (told after the decision). Each role can be a single person or a defined group.
RACI's strength is forcing the team to make implicit roles explicit. In its absence, accountability and responsibility blur — everyone assumes someone else is on it. The RACI matrix names them.
RACI's weakness is overhead. For small teams and routine decisions, a full RACI matrix is more bureaucracy than the decision warrants. The framework works best for cross-functional initiatives where roles legitimately need to be declared.
Why RACI Matters for Distributed Teams
RACI is one of the simplest interventions for cross-functional confusion. Most "who owns this?" debates dissolve once a RACI matrix is filled in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is RACI?
RACI is a decision-making framework that assigns four roles to each task or decision: Responsible (does the work), Accountable (owns and approves), Consulted (provides input), and Informed (told afterward). It forces implicit roles to be made explicit.
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See raci in action.
StandIn is built around these concepts. Engineers publish declared state before going offline. The next shift starts with full context.