RACI Matrix: How to Assign Project Roles (With Examples)

Most project delays are not caused by hard work. They are caused by work that nobody clearly owned. The permit application that "someone" was going to chase. The supplier who never got the final drawing. The policy update that three managers assumed another one had approved. A RACI matrix is a short, practical way to stop that from happening.

This guide explains what a RACI matrix is, how to build one step by step, and how to keep it useful once the project is moving. It includes examples for construction and field teams, healthcare operations and small businesses, plus the most common mistakes to avoid.

What is a RACI matrix?

A RACI matrix (also called a RACI chart or responsibility assignment matrix) is a table that shows who does what on a project. Tasks or decisions go down the left side, people or roles go across the top, and each cell holds one letter:

• R – Responsible: the person or team who does the work.
• A – Accountable: the one person who owns the result, makes the final call and signs it off.
• C – Consulted: people whose input is needed before or during the work. This is two-way communication.
• I – Informed: people who need to know about progress or the outcome, but do not need to give input. This is one-way communication.

The value is not the letters themselves. It is the conversation you have while filling them in. Disagreements about who owns a decision come out in a planning meeting instead of in the middle of a deadline.

Responsible vs Accountable: the difference that matters most

The two letters people mix up most are R and A. A simple way to separate them: Responsible people do the work, the Accountable person answers for it.

On a small task they can be the same person. A site supervisor might both do and own the daily safety walk. On larger work they usually split. An electrical subcontractor is responsible for rough-in, while the general contractor's project manager is accountable for it passing inspection on time.

The key rule: each task has exactly one A. Two accountable people means no accountable person, because each can reasonably assume the other has it covered.

How to create a RACI matrix in 6 steps

Step 1: List the tasks and decisions

Start from your task list, work breakdown structure or project timeline. You do not need every small subtask. Focus on the deliverables, handoffs and decisions where ownership is unclear or where several people or teams are involved. Approvals deserve their own rows: "Approve design", "Approve budget change", "Sign off training materials".

A good RACI matrix for a small or medium project often fits on one screen. If it runs to hundreds of rows, nobody will read it.

Step 2: List the roles, not just names

Across the top, list the roles involved: project manager, site supervisor, client, architect, nurse manager, IT lead, finance, supplier. Use roles rather than personal names where you can, so the matrix still works when someone goes on leave or changes jobs. Add the name of the current person in each role in a note or second header row.

Step 3: Assign the A first

For each row, decide who is accountable before anything else. This forces the most important conversation early. If two managers both want the A, that is a real question about authority, and it is much cheaper to settle now.

Step 4: Assign R, then C and I

Next decide who actually does the work (R). Then ask who must be consulted before it can be finished (C) and who only needs to be told (I). Be strict with C. Every consulted person adds a conversation, a review or a wait. If someone only needs the outcome, they are an I.

Step 5: Check each row and each column

Read across every row and down every column. The checks below catch most problems:

• No A in a row: nobody owns that result. Assign one.
• More than one A: pick one.
• No R in a row: the work has an owner but nobody to do it.
• A column full of R and A: that person is likely overloaded or a bottleneck.
• A column full of C: that person may be slowing many tasks down. Ask whether all those reviews are needed.
• A column with no letters: should that role be on the project at all?

Step 6: Review it with the team and share it

Walk through the matrix with the people named in it. Ask each person to confirm their R and A rows. People rarely object to a RACI chart in principle; they object to a specific letter, and that is exactly the feedback you want. Then share the final version where the team already looks for project information, not in a forgotten folder.

RACI matrix examples

Construction and field teams: small commercial fit-out

Task / decision	Project manager	Site supervisor	Architect	Client
Approve final layout	C	I	R	A
Order long-lead materials	A	R	C	I
Daily site safety check	I	R/A	–	–
Book rough-in inspection	A	R	–	I
Approve change orders	R	C	C	A

Change orders are a classic place where ownership blurs. Writing down that the client is accountable and the project manager prepares them avoids work starting on a change nobody approved.

Healthcare operations: rolling out a new patient check-in process

Task / decision	Operations manager	Nurse manager	Front desk lead	IT lead
Define new check-in steps	A	C	R	C
Configure check-in screens	A	I	C	R
Train front desk staff	I	C	R/A	C
Go-live decision	A	C	C	C

Clinical and front-line staff appear as C on most rows here because the people who use a process every day spot problems early. Keeping the go-live decision with one accountable manager stops it from stalling between departments.

Small business: launching a new service

• Set pricing: owner A/R, accountant C, sales staff I.
• Write the service page and brochure: marketing freelancer R, owner A, sales staff C.
• Prepare the booking process: office manager R/A, owner C.
• Announce to existing customers: marketing freelancer R, owner A, whole team I.

In a small team the owner tends to hold most A's. That is normal, but the matrix makes it visible, and it is a good prompt to hand some decisions to the people closest to the work.

Common RACI mistakes

• Too many C's. Consulting everyone feels inclusive but slows every task. Ask: what would go wrong if this person were only informed?
• Accountability without authority. If someone is the A, they need the power to make the decision and the budget to act on it.
• Making it too detailed. A matrix that lists every subtask becomes a document nobody opens. Keep it to the work where roles actually overlap.
• Building it once and filing it. When people join or leave, or scope changes, update the matrix. An outdated one is worse than none, because it points people to the wrong person.
• Keeping it separate from the plan. If the RACI chart says one thing and the task assignments in your schedule say another, people will follow the schedule.

From RACI chart to daily work

A RACI matrix only helps if it shows up where work happens. The simplest way is to carry it into your project plan:

• Assign each task to its Responsible person or team.
• Make the Accountable person the owner of the related approval or checkpoint task, so their sign-off sits on the timeline with a date.
• Use task comments to collect input from Consulted people, so feedback stays attached to the work instead of scattered across messages.
• Keep Informed people updated through the project's notifications or a short regular status update.

Review the matrix whenever you review the schedule. If a task keeps slipping, check its row: often the problem is a missing A, a missing R, or a C who has not answered yet.

Quick RACI checklist

• Key tasks, handoffs and approvals are listed as rows.
• Roles, not only names, are listed as columns.
• Every row has exactly one A and at least one R.
• C is used only where input is really needed before the work is done.
• No single person is overloaded with R's and A's.
• The team has reviewed and agreed to their letters.
• Task assignments in the project plan match the matrix.
• There is a set moment to review and update it.

Putting responsibilities into GanttMaster

GanttMaster does not have a dedicated RACI chart, but it covers the parts that turn a RACI matrix into daily work. You can assign each task or subtask to a user, a team or both, add start and end dates, and keep comments and file links on the task itself. Projects use roles (Project Manager, Team Manager and User), and real-time notifications keep people updated on assignments, comments and deadlines. Approval checkpoints can be added as short tasks linked with Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start or Finish-to-Finish dependencies on the Gantt chart. Because there is no extra cost per team member, everyone in your matrix can be in the same project.