Have you stopped to think that some corporate problems could be easily solved if each employee knew exactly what their responsibility is within a project? The RACI Matrix can help you with these designations and formalizations.
The tool is an acronym and summarizes the four main functions necessary for a good progress in a project or organization of the company’s routine:
- R: Responsible
- A: Accountable
- C: Consulted
- I: Informed
Do you want to understand more about the RACI Matrix and check out some tips to start the year by putting this tool in practice in projects? We have prepared a complete guide with the main points you need to know about the subject. Check it out!
Quality and punctuality
Before explaining in detail about each role listed in the RACI Matrix, it is necessary to understand that this technique has the objective of assuring more quality and punctuality to the delivery of a project.
So, it is important to have a collaborator responsible (R) for carrying out the project, with the appropriate support of experts being consulted (C) and with quick approval of those who are identified as an authority for this (A). And, of course, it is fundamental to inform the stakeholders (I) about the progress of the project and its finalization, enabling the start of other projects linked to it or improvements.
Roles defined by the RACI Matrix
To make everything a little clearer, we explain a bit of what should be attributed to each role. Let’s see:
- Responsible (R): it is the person who masters the techniques for executing the project and, in fact, performs the most tasks, even if they count on the help of assistants.
- Accountable (A): it is the person who gives a green signal to the steps of the project. The idea is that each task has only one collaborator in this role, as to not lose the agility.
- Consulted (C): it is usually a specialist who can be consulted by the responsible person during the execution of the project.
- Informed (I): it is who, even if without participation in the routine of the project, needs to know about its progress.
Reasons for you to apply the RACI Matrix now!
After all this explanation, let’s go to what really matters: the benefits of using the RACI Matrix. We separated seven of them to help you understand the tool and its advantages better:
- Time Management: if you already thought that a meeting could be an email, then you will adapt very well to the RACI Matrix. After all, it is possible to know exactly who is involved in each project and schedule meetings with those who are strictly necessary. Awesome, right?
- Communication: with the clarity of knowing who is involved and what role will be assumed in a given project, the failures and noises in communication tend to decrease, since everyone knows what should be done and by whom.
- Transparency: in the RACI Matrix, employees of other departments can be designated as Informed (I). The more people know, the easier to optimize the demands that can arise from the project.
- Assertivity: with a chart defining who is responsible for each task, the risk of dispersion and rework decreases.
- Collaboration: clarity in the tasks of each employee leads to less competition and more collaboration. The highlight comes to those who deliver what was designated, with quality and within the deadline.
- Decentralization: when delimiting the activities, the RACI Matrix prevents work overload. This way, it is necessary to delegate tasks.
- Autonomy: the tool also facilitates consultation, survey and tracking of information. Just check in the chart who the Responsible (R) or Authority (A) is to question about the progress of the project.
So, did you know the RACI Matrix before? You can learn more about this and other tools in the MBA USP/Esalq in Project Management. Registrations are open for the first class of 2022. Take this opportunity!
