Responsibility Assignment Matrix

he first step in creating a responsibility assignment matrix is to decompose your projectand create a work breakdown structure. Once you have completed this important first step, you will know what the project deliverables will be. If you compose an organizational breakdown structure – breaking the project down into a hierarchy of departments, it will facilitate the process of assigning deliverables to responsible parties. Creating this second chart is an option that is highly recommended.

Once you have the list of deliverables, open an Excel file. Down the left-hand side list each deliverable. If there were intermediate deliverables discovered in the process of creating the work breakdown structure, list those as well.

After listing each deliverable down the side, list each resource across the top of the table.

Now, you will assign deliverables to resources using the following code for roles:

R: Responsible – this is the resource that owns the work. Each deliverable should have at least one person responsible for it.

A: Accountable – this is the person who approves the work. There is only one accountable resource.

C: Consulted – this is the person who delivers information required to complete the work.

I: Informed: This is the person who is informed of the progress of the deliverable.

S: Supportive: This is the person who provides work in addition to the responsible party.

V: Verifies: This is the person who ensures that the work meets standards.

F: Final Authority: This person gives the final stamp on the completed work.

In assigning roles, you will use at least the first four listed above RACI. Assign each deliverable to at least one responsible party. Assign each deliverable exactly one accountable party. Continue until everything has been assigned. Distribute the responsibility assignment matrix monist the staff and make explicit your expectations for each of them.