Every small team eventually has the same argument. Something went wrong, or did not happen, and the conversation afterwards goes round in circles: "I thought you were doing that." "I thought you were." "Nobody told me." "I didn't know I had to sign it off."
A RACI chart exists to stop that conversation happening. It is a simple grid that says, for each piece of work, who does it, who owns the outcome, who needs to be asked and who needs to be told. It sounds like something from a large company, and it is, but the idea is at least as useful at 6 people as at 600.
This post explains what a RACI chart is, how to make one for a small team in 20 minutes, and when a lighter accountability chart does the job instead.
What RACI stands for
RACI is 4 roles a person can have on a task or deliverable.
- R — Responsible. The person or people who do the work.
- A — Accountable. The one person who owns the outcome and signs it off. The buck stops here.
- C — Consulted. People whose input is needed before or during the work. Two-way conversation.
- I — Informed. People who need to know when it is done or decided. One-way update.
A RACI chart, sometimes called a RACI matrix, lists the work down one side and the people across the top, with a letter in each cell.
The one rule that matters
Exactly one A per row. Not zero, not 2.
This is the whole value of the exercise. Most "who was doing that?" arguments come from work that had either no accountable person or several. With zero, it happens only if someone volunteers. With 2, each assumes the other has it.
Everything else in a RACI chart is flexible. That rule is not.
A worked example
Here is a RACI chart for a small business launching a seasonal product. 5 people: Sam (owner), Priya (marketing), Leo (operations), Ana (customer service) and an outside designer.
| Work | Sam | Priya | Leo | Ana | Designer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decide the product range | A | C | C | C | |
| Set prices | A | C | R | ||
| Design the packaging | I | A | C | R | |
| Order stock | I | A/R | |||
| Write the launch email | C | A/R | I | ||
| Update the website | I | A/R | I | ||
| Brief customer service | I | C | C | A/R | |
| Launch day go / no-go | A | C | C | C |
Reading across a row tells you exactly what each person's part is. Reading down a column tells you what one person is carrying, which is how you spot that Sam is accountable for too much, or that Ana is only ever informed about a launch she will be answering questions on.
Notice that "A/R" is allowed. In a small team, the person who owns the outcome is often the person doing the work. That is fine. What matters is that each row still has exactly one A.
How to make a RACI chart in 20 minutes
1. List the deliverables, not the tasks. 6 to 12 rows. "Launch email written and sent", not every step in writing it. A RACI chart with 40 rows will never be read.
2. List the people across the top. Include outside people who matter, such as a designer, an accountant or a key supplier.
3. Fill in the A first. For each row, ask: who will be asked if this goes wrong? That is the A. One per row.
4. Then the R. Who is actually doing the work? Often the same person as the A.
5. Then C and I, sparingly. Every C is a person who can slow the work down. Every I is a message someone has to send. Include only the people who genuinely need it.
6. Read down each column. Does anyone have too many As? Too many Cs, meaning they will spend the whole project in meetings? Is anyone missing who should be there?
7. Share it and get agreement. The chart only works if everyone on it agrees with their letters. 10 minutes going through it together saves weeks of confusion.
Common RACI mistakes
Too many Cs. If everyone is consulted on everything, nothing moves. The C is for people whose input genuinely changes the outcome.
Using it for everything. A RACI chart is for projects with several people and several deliverables. Not for the weekly bin rota.
Making it once and filing it. Roles change mid-project. The chart should be revisited when someone joins, leaves or changes role.
Confusing A with "most senior". The accountable person is whoever owns the outcome, which is often not the boss. The owner being A on everything is a sign the business has not really delegated.
The accountability chart: a lighter alternative
For many small businesses a full RACI matrix is more than the situation needs. A simpler tool, often called an accountability chart, lists the business's main areas and puts one name against each:
| Area | Accountable |
|---|---|
| Sales and new clients | Sam |
| Marketing and website | Priya |
| Stock, orders and suppliers | Leo |
| Customer service and returns | Ana |
| Finance and payroll | Sam |
That is it. One owner per area of the business, reviewed each quarter. It answers "who do I ask about this?" for the whole business, where a RACI chart answers it for one project. Many small businesses use both: an accountability chart for the business, and a RACI chart for the few projects big enough to need one.
Keeping it where the work is
A RACI chart in a spreadsheet nobody opens will be forgotten by week 2. The letters need to show up where people work, which mostly means the As and Rs becoming assigned tasks.
In an EvyOS shared workspace, keep the chart itself as a note linked to the project. Notes are markdown, so the table above pastes straight in. Then make each row's work a task assigned to its R, with the A named in the description and the Cs and Is mentioned in the comments when they need to be involved. The project sits under the goal it serves, so the whole team can see why the work matters as well as whose it is.
The agree who does what template installs a project built around this: every deliverable with one person accountable, the people consulted named, and nobody surprised. If the owner is the A on too many rows, our guide to delegating tasks is the natural next read.
The short version
A RACI chart lists the work down the side and the people across the top, and marks each person Responsible, Accountable, Consulted or Informed. The one rule is exactly one A per row. Keep it to 6 to 12 deliverables, use Cs and Is sparingly, and read down each column to spot overload. For the whole business, a one-name-per-area accountability chart is often enough.