Role & Responsibility Charting: Clarifying Organizational Roles & Responsibilities, Study notes of Communication

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Role & Responsibility

Charting (RACI)

By Michael L Smith and James Erwin

See RACI Template too.

By Sandra Diaferio

OVERVIEW

Definition

Responsibility Charting is a technique for identifying functional areas where there are process ambiguities, bringing the differences out in the open and resolving them through a cross-functional collaborative effort.

Responsibility Charting enables managers from the same or different organizational levels or programs to actively participate in a focused and systematic discussion about process related descriptions of the actions that must be accomplished in order to deliver a successful end product or service.

Approach Definitions

Responsibility Charting is a way of systematically clarifying relationships pertaining to:

1. Communication or actions required to deliver an acceptable product r or service
2. Functional roles or departmental positions (no personal names).
3. Participation expectations assigned to roles by decisions or actions.

Process

Model

Functional Role

Functional Role

Functional Role

Functional Role

Functional Role

Decisions

or Actions

Responsibility charting reconciles ROLE CONCEPTION with the ROLE EXPECTATION and thus, ROLE BEHAVIOR becomes more predictable and productive!. Ideally, what a person thinks his or her hob is, what others expect of that job, and how the job is actually performed are all the same. The “RACI” process is a tool to lock all elements in place. Working with other “process providers” provides a real time consensus that clarifies “who is to do what, with whom and when. This is of great benefit for overall process performance.

A substandard product or process can often be tracked back to a fault in the chart. Common faults in the chart include: an action not included on the chart (that should be), a position failing to perform as assigned or a missing or misapplied responsibility code. The highly visible and collaborative nature of the charting process promotes rapid and effective updates/corrections as well as better understanding by those involved in the work.

DIAGNOSING THE NEED

The need for managers and supervisors to clarify roles and responsibilities does not end after the Responsibility Charting process is complete; it must be an ongoing activity. Managers need to acquire a “sixth sense” so they can recognize the symptoms of role confusion and determine when the process needs to be repeated. Perception “drift” is natural. The identification and elimination of “drift” is important to the company’s overall well being as it relates to cost, service and quality.

The symptoms of role confusion are:

• Concern over who makes decisions
• Blaming of others for not getting the job done
• Out of balance workloads
• Lack of action because of ineffective communications
• Questions over who does what
• A “we-they” attitude
• A “not sure, so take no action” attitude
• Idle time
• Creation of and attention to non-essential work to fill time
• A reactive work environment
• Poor morale
• Multiple “stops” needed to find an answer to a question

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES CHARTING DEFINITIONS

RESPONSIBLE…..”R”

“The Doer”

The “doer” is the individual(s) who actually complete the task. The “doer” Is

responsible for action/implementation. Responsibility can be shared. The

degree of responsibility is determined by the individual with the “A”.

ACCOUNTABLE…..”A”

“The Buck Stops Here”

The accountable person is the individual who is ultimately answerable for

the activity or decision. This includes “yes” or “no” authority and veto

power. Only one “A” can be assigned to an action.

CONSULT……”C”

“In the Loop”

The consult role is individual(s) (typically subject matter experts) to be

consulted prior to a final decision or action. This is a predetermined need

for two-way communication. Input from the designated position is required.

INFORM…..”I”

“Keep in the Picture”

This is individual (s) who needs to be informed after a decision or action is

taken. They may be required to take action as a result of the outcome. It is

a one-way communication.

• RACI chart should be independent of personal

relationships so the chart would still be valid if all

new people filled the roles tomorrow

4. Develop the RACI chart

As a general rule, first assign R’s then determine who has

the A, then complete C’s and I’s

• For larger groups or more complex issues, an independent

facilitator is required

• Meeting time can be significantly reduced if a “straw model”

list of decisions and activities is completed prior to meeting

5. Get feedback and buy-in

• Distribute the RACI chart to everyone represented on the

chart but not present in the development meeting

• Capture their changes and revise chart as appropriate
• Reissue revised RACI chart
• Update as necessary on a on-going basis

The ideal group size is four to ten people

A follow-up meeting may be necessary if significant changes are made

RACI CHARTING An Example

_Mother Father John Sally Mark Kids_*

Feed the dog (^) A C R

Play with dog (^) I I A R

Take dog to vet (^) R A/R C

Morning walk (^) C A/R R

Evening walk (^) C A/R R

Wash dog (^) C A/R

Clean up mess (^) C A R

DEVELOPING THE ACTION LIST

An important element of Responsibility Charting is developing the

actions to be charted and agreed upon. The lists can be developed in

several ways. One effective way to gather information on functions,

decisions, or activities is in a one-on-one interview. This interview is an

analytical questioning process and ranges from broad questions such as

“what are the department’s objectives?” or, “what must the team

accomplish?” to very specific questions involving inputs and outputs of

work, to and from the participant.

An alternative to the interview is a group “brainstorm” or idea generation

technique with representatives from the “process participant”

departments. A facilitator would record the actions which then could be

fine-tuned in subsequent group meetings.

R A C I Chart Review Horizontal Analysis

Finding Possible Interpretation

Lots of R’s Will the task get done? Can activity or decision be broken into more specific tasks?

Lots of C’s Do all these individuals really need to be consulted? Do the benefits of added input justify the time lost in consulting all these individuals?

Lots of I’s Do all these individuals really need to be routinely informed, or could they be informed only in exceptional circumstances?

No R’s Job may not get done; everyone is waiting to approve, be consulted, or informed; no one sees their role as taking the initiative to get the job done.

No A’s No performance accountability; therefore, no personal consequence when the job doesn’t get done. Rule #1 in RACI charting: There must be one, but only one, “A” for each action or decision listed on the chart.

No C’s / I’s Is this because individuals/departments “don’t talk”? Does a lack of communication between individuals/departments result in parallel or uninformed actions?

Roles / People

Decisions/ Activities C A C I A R C I C C I R A R A I A C A I R C A C R I

R A C I Closing Guidelines

1. Place Accountability (A) and Responsibility (R) at the

lowest feasible level.

2. There can be only one accountable individual per activity
3. Authority must accompany accountability
4. Minimize the number of Consults (C) and Informs (I) 5. All roles and responsibilities must be documented and

communicated

6. Discipline is needed to keep the roles and responsibilities

clear. “Drift” happens. RACI has to be revisited periodically, especially when symptoms of role confusion reappear e.g.,

• Concern over who makes decisions
• Blaming of others for not getting the job done
• Out of balance workloads
• Lack of action because of ineffective communications
• Questions over who does what
• A “we-they” attitude
• A “not sure, so take no action” attitude
• Idle time
• Creation of and attention to non-essential work to fill time
• A reactive work environment
• Poor morale
• Multiple “stops” needed to find an answer to a question

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES CHARTING

Trying to get work done without clearly establishing

roles and responsibilities, is like trying to parallel park

with one eye closed.

What about role behavior? The RACI chart shows who does

what at a high level and their RACI role. If more specificity is

needed, and it often is, you can use process maps or list the

steps/decisions and document the specifics of what is done.

You can go from process maps to RACI or RACI to process maps

and assigns work by^ TS Reviews Orders Job size/program andstaff skill

PlanningMeeting Order Releaseput in Cage

PICK/PACK

from BatchPick Mat'l List/Pick Plan

Count Items

Range?Broken Write rangeand quantity on pick plan ranges onWrite pick plan

Scan Batch Listand Item ID

No Yes

Or, you can document your understanding of the role behavior by taking the list from the RACI chart and listing the steps/decisions and documenting the specifics of what is done. It’s as simple as who, what, when, inputs and outputs. You can expect more resistance clarifying the roles this way than just with RACI. We now know who is to do what with whom, and when in such a way that each person is truly accountable for their part of the overall process.

Task / Decision

RACI (^) Who What When Inputs from

Outputs to