The film is unavailable. You can read what it shows below.
What the film shows, in words
- See who answers for each activity, and which nobody does.
- Five roles. Five activities.
- 3 of 5 hang from one accountable role, with someone doing the work: 60%.
- One has two owners. One has none. 2 conflicts to fix.
- The programme lead does the work instead: 80%.
- An owner, then a doer: 100%. One owner for every activity.
Two conflicts, settled one cell at a time
ExampleFinance and reporting activities in an NGO, illustrative. One cell changes at each step. Nothing is saved or sent.
Five activities on a rail of five roles. Three hang from one accountable role, one is held between two or more, one lies on the floor with none. One has nobody doing the work.
60% with one A and an R (3 ÷ 5). 2 conflicts to fix: one plate is held by two roles, and one has no owner and lies on the floor. Nobody is doing that one either.
- 02 · To fix“Prepare the quarterly donor report” has 2 accountable roles.
- 05 · To fixNo one is accountable for “Publish the results summary”.
- 05 · To checkNo one is responsible for doing “Publish the results summary”.
- accountable: the cord that holds it
- accountable and does the work: a doubled cord
- responsible: a fine line, a hand on the work
- hollow: nobody is doing it
- under each hook: workload (R = 1, A = 0.5)
- a dot on a hook: consulted or informed only
- Activities
- 5
- With one A and an R
- 60%
- Conflicts to fix
- 2
Now your activities, one hook each.
List the activities and the roles involved, then mark who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed. The builder flags activities with no accountable owner, with two, or with no one doing the work.
Works on this page. Nothing you enter is sent.
- Activities
- 5
- With one A and an R
- 60%
- Conflicts to fix
- 2
Five activities on a rail of five roles. Three hang from one accountable role, one is held between two or more, one lies on the floor with none. One has nobody doing the work.
Your rail
Each plate is one activity, hung from the role that is accountable for it. Select a plate to change who holds it.
- 1Board
- 2Executive director
- 3Finance manager
- 4Programme lead
- 5M&E officer
Activity 02
Prepare the quarterly donor report
“Prepare the quarterly donor report” has 2 accountable roles.
- accountable: the cord that holds it
- accountable and does the work: a doubled cord
- responsible: a fine line, a hand on the work
- hollow: nobody is doing it
- under each hook: workload (R = 1, A = 0.5)
- a dot on a hook: consulted or informed only
Keys: R, A, C or I set a value, + sets A and R together, Backspace clears. Arrow keys left and right move along the rail.
Your editable template
RACI matrix as an editable spreadsheet, by email once delivery is connected.
Your RACI matrix as an editable spreadsheet, with the conflict flags explained
Tool: RACI matrix builder Result: 60% clear · 2 conflicts Request: please review responsibilities and scope a process or governance review.Send as a brief
Your matrix, as it stands
- Activities
- 5
- With one A and an R
- 60%
- Conflicts to fix
- 2
The spreadsheet carries this matrix and the tool’s flags as they stand above. It checks the structure, not whether the right people hold the roles.
The matrix, as a table
The same assignments as the report sets them out: R responsible, A accountable, C consulted, I informed.
| Activity | Board | Executive director | Finance manager | Programme lead | M&E officer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approve the annual budget | A | R | C | C | – |
| Prepare the quarterly donor report | – | A | C | A | R |
| Approve purchases above the threshold | – | A | R | C | – |
| Update the risk register | I | A | R | R | C |
| Publish the results summary | I | – | C | C | C |
How it works, and its limits.
The picture draws one rule three ways. The rules themselves are published so you can check them.
One AIt hangs plumb under the role that answers for it.
Two AsTwo cords hold it in a V, askew between two hooks.
No AIt lies on the floor under the rail, with no cord.
Method
- 01
Each activity should have exactly one A (accountable) and at least one R (responsible). A+R counts as both.
- 02
Workload counts each R as 1 and each A as 0.5, to show where decisions and work concentrate.
- 03
Roles with no assignment are listed so you can remove or reassign them.
- 04
A role you mark as an internal reviewer must hold no R on any activity. Where it does, that is a conflict to fix. The share “with one A and an R” is counted as before.
- 05
An A held by a role with no name, or by a placeholder such as “TBC”, is a conflict to fix: nobody yet answers for the activity.
What it cannot tell you
- It checks the structure of the matrix, not whether the right people hold the roles.
- Consulted and informed roles are not tested for overload.
- Use roles, not individuals’ names.
- A boundary is what you set. A job title, however it reads, sets none and confers no power, signatory or approval.
- It cannot tell a review from the work reviewed: a reviewer’s own review, entered as a row with an R, is flagged too.
- It cannot tell whether one title hides two people, or whether a reviewer is independent in practice.
Quality ruleFlag missing or multiple accountable owners.
When the matrix needs a person
The builder checks the structure of a matrix. Whether the right people hold the roles is a conversation.
Also in this practice
What needs to move forward?
Tell us the decision, the challenge or the opportunity. We reply with a scoped approach, a named principal and a fee before any work begins.
No charge to submit an enquiry.