Managing software projects is fun! I love exploring all of the different technologies and methodologies that help engineering teams get their projects done faster and more efficiently. One of my favorite project management models is RACI.

Project management continues to be incredibly important for the success of software projects. Team members can easily get confused about project roles and responsibilities. This is especially true if there is no project plan or structure in place that outlines all of the tasks and objectives that need to be completed in order to finish the project. There are a number of issues that can result when

What Can Go Wrong?

Teams cannot work together if they do not understand what their assignment is. If the quarterback is assigned a wide receiver role and the linebacker is playing quarterback, your project will be less likely to succeed. These issues can slow down a software project and can result in an inferior product.

Lack of Clarity

When a team is performing at its best, the roles and responsibilities of each team member are clearly laid out. A lack of clarity is a more common issue than one would expect. If team members are working on tasks that you do not expect them to do, it will be difficult to complete the project on time. Team members could fall through the cracks and end up working on nothing during the project.

Repeat Work

In a fast-paced work environment, roles and responsibilities have to be clearly defined. When there is no clear communication about who is doing what task, there is the possibility that team members may end up doing the same task. This is a massive waste of time and resources. Team members could be working on advancing the project and instead, they are working on the same task as other team members.

Nothing Works Together

When working on complex software projects, teams have to be sure that everything works together. Working in silos without clear communication can result in issues when the team attempts to launch the final product. Different parts of the software product may not work together. Team members need to be in constant communication with each other.

There are ways that project managers can help prevent these issues from occurring. There are countless technologies, methods, and techniques to help project managers properly define project responsibilities and tasks.  One of the most effective ways to ensure that projects run smoothly is known as the RACI model.

What is the RACI Model?

RACI is a simple, streamlined way to eliminate common roadblocks that pop up during the course of a software project. The RACI model defines and documents project roles and responsibilities.

The RACI model is relatively easy to understand. RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed. Understanding what each of the four letters means can help you improve your team’s workflow.

Responsible

If no one is assigned to a task, then it will not get done. Each task has to have at least one team member that is responsible for the task. This team member is responsible for doing the work to complete the task. There can be more than one party that is responsible for doing the work in a RACI model.

Accountable

The person who is responsible for the work of the task is not always held accountable for it. This variable defines the person with final authority over the successful completion of the task. This person may not be the one doing the task, but they are ultimately held accountable for its completion. The accountable party approves the deliverable before the task can be marked as complete. This person also makes sure that responsibilities are assigned in the model for related activities.

Consulted

The consulted party usually has a say somewhere in the process. The person who consulted helps get the task done by working with the team members who are responsible for the task. This team member may review a deliverable and provide feedback to ensure that the task is done correctly.

Informed

There are people that are not involved directly in the project but need to know how the project is progressing. An informed team member needs to be aware of the project's progress and should be aware of when a task is completed. These team members can be given general status reports and updates that keep them aware of the status of the project.

These variables may not fully capture all of the roles in your project. Organizations may add additional letters to the RACI model. For example, organizations may define their model as RASCI which adds support to the model. Your organization can define the model in a way that best meets the needs of your team members.

RACI Matrix

Plotting out team member roles ensures that everyone on the team knows and understands their roles and the roles of their teammates. RACI charts can reduce friction between different teams. Each team will know exactly what they are responsible for. This can help avoid frustration between teams in the midst of a project. The process of utilizing a RACI model in your team’s workflow is relatively straightforward:

1. Identify Roles: First, you need to identify all of the roles that are needed for the project. They could be anything from project managers to software engineers. Your project needs the right team members to ensure you have the skills and experience to lead to a successful project outcome.
2. Identify Tasks: Next, you need to decide what tasks need to be completed that will lead to a successful project. These tasks could be anything from legal reviews to compiling metadata. You could be very specific about each task, but that could make the list too long. Adding milestones to the model
3. Assign RACI: Finally, you will assign the responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed to each person on the project team. Careful consideration should be given when assigning each letter to team members.

Benefits of the RACI Model

Software teams can benefit greatly from utilizing the RACI model.

“You can use the RACI model to help your employees get clarity on their responsibilities. What are they Responsible for delivering personally or Accountable to sign off? What are the tasks they need to Consult on versus those they simply need to stay Informed about? #leadership”

Stakeholder Engagement

Improving stakeholder engagement is a key part of improving project success rates. A 2020 study by Wellingtone evaluated the project management of 111 organizations across 29 countries. The study found that stakeholder engagement was the highest-valued factor when it came to project management success.

If team members do not fully understand what they are doing in a project, you run the risk of them becoming despondent. The RACI model can help reduce the chances of this happening. The RACI model brings structure and clarity to the roles that each stakeholder holds within any given project. RACI helps ensure that project stakeholders are more engaged throughout a project.

Right Team Members in the Right Roles

The RACI model can help your team ensure that you have the right people in the right roles. Writing out all of the roles and tasks helps software teams lay out all of the skills needed for the project. You can bring in team members when you identify gaps in talent. The right team members will be working on the tasks that will help move the project forward.

Get Projects Done on Time

Getting projects done on schedule is an issue that every software engineering team faces. The RACI model helps software teams complete projects on time. There will be less confusion and mistakes. Team members will know their roles and responsibilities. This will help facilitate communication and collaboration. Teams can work together to ensure that projects get done on time.

The RACI model is an effective tool to improve team workflow. I love finding the most effective ways to manage software projects. The RACI model is just one of the many tools that software leaders can use to ensure projects get done successfully on time and within budget.