RACI matrix for a team
Usually, a RACI matrix is a tool for project management. It helps to know who does what in a project. RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed.
- The R, is for the person or team that does the work. They do the task.
- The A is for the boss. He is in charge. He makes sure the work is done right.
- C is for people who are asked before a decision is made. Their opinion is important.
- Finally, I is for people who need to know what happens after a decision is made.
Creating a RACI matrix for a team involves identifying the key roles within the team and the typical tasks or activities that occur during a sprint. Here’s a simplified example of how a RACI matrix might look for a scrum team by roles:
| Tasks | Product Owner | Scrum Master | Development Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint Planning | A | C | R |
| Daily Stand-up | I | A | R |
| Sprint Review | A | C | R |
| Sprint Retrospective | C | A | R |
| Backlog Refinement | A | C | R |
| Writing User Stories | R | I | C |
| Estimating Tasks | C | I | R |
| Testing and Quality Assurance | C | I | R |
| Deployment | C | I | R |
In a scrum team, the chart helps everyone know their job and what they need to do. It stops confusion and makes sure everyone knows what's going on.
There is a Scrum guide that describes all the responsibilities of a Scrum team. However, for a non-Scrum team, it is not always clear who is responsible for what. Therefore, we can create a RACI matrix for each person involved. For example, it is a different view, where we allow more people to be responsible for an action.
| Task | Responsible (R) | Accountable (A) | Consulted (C) | Informed (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Backlog Management | Elena (PO) | John (SM), Team | Team | |
| - Prioritize user stories | Elena (PO) | Elena (PO) | John (SM) | Team |
| - Refine user stories | Elena (PO), John (SM) | Elena (PO) | Team | Team |
| Sprint Planning | John (SM), Elena (PO) | Team | ||
| - Identify sprint goals & backlog items | John (SM), Elena (PO) | John (SM) | Team | |
| - Estimate effort for backlog items | Team | John (SM) | Elena (PO) | |
| Development | ||||
| - Develop backend logic (API) | Peter, Kamil | Peter | John (SM), Elena (PO) | Lisa, Karen |
| - Develop frontend UI | Lisa | Lisa | John (SM), Elena (PO) | Peter, Kamil, Karen |
| Testing | ||||
| - Write automated tests | Karen | Karen | John (SM), Peter, Kamil, Lisa | |
| - Manual testing of functionalities | Karen | Karen | John (SM), Elena (PO), Peter, Kamil, Lisa | |
| Deployment | John (SM) | Team | ||
| - Deploy app to development environment | John (SM) | John (SM) | Team | |
| Daily Scrum | John (SM) | Team | ||
| - Facilitate daily stand-up meeting | John (SM) | John (SM) | Team | |
| Sprint Review | John (SM), Elena (PO) | Team | ||
| - Demo completed features | Team (rotating) | John (SM), Elena (PO) | Team | |
| - Gather feedback on delivered features | John (SM), Elena (PO) | John (SM), Elena (PO) | Team | |
| Sprint Retrospective | John (SM) | Team | ||
| - Identify areas for improvement | Team | John (SM) | Elena (PO) |
Identifying responsibilities is very useful for a non-Scrum team where the responsibilities of team members are not explicitly defined.
Moreover, a clear understanding of responsibilities in a team is essential during an organizational transformation. For example, when we resign from the scrum team, all responsibilities also change. This change is clearly visible within a matrix.
| Task | Responsible (R) | Accountable (A) | Consulted (C) | Informed (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Backlog Management | Elena (PO) | Team | Team | |
| - Prioritize user stories | Elena (PO) | Elena (PO) | Team | Team |
| - Refine user stories | Elena (PO), Team (rotating) | Elena (PO) | Team | Team |
| Sprint Planning | Elena (PO) | Team | ||
| - Identify sprint goals & backlog items | Elena (PO), Team | Elena (PO) | ||
| - Estimate effort for backlog items | Team | Team (collective) | Elena (PO) | |
| Development | ||||
| - Develop backend logic (API) | Peter, Kamil | Peter | Elena (PO) | Lisa, Karen |
| - Develop frontend UI | Lisa | Lisa | Elena (PO) | Peter, Kamil, Karen |
| Testing | ||||
| - Write automated tests | Karen | Karen | Team | |
| - Manual testing of functionalities | Karen | Karen | Elena (PO), Team | |
| Deployment | Team (rotating) | |||
| - Deploy app to development environment | Team (rotating) | Team (collective) | ||
| Daily Scrum | Team (rotating facilitator) | |||
| - Facilitate daily stand-up meeting | Team (rotating) | Team (collective) | ||
| Sprint Review | Elena (PO) | Team | ||
| - Demo completed features | Team (rotating) | Elena (PO) | Team | |
| - Gather feedback on delivered features | Elena (PO) | Elena (PO) | Team | |
| Sprint Retrospective | Team (rotating facilitator) | |||
| - Identify areas for improvement | Team | Team (collective) | Elena (PO) |