UX Glossary | R
RACI matrix
Also: Responsibility assignment matrix
A grid showing who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted or Informed for each deliverable or phase of a project.
A RACI matrix is a table with deliverables or phases down the side and people or roles across the top. Each cell holds one of four letters, or stays empty.
The four letters
Responsible does the work. Accountable answers for the outcome and signs it off. Consulted is asked for input before a decision, a two-way conversation. Informed is told afterwards, one way. A row might read: for the navigation structure, the designer is Responsible, the head of product is Accountable, the engineering lead is Consulted and the support lead is Informed.
The one rule that matters
Every row needs exactly one Accountable. Two means each assumes the other is deciding, and none means nobody is. Many matrices fail on this point alone, and it is the thing worth checking first when a project stalls on approvals.
What it is for in UX work
Design projects collect opinions from many directions, and the matrix settles in advance who gets a vote and who gets a heads-up. It is most useful at kickoff, as a companion to the stakeholder map, and in handover between teams.
Common mistake
Too many Cs. Consulting everyone feels safe and produces slow decisions and diluted work. Challenge each Consulted: would the decision change on their answer? If not, they are Informed. Keep the finished matrix on one page, or nobody will open it.