The RACI matrix is one of those things that sounds annoyingly stuffy and corporate—until the first time you use it on something big that involves multiple departments. Its two main values are to make sure nothing important gets missed, and to keep executives in their lane. Like many simple tricks, RACI seems obvious at first, but in practice it's magical.
Let's imagine you're planning a compex launch. The rows in your matrix are the major things that need to get done (making a RACI matrix, finalizing a data retention policy, pricing analysis, preparing marketing assets, pushing the right buttons in Hubspot, and so on). The columns put you and your stakeholders into four categories:
- Doers who are Responsible
- Overseers who are Accountable
- Experts who are Consulted
- Observers who are Informed
(Note that any Responsible person is also implicitly in the A column.)
The first step in building a matrix is to brainstorm all the activities needed to have a successful launch. (Generally, you won't put individual engineering activities into the matrix, but if there's something like an infosec review gate, that should go on.) This is an iterative process that all departments will eventually have input into.
The next step is to put the right people in the right columns. This is also iterative, and in fact so is the third step, which is to get sign-off on the matrix itself. (It doesn't help to have personnel assigned if they or their department don't agree.)
Once the project is underway, refer to the matrix continually to make sure the right players are playing the right game at the right time.
Now, about those executives
I can't emphasize enough how freeing it is for folks in the R and A columns to have clarity on who is only Consulted or Informed. In an organization that values autonomy and trust, executives need to leave the doing to the doers.
Of course oversight is needed and expertise is welcome, but product managers in charge of something like a launch should be given the freedom to operate. Having too many cooks in the kitchen is a serious risk to project success. Staying in one's lane isn't freeing only for the Rs and As, but also for the Cs and Is themselves.
A template you can steal
I've used this launch plan template several times with really good results. Please take it and let me know how it goes!