Free Template · Updated March 2026
Free RACI Matrix Template
Excel & Google Sheets
A professional RACI matrix with 30 pre-filled tasks across 5 project phases, 18 team roles, automatic colour-coded R/A/C/I cells, a responsibility summary sheet and a blank template you can fill from scratch. Download in Excel and open in Google Sheets instantly.
What's Inside
Four sheets: RACI Matrix (30 pre-filled tasks, auto-colour, dropdowns), Responsibility Summary (plain-English summary per role), Blank Template (10 custom team members, 25 blank rows) and Instructions (11-step guide with common mistakes).
RResponsible
AAccountable
CConsulted
IInformed
Role codes auto-colour when typed — no manual formatting needed
Download Free Template
Excel (.xlsx) · Works in Google Sheets too
RACI MATRIX PREVIEW
Task / Activity
PM
BA
Dev
Spon
Approve business case
R
A
Requirements gathering
I
R
C
I
Solution design
I
C
R
I
Status reporting
R
C
I
I
Project sign-off
R
I
I
A
.XLSX
Google Sheets
FREE
- 30 tasks across 5 project phases
- 18 pre-labelled team role columns
- Auto-colour on R, A, C, I entry
- Dropdown validation on all cells
- Responsibility Summary sheet
- Blank Template with 10 custom roles
- 11-step instructions + common mistakes
- Print-ready landscape format
30
Pre-filled tasks across 5 phases
18
Team roles pre-labelled
4
Sheets: Matrix, Summary, Blank, Guide
Free
No account or payment required
01 — The Four Roles
R, A, C and I — What Each Role Means
The power of a RACI matrix lies in the precision of each role. Understanding the difference — especially between R and A, and between C and I — is what separates a useful RACI from a confusing one.
R
Responsible — Does the work
The person or people who actually perform the task or produce the deliverable. Multiple people can share Responsibility for one task. Without at least one R, nobody knows who is supposed to do the work.
At least one R required per taskA
Accountable — Owns the outcome
The single person who is answerable for the task being completed correctly. They approve the work before it is signed off. If it goes wrong, they answer for it. Cannot be shared — two A's means no A.
Exactly ONE A per task — never moreC
Consulted — Provides input
People whose expertise or approval is needed before the work is completed. Two-way communication — they give input, the team acts on it. Be selective: only mark C if their input genuinely shapes the output.
Input sought before work is doneI
Informed — Kept in the loop
People who need to know the outcome or progress but whose input is not required. One-way communication. Mark I only for people who need the information to do their own job — not as a blanket "keep everyone happy" assignment.
Updated after decisions are made02 — Template Contents
30 Pre-Filled Tasks Across 5 Phases
The RACI Matrix sheet comes pre-filled with 30 realistic project tasks organised into the standard 5 phases. Every task has RACI assignments across 18 common team roles. Edit, delete or rename any task to match your project.
| # | Task / Activity | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Initiation — 5 Tasks | ||
| 1 | Approve project business case | Initiation |
| 2 | Develop and sign project charter | Initiation |
| 3 | Identify and map stakeholders | Initiation |
| 4 | Appoint project team | Initiation |
| 5 | Conduct project kick-off workshop | Initiation |
| Planning — 9 Tasks | ||
| 6–9 | PM plan, scope/WBS, schedule, budget | Planning |
| 10–14 | Risk register, communications, procurement, resources, baseline sign-off | Planning |
| Execution — 7 Tasks | ||
| 15–21 | Team management, stakeholder engagement, requirements, design, build, testing, training | Execution |
| Monitoring & Control — 5 Tasks | ||
| 22–26 | Status reporting, risks/issues, change control, budget tracking, quality assurance | Monitoring |
| Closure — 4 Tasks | ||
| 27–30 | UAT sign-off, lessons learned, closure report, benefits handover | Closure |
The Blank Template sheet (Sheet 3) has 10 unlabelled team member columns and 25 blank rows — perfect for building your own RACI from scratch using your actual team names and tasks. The auto-colour formatting works there too.
03 — The Rules
7 Rules for a RACI That Actually Works
A RACI matrix completed without following these rules causes more confusion than it solves. Walk through every row against each rule before sharing it with the team.
1
Every task must have exactly one A
No A means nobody owns the outcome. Two A's means neither person truly owns it. If there's disagreement, the sponsor decides. This is the non-negotiable rule of the RACI model.
2
Every task must have at least one R
If nobody is Responsible for doing the work, the task will not get done. On tasks where multiple people share R, make sure each person knows which specific part they own.
3
A and R can be the same person
For smaller tasks or senior individual contributors, one person may be both Responsible (doing the work) and Accountable (owning the outcome). This is valid — just ensure it's intentional, not lazy assignment.
4
Avoid marking C and I for everyone
A RACI where everyone is Consulted on everything creates bottlenecks and consultation fatigue. Be selective: mark C only when that person's input genuinely changes the output. Mark I only when they need the information to do their own work.
5
Don't make the PM Responsible for everything
The PM coordinates and is accountable for delivery — but the team does the work. If the PM is R on 90% of tasks, the RACI is telling you that the team doesn't have clear ownership. Fix the accountability, not just the spreadsheet.
6
Review the RACI at kick-off — don't just send it
Walk through the matrix with the whole team at the kick-off workshop. People who have discussed and agreed their assignments are more likely to own them than those who received a spreadsheet by email.
7
Update the RACI when the project changes
If scope changes, team members change or new workstreams are added, update the RACI. An outdated RACI is worse than no RACI — it gives the team false clarity about who is responsible for what.
04 — FAQ
RACI Matrix — 5 Common Questions
A RACI matrix is a responsibility assignment chart that maps project tasks against team members and assigns one of four roles: Responsible (does the work), Accountable (owns the outcome), Consulted (provides input before work is done) and Informed (kept updated on progress). It is the most effective tool for eliminating role confusion and the "I thought you were doing that" problem on cross-functional projects.
RACI stands for Responsible (the person who does the work), Accountable (the person who owns the outcome — only one per task), Consulted (people whose input is sought before work is completed — two-way communication) and Informed (people kept updated on progress and decisions — one-way communication). Some organisations extend it to RASCI (adding Supportive) or CAIRO (adding Out of the loop).
Responsible = the person or people who perform the task. Multiple people can be Responsible. Accountable = the single person who owns the outcome and answers for it. There must be exactly one Accountable per task. Example: a development team is Responsible for building a feature; the Tech Lead is Accountable for its quality. The Tech Lead may not write every line of code (R) but they own the outcome (A).
Exactly one. This is the most critical rule. Having two Accountable people means neither is truly accountable — when things go wrong, each assumes the other owns it. If there is genuine disagreement about who should be Accountable, the project sponsor or steering committee must make the call before the project proceeds. Allowing two A's is not a compromise — it is an unresolved conflict that will surface later at the worst possible time.
Use a RACI matrix at the start of every project — particularly those involving multiple departments, external vendors, unclear handoff points, or any history of accountability gaps on similar projects. Complete it during planning and walk through it at the kick-off workshop. Update it whenever scope, team membership or significant tasks change. See our stakeholder management guide → for how the RACI connects to broader stakeholder engagement.