We’ve all been there; your project is running at full speed but gradually discussions arise about specific project activities. What seem logical activities to some, do not make sense to others. The result? A lot of arguments back and forth and no one taking ownership. How can you reduce the risk of this happening?
At some point in any project, disagreement on certain aspects is almost an inevitable thing to happen and probably no project has ever been completely spared from it. How to prevent this from happening? A great deal of the project’s success comes down to the agreements you establish before the actual execution. Making clear arrangements on the roles and responsibilities will save you from a lot of trouble.
Preparations
Before the start of any project there are a couple of things you should prepare in advance to bring clarity and facilitate collaboration:
- Design your project team governance
- Describe and agree on the content of each role in the project, ex: Project Manager, Subject Matter Expert, Architect, etc.
- Map all known activities carefully to the different roles or functions
How you create your project team governance and describe the roles and functions we discussed in a previous blog post. In this article, we will go more into detail on how you map each activity in a project to roles or functions.
The most common approach and framework used to define activities and responsibilities within a project or process is a RACI matrix.
RACI
The term RACI is an acronym that stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.
- Responsible: refers to individuals or teams responsible for performing specific tasks or activities. They are directly involved in the execution of a task, activity, or process.
- Accountable: this is the person who is ultimately accountable for completing the project or task. This person is often referred to as the “owner” and takes ultimate responsibility for achieving the objectives by making the project expectations clear to the responsible team members
- Consulted: these individuals provide input and feedback on the work that has been done. They are informed and can provide valuable insights or advice, but are not directly responsible for implementation
- Informed: these are the individuals or teams who need to be kept informed about the progress, decisions, and results of the project or task. They are regularly informed about updates but are not directly involved in their implementation
In some scenarios, a RACI is extended to a RA(S)CI. The S refers to “support”. Supportive individuals or teams are typically asked to provide input and expertise on specific tasks or activities, but they are not ultimately responsible for the outcome.
How to implement RACI
It’s crucial to identify all key stakeholders involved in the project. These stakeholders could include the project sponsor, the core project team members, operational teams, subject matter experts, architects, and any other individual or supplier that will contribute to the project.
Once you identified your stakeholders, you organize collaborative workshops where all relevant parties come together to map out the project activities and assign roles and responsibilities.
Always encourage open discussions and take advantage of the expertise and insights of team members and stakeholders during the workshops. Each person may bring unique knowledge and experience to the table, which will help ensure comprehensive coverage of all project activities and roles.
To bring structure in a chronological order, I would recommend to start with a template where you group all activities in line with the different stages of your project, with at least, but not limited to:
- Project Initiation
- Project Planning
- Project Execution
- Project Closing
Next, you can further define sub categories based on the project plan and milestones. A RACI can be a very extensive list and this will help you to discuss and review each stage of the project individually.
After compiling the initial list of activities and assigning roles, conduct a thorough review session with the core project team again. This review allows validation of the assigned roles and responsibilities and provides an opportunity to make any final adjustments or refinements.
Once the RACI matrix is finalized, seek consensus among all stakeholders and obtain formal sign-off. This ensures that everyone is in agreement with the assigned roles and responsibilities, minimizing the potential for confusion or disagreement later in the project.
Make sure to include a high level RACI in your project kick-off so everyone can start with confidence in the project.
Tips for maintaining a RACI matrix:
- Involve all stakeholders: when creating a RACI matrix, it is important to involve all stakeholders. This will help to ensure that everyone’s roles and responsibilities are accurately reflected in the matrix
- Review the matrix regularly: throughout the project lifecycle, maintain alignment with teams and stakeholders by regularly revisiting and updating the RACI matrix as needed. Changes in project scope and stakeholder involvement may necessitate adjustments to roles and responsibilities.