Last month I introduced one of my favorite tools to use with teams, the RASCI chart. RASCI is a tool to help identify and communicate roles and responsibilities of people involved in a project. The RASCI categories are useful for understanding where each team member fits within a project, but general categories are like buying pants off the rack: there might be one person somewhere in the universe they fit perfectly, but the rest of us have to make some alterations.
When a team comes to us for help clarifying roles and responsibilities we start our work getting a sense of what some of those alternations might be. This means learning as much as we can about their organizational context, including people’s position descriptions, reporting structures and hierarchies, and spoken (or unspoken) group norms before we meet with a team. The more we know about how teams operate, the better we can support them with getting that on paper. We use what we know about the organization to start adapting the tool before we present it to the team.
Revise the role definitions
Every time I train on RASCI, at least one person jumps in to tell me the roles just won’t work for their organization. Because I work with collaborative teams, one of the most common things I hear is, “We do the work as a team, so there’s no one person ‘responsible’ (or accountable) for the project.”
If the client’s organization is already using RASCI, we help them adapt the definitions to align with how they work. This usually means making small changes to the definitions. For example one client wanted to make it clear that the Responsible person has decision making authority, but needs to bring major changes that will affect budget or timeline to the Accountable person for approval. Making that change reduced uncertainty about decision making power and reduced the amount of back and forth between those roles, resulting in a more confident leader and a more efficient team.
Create a practice RASCI chart
Before we try to use the framework for project-related work, we try it with a fun and low-stakes project (like the cookie contest from last month.) For example, we helped one client create a RASCI chart for their annual chili cook-off. It’s an event everyone on the team is excited about and has a role in, so it was both relevant and fun to fill out. If the team doesn’t have any traditions or low-stakes projects to work with, we start with the most obvious or well defined parts of their work.
After we finish the practice RASCI, we revisit the definitions and make any revisions before we dig into the more challenging projects. Keeping the practice RASCI chart lowkey makes confusion or disagreement about roles feel lower stakes, which makes conversations about more complex projects go smoother.
Test, revise, and normalize
When we create the RASCI chart in a workshop or single meeting, it’s almost a given that a team will forget about parts of their work or make some role assignments that don't make sense in application (and that’s okay!) We like to remind folks that the chart can and should be revised regularly to reflect how they actually work. To reinforce this, we have teams spend a few weeks testing and updating new RASCI charts based on real life application. Then, we facilitate a reflection process to where we talk through the revisions, how they used the tool, and how they can keep it relevant.
To keep it top of mind, some teams have embedded RASCI charts in check-in agendas, pinned them in project folders, or even posted them in meeting rooms. We find that when teams reference the RASCI often, they start naturally using the language when assigning tasks or creating project plans.
When RASCI just won't work
Every so often, a team just can’t get RASCI to work for them. When the framework is so out of alignment that we can't make it work, we start exploring other options, like RAPID (the most urgent feeling), MOCHA (the tastiest sounding), or even creating our own acronym.
Tips
Clarify your team’s definitions and assumptions for each role before you start using RASCI for a project. If you can’t come to consensus, that’s a sign you need to call in an outside facilitator to help get you to the next step.
Start with projects or bodies of work where the team has a strong handle on roles. This will give the team an early win before getting into work that is unclear.
Don’t feel pressured to fill every role for every body of work. You may not always need to consult or inform folks outside the team.
Helping teams do their best work is what we love to do. If you have a team that can’t agree on who should do what, I’d love to talk!
