RACI in Action: Examples
From simple tax returns to cross-team chaos — here's how to make RACI work in real life.
We’ve explored each letter of RACI and talked about it as a concept…
…but what does a RACI actually look like in practice?
Here are three examples, starting simple and increasing in complexity, to show how RACI charts can flex across your business needs. Whether you're mapping a process, defining project ownership, or improving handovers, RACI gives you clarity.
How a RACI looks depends on your requirement. Review the examples below and pick the right look and feel for your needs.
🧠 How Should a RACI Look?
It depends on your preferences - but consistency is key.
Start with your task or process list in the first column. From there, you can choose one of two approaches:
Version 1: Use roles or people/team names as the column headers.
Version 2: Use the RACI letters (R, A, C, I) as column headers, and list the relevant people/teams inside the cells.
Pro Tip: If you’re building multiple RACIs across departments or processes, keep the format consistent. One “visual language” means your team can read and use RACIs at a glance - no explanations needed.
✅ Example 1: RACI for a Simple Finance Process
We’ve used the Finance Team throughout this blog series. Here's how that example looks in both RACI styles.
Both charts map the same process - preparing an annual tax return - but with different visual structures.
🙋♀️ My take? Version 2 wins. Why?
It’s easier to show when someone holds multiple roles for a task
It keeps your chart clear, especially as processes grow in complexity
Let’s look at a more complex RACI and see if I can’t win you over to my way of thinking.
✅ Example 2: RACI for a Multi-Step Process with Several Teams
This RACI covers three tasks involving different departments. In Version 2, it’s immediately clear that, say, the Ops Manager is both an A and an R in different steps - something that gets murky in Version 1 when multiple teams fill the same cell.
As the process grows, Version 2 becomes easier to read, review, and update.
Version 1
Version 2
✅ Example 3: RACI for a Complex, Multi-Process Project
This example came from a year-long project that spanned several Divisions (i.e. for each Division we had to run the project again).
There were no names - only job titles - because the project was repeated across those Divisions. Each person could simply follow their column to see their responsibilities and how they fit into the bigger picture.
Before this? Confusion. Handovers missed. “That’s not me, I thought X was doing that.”
When I joined mid-project, I created this RACI, got sign-off, and used it in a relaunch meeting. It changed everything.
🧭 Why Build a RACI?
When you are creating your RACI it is important to remember why you are creating it. It is to give full clarity on exactly who is supposed to do and own every element of your processes. Make sure that it is complex enough to be clear, but not so complicated that it is impossible to read and understand.
A RACI should provide clarity - not complexity. When building one, always ask yourself:
👉 Can I easily identify one Responsible person/team for each task/process?
If not, it might be worth breaking the task down further (see RACI example above). An easy way of splitting out the tasks is to ask yourself, “is the R easy to identify as one singular person/team”? If it is, then no further breakdown required. If you need 2 or more Rs then you probably need to break that process/task down further.
RACIs are especially useful when:
Onboarding new team members
Clarifying handovers or cross-functional collaboration
Aligning departments in a growing business
Defining scope and ownership in a project
Making sure nothing falls through the cracks
🔁 How Often Should You Review Your RACI?
If your business is growing fast: every quarter or six months
If you’re more stable: once a year
If you’re managing a high-turnover team or evolving operations: after major changes
A RACI is a living tool. Don’t let it gather dust - revisit and refine it to keep it useful.
✋ Need Help Creating a RACI?
If your business is growing, shifting, or just feeling the strain of unclear responsibilities - we can help. We offer:
RACI training workshops for your team
Done-for-you RACI builds for projects or processes
Project management support to get things moving - fast
💬 Ready to bring clarity to your team?
Get in touch - let’s make sure everyone knows who’s doing what (and why).