C18 · PRACTICE GUIDE
Roles & RACI
Make accountability explicit where teams, partners and customers depend on one another.
Roles clarify expectations; RACI clarifies a specific activity or decision. Name one accountable role, identify who performs the work and involve the customer where its contribution is essential. Avoid using a dense matrix to conceal unresolved ownership.
Put it into practice
Select the lifecycle gates, decisions and handoffs that repeatedly create ambiguity.
Assign one accountable owner, responsible contributors, consulted experts and informed stakeholders. Validate that authority and capacity match the assignment.
Review the matrix with the people involved and test it against a realistic exception. Record escalation rights and substitutes.
What good evidence looks like
An agreed decision-level RACI, role charters and explicit handoff acceptance.
WATCH FOR
A common failure mode
Assigning several accountable owners or making the CSM responsible for decisions outside their authority.
What to measure
Unowned decisions, handoff failures and delay caused by unclear responsibility.
Practice guidance · Framework v1.0 · Published September 2026. Adapt the method to your business model, customer segment and decision authority.