By Brittany Lieu, Marketing Consultant at Heinz Marketing
You built a RACI. Now what?
Most teams know they need a RACI matrix, and some even build one at the start, but without a clear plan to put it into action, it becomes just another document no one looks at. Once the work picks up, the matrix fades into the background, ownership blurs, decisions stall, and teams fall out of sync.
Here’s how to make your RACI actually useful — for your team and your workflow.
1. Start with a Real Project, Not a Blank Template
Most RACIs fall flat because they start in the abstract. Don’t begin with a generic template. Pick a real campaign—preferably a recurring campaign that you’ve already completed and use it to map actual responsibilities.
Steps to do this:
- List real deliverables: Break the project into concrete tasks that are easy to track and assign, such as “Write landing page copy,” “Design creative assets,” “Set up email sequence,” “QA assets,” and “Analyze performance metrics.” The more precise you are, the clearer the responsibilities will be.
- Identify who actually did each task: Don’t just list job titles—write in names. This will expose where ownership is unclear, duplicated, or missing.
- Capture bottlenecks and workarounds: Did the team wait on approvals? Did feedback come from five directions? Use this as a baseline to build your RACI based on how things really work, not how they should work.
This reverse-engineering approach grounds the matrix in reality, so it’s immediately relevant, easier to adopt, and more likely to stick.
2. Lock in the Decision-Maker First (aka Accountable)
The “A” in RACI is the most critical and most misunderstood role. It stands for “Accountable,” and there should only be one A per task.
This person:
- Owns the final outcome
- Makes the call when feedback conflicts
Ensures the task is completed on time
They’re not necessarily the most senior person—they’re the one who has the authority and responsibility to move the work forward. For example, on a product launch, the campaign manager might be accountable for the overall timeline, while the content lead is accountable for the landing page copy.
Before assigning “Responsible” (the doer), lock in the “Accountable” (the owner). Without clear accountability, tasks get delayed, feedback spirals, and deadlines slip.
Pro tip: If two people are fighting over who’s accountable… no one is.
3. Keep the “Consulted” and “Informed” Columns Tight
This is where RACIs most often fail. Teams overload the “C” and “I” columns, trying to make sure everyone feels included, and end up with a mess of conflicting feedback and bloated review cycles.
Here’s how to get it right:
- Consulted = limited to 1–2 people who add essential input (e.g., legal, brand, subject matter experts)
- Informed = those who simply need to stay in the loop (e.g., sales enablement, executive sponsor)
Ask yourself:
- Will this person’s input change the output? → Consulted
- Do they need to know this is happening, but won’t provide feedback? → Informed
- Are they just interested? → Don’t include them
This discipline keeps your process efficient and avoids decision paralysis caused by too many cooks in the kitchen.
4. Put the RACI Where the Work Happens
Even the clearest RACI fails if no one sees it. Don’t let it live in a standalone doc. Instead, embed it directly into the tools your team already uses.
Here’s how:
- Add a RACI table to your project brief and link to it in Asana/ClickUp/Notion
- Use custom fields or tags to show who’s “A” or “R” for each task
- Call out roles in your kickoff meetings and project check-ins, especially if something changes
- Revisit the RACI at major milestones (mid-project or after feedback cycles) to adjust for scope shifts or ownership changes
You want RACI to become second nature—a shared language that helps your team move faster, not a formality that slows you down.
Final Thoughts
A RACI matrix isn’t just a box to check at the start of a project—it’s a tool to drive clarity, speed, and accountability throughout. When you build it around real work, assign clear ownership, and keep it visible, it becomes a powerful part of how your team gets things done.
Want to see how we help teams bring structure and clarity through marketing orchestration? Connect with one of our experts today!
The post How to Keep Your RACI Alive After the Kickoff Meeting appeared first on Heinz Marketing.
