The RACI Template is All Wrong

The RACI template is a simple tool designed to move things forward. In other words, it's a responsibility assignment matrix.

The RACI template

RACI is a responsibility assignment matrix template, and it stands for:

• R - Responsible
• A - Accountable
• C - Consulted
• I - Informed

By assigning those categories to every step of the content development and publication stage, marketers are able to use RACI templates to prevent bottlenecking. Nothing kills Growth faster than avoidable bottlenecks.

The problem with the RACI matrix template is that Accountability is higher up in the hierarchy than Responsibility. But the acronym makes it seem like Responsibility is. So, it can be very confusing for those who are unfamiliar with it in practice.

How to structure a Growth team

Your growth marketing team structure is heavily influenced by the way your company positions growth. 

It should be incorporated across Sales, Service, and Marketing. It should also incorporate C-suite because the buck stops with their vision. If something gets stuck, C-suite is a great lever for changing that.

Typical Growth team structure:

• Growth Lead
  • Project Manager
    • Growth Practitioners

But who does the Growth Lead report to? Sales or Marketing?

The answer is neither. The moment Growth reports to one of those teams, you've created an imbalance where there should be parity.

The role of Growth is to execute the vision of senior leadership, so they should have access to and support from senior leadership. We cover this in detail in our "Roles & Responsibilities" lesson within our Growth Strategy course.

Why Accountable is higher than Responsible

"Consulted" and "Informed" are much more self-explanatory. 

Accountable, however, means that the "buck stops here."

Responsible means that "it gets done here."

So, what happens when the person responsible for something doesn't follow through on it?

Simple, you go to the accountable person because it's on them if it doesn't get done.

Introducing ARCI

By swapping the A and the R, you remove any confusion with the standard RACI matrix template today.

• A - Accountable (the buck stops here)
• R - Responsible (the work gets done here)
• C - Consulted (the work is developed with this person's input)
• I - Informed (we'll let you know if/when you need to know).

See how "Accountable" takes on a whole new meaning this way?

Get the free template

To learn more, check out our free lesson on Roles in Growth. In addition to guidance on how to structure your Growth team and delegate roles and tasks, you get a free RACI matrix template-- among several other project management template resources...

But you get our version: ARCI. And, it comes pre-loaded with the standard Growth protocols.