Key points
- Unclear roles show up first as delays, not as conflict.
- Every major decision needs exactly one person who makes it.
- A RACI matrix creates clarity if it stays lean and is actually used.
- Roles only work when authority, resources, and incentives match them.
Large projects bring together business units, IT, management, and often several companies. Almost everyone wants the project to succeed. And yet it stalls. The reason is often not a lack of commitment but a lack of clarity about who decides what.
How to spot unclear roles
- Decisions go around in circles and come back up in every meeting.
- Meetings end with “Let’s take that offline” instead of a decision.
- Phrases like “I thought you were handling that” keep piling up.
- Tasks wait for an approval, and nobody knows who gives it.
- Two teams work on the same topic in parallel.
The tricky part: At first, these signals look like ordinary delays. It often takes months before open conflict breaks out.
The RACI matrix, used properly
The RACI matrix assigns four roles to each task or decision:
- R (Responsible): does the work.
- A (Accountable): owns the result and decides.
- C (Consulted): is asked beforehand.
- I (Informed): is informed afterward.
Three rules make it effective: There is exactly one A per row. The list of Cs stays short, otherwise every decision turns into a round of alignment meetings. And the matrix sticks to the key deliverables and decisions, usually ten to twenty rows. It gets a quick review at every phase transition.
Make decisions visible
Clear roles only help if decisions actually get made. A simple meeting framework has proven effective:
- It is clear beforehand who decides, who recommends, who provides input, and who is informed.
- Every agenda item ends in one of three states: decided, open with a due date, or deliberately parked.
- Within 24 hours, a one-page summary follows: decisions, tasks with exactly one owner each, open issues.
A simple decision log complements this: What was decided, when, by whom, and why? Months later, it’s worth its weight in gold.
Roles need backing
A role on paper changes little if authority, budget, and incentives don’t match it. Whoever is accountable must also be allowed to decide. And if a new role is meant to last, HR and compensation belong at the table. Add a clear sponsor and a defined escalation path, for example through a steering committee.
Projects with multiple companies
When several companies work together, the need for clarity grows. A short written agreement at the start helps: Which parties are involved, and why? In which formats will they exchange information? Who is responsible for what? Which tools will be used? It sounds formal, but it prevents a lot of misunderstandings.
Bottom line
Role clarity isn’t bureaucracy. It’s speed. Clarifying early who decides what saves weeks later on.
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