People rarely consider organizational planning something that is particularly sexy, but it is RACI. RACI is the cornerstone of task setting and communication planning. It breaks down: who is responsible, who is accountable, who is consulted and who is informed.

R – Who is responsible?

Look at the items listed in the DO IT NOW section of your matrix. Who is going to spear-head, or be responsible, for each item? Who are you going to assign to do the work? Take each item, or task, and figure out who is both willing and able to take the lead on the task. Don’t forget, you may need a team to accomplish it.

A – Who is accountable?

Accountability means that there is a person who makes the final decision and has the ultimate ownership of the task. Is it the committee chair under which the task falls? Is it the board? A staff person? Every task needs accountability. A deeper question is: What does accountability look like? If there is no accountability set and expected, success in accomplishing the task falls dramatically.

C – Who is consulted?

Who is the person who must be consulted before a decision or action is taken? Every action needs a level of checks and balances. The best of intentions sometimes can throw the entire process (and organization) off the rails because an action hasn’t been approved by the right people. Often, consultation can take the form of a motion at the board level. Sometimes, it’s just checking in with the committee chairperson or a discussion at the committee level.

I – Who is informed?

Being informed happens after the action is taken. Some actions will be responsible, accountable and consulted at the committee level and the board is just informed of what has been accomplished. In larger cases, like an organization with membership, the members are informed at the annual meeting of all the tasks accomplished for the previous year. You also have a level of communication to your constituents, the people and community you do your work for – how are you going to tell the story of accomplishment? It can be done through social media, direct conversations and marketing materials.

Would you like to learn more about building stronger boards? Reach out to us with your questions or to find out how we can partner with your organization. We can be reached via email at jennifer@urbanaskew.com.