Activity: Assign project roles and responsibilities in a RACI chart
Question 1
To pass this practice quiz, you must receive at least 80%, or 4 out of 5 points, by completing the activity and answering corresponding quiz questions. You can learn more about the graded and practice items in the Course Overview.
Activity Overview
In this activity, you will apply your knowledge of RACI charts to a new phase of project planning. You will analyze a scenario about the execution phase of the Plant Pals project. Then you will use a RACI chart to determine each stakeholder’s relationship to project tasks.
As a reminder, RACI charts help you determine who is:
- Responsible
- Accountable
- Consulted
- Informed
Be sure to complete this activity before moving on. The next course item will provide you with a completed exemplar to compare to your own work. You will not be able to access the exemplar until you have completed this activity.
Scenario
Review the scenario below. Then complete the step-by-step instructions.
As the lead project manager for the Plant Pals project, you’re managing the launch of this new service. Previously, you worked with your project team as they developed a marketing plan, wrote promotional copy, designed marketing assets, and created a sales plan for customer outreach.
Now you are gathering a new team to design and develop the Plant Pals landing page. When potential customers click on Plant Pals advertisements, the landing page is the first part of the Office Green website they will see. The team members you need to build the landing page include:
Web Manager: Makes final decisions about new site features and content changes. They sign off on the landing page design and launch plans. They also coordinate maintenance and management tasks to keep the page operating smoothly.
Graphic Designer: Creates and chooses images and typefaces for the landing page and submits them to the Web Designer for approval. They also provide feedback on the landing page design and mockup.
Web Developer: Supports the product team by writing the code that powers the site. They give feedback to the Web Designer on the landing page mockup. The Web Developer also helps set quality standards for the project.
Quality Assurance Tester: Reviews system specifications and runs quality tests for the new landing page. They run test scripts and review results, create reports, and document technical issues. These tests identify problems that the team can then resolve before launch.
Content Writer: Creates the written content that explains how Plant Pals works and helps potential customers sign up for the service. They give feedback to the Web Designer on the landing page mockup.
Web Designer: Creates the landing page design, determining how the page looks and how customers interact with it. The Web Designer connects the creative and technical elements of the project, ensuring that the website is both attractive and functional. They report to the Web Manager, who makes final decisions on new site features.
To build and launch a landing page for Plant Pals, the team needs to accomplish the following tasks:
- Design a landing page
- Create a landing page mockup
- Design image assets
- Write content
- Code the landing page
- Test the landing page
Step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Access the template
To use the template for this course item, click the link below and
select “Use Template.”
Link to template:
RACI Chart
OR
If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the exemplar directly from the attachment below.
Activity Template_ RACI Chart Phase 2 ------- XLSX File
Step 2: Add tasks to the RACI chart
Add the six tasks from the scenario to your RACI chart template under
the
Task/Deliverable
heading. Replace “Task/Deliverable” with the name of each task.
Step 3: Assign roles to the RACI chart
Update the
Role
headers with each team member role from the scenario. Replace “Role A”
with “Web Manager,” and so on.
Step 4: Assign letters in the RACI chart
For each task, assign the letters
R,
A,
C, and
I
to the team members involved. Consult the descriptions below to
determine how your team members relate to the tasks:
Responsible:
Who is responsible for completing this task? Consider these questions
when determining who is responsible:
·
Which department manages the work?
·
Who should perform the work?
Accountable:
Who is accountable if the task isn’t completed? Remember that only one
person should be accountable for each task or deliverable. When deciding
who is accountable, ask yourself:
·
Who might delegate the task to another team member?
·
Who makes final decisions about the task?
·
Who should review the work to confirm it is complete?
Consulted:
Who should be consulted for their insights, expertise, or strong
opinions on the task? Here are a few questions to help identify whether
someone should be consulted:
·
Who can give feedback to responsible individuals to help them complete
tasks?
·
Who are the subject matter experts (SMEs) for the task?
Informed:
Who should be kept informed about task progress or project decisions?
Key questions to ask yourself include:
·
Who is invested in task completion but not directly involved in the
work?
·
Who is affected by the project outcome?
Note: The number of stakeholders you keep informed about each task can vary
depending on your situation. In some cases, you might choose to inform
all stakeholders who aren't responsible, accountable, or consulted. In
others, you could leave some cells in your RACI chart blank for
certain tasks. Both approaches are fine for this activity.
Pro Tip: Save the Template
Finally, be sure to save a blank copy of the RACI chart template you
used to complete this activity. You can use it for further practice or
in your own personal or professional projects. Templates like this one
will be useful as you put together a portfolio of project management
artifacts. You can use them to talk through your thought processes as
you demonstrate your experience to potential employers.
What to Include in Your Response
Be sure to address the following elements in your completed RACI
chart:
·
The RACI chart includes all of the project roles.
·
The RACI chart includes all the tasks.
·
The appropriate individuals are listed as
Responsible,
Accountable,
Consulted, and
Informed.
·
Only one individual is
accountable
for each deliverable/task.
·
At least one individual is
responsible
for each task. (Note that some tasks may not need
Consulted
or
Informed
individuals.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Yes
- No
- Responsible
- Accountable
- Consulted
- Informed
- Who might delegate the task to another team member?
- Which department manages the work?
- Who should perform the work?
- Who should review the work to confirm it is complete?
- 0
- 1
- 2 or more
- The Web Developer
- The Web Manager
- The Quality Assurance Tester
- The Web Designer
- Who are the subject matter experts (SMEs) for the task?
- Who can give feedback to responsible individuals to help them complete tasks?
- Who might delegate the work to another team member?
- Which department manages the work?
- The Quality Assurance Tester
- The Graphic Designer
- The Web Designer
- The Web Developer
- Responsible
- Accountable
- Consulted
- Informed
- 0
- 1
- 2 or more
- The Web Manager
- The Web Designer
- The Web Developer
- The Graphic Designer
- Which department manages the work?
- Who is affected by the outcome?
- Who is invested in task completion, but not directly involved in the work?
- Who are the subject matter experts (SMEs) for the task?
Question 7)
In your completed RACI chart, how many stakeholders are accountable for the “design the landing page” task?
- 0
- 1
- 2 or more
Question 5)
In your completed RACI chart, who is responsible for coding the landing page?
- The Web Developer
- The Quality Assurance Tester
- The Web Designer
- The Graphic Designer
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Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project
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