RACI matrix template: free Excel with a project and PMO example

By the NexoDocs Team · how we make and check our content

A RACI matrix is a table that crosses a project's activities (rows) with roles or people (columns) and marks at each intersection who is Responsible for doing the work (R), who is Accountable and approves it (A), who is Consulted before (C) and who is Informed after (I). One simple rule makes it useful: every activity has exactly one A and at least one R. That way no task is left without an owner and no decision has several owners. Below you can download, for free, the complete RACI matrix from our PMO Toolkit, with 15 sample activities and a column that checks that rule automatically.

What each letter means

Letter	Role	What they do	How many per activity
R	Responsible	Does the work or coordinates it.	One or more
A	Accountable	Decides, approves the result and answers for it if it goes wrong.	Exactly one
C	Consulted	Gives input before the work is done or the decision is made (two-way communication).	Only those needed
I	Informed	Is told about the result afterwards (one-way communication).	Those who need it
A/R	Accountable and responsible	The same person does and approves; common for small tasks.	Counts as the only A

Some organizations use variants such as RASCI (adds S for support) or DACI (for decisions). For most projects and small PMOs, RACI is enough and is the best known.

How to build a RACI matrix in 5 steps

List the key activities or deliverables, starting with a verb ("approve the charter", "issue the status report"). Between 10 and 25 rows is a good size; more becomes hard to read.
Put the roles in the columns (committee, sponsor, PMO, project manager, team, business unit, finance). Use roles, not names, in the general matrix; for a specific project, copy the sheet and add names.
Assign the A of each row first: who decides. Then the Rs, then C and I.
Check rows and columns: each row with one A and at least one R; a column full of As means that person is a bottleneck; a column with no R or A is not needed.
Validate the matrix with the people involved and approve it in the committee. Review it when the team or the governance model changes.

The template, ready to use

RACI matrix template in Excel (free)

15 project and PMO activities, 7 editable roles and an automatic check for one A per activity. Direct download, no email needed. The full PMO Toolkit adds the project charter, initiative prioritization, portfolio dashboard and 24 more files.

Download the free RACI matrix (Excel)

Example: RACI matrix for a project with a PMO

These are some of the 15 activities in the free template, taken from our fictitious case of a lightweight PMO at a logistics company:

Activity	Committee	Sponsor	PMO	Project manager	Team	Business unit
Approve prioritization criteria and weights	A	C	R	I
Approve the project charter	I	A	C	R		C
Prepare WBS, schedule and budget		A	C	R	R	C
Manage risks and issues		I	C	A/R	R	C
Issue the status report	I	I	C	A/R	C	I
Accept deliverables		A		R	C	R
Close the project and record lessons	I	A	C	R	C	C

Note two design choices: the sponsor approves almost everything within the project, but the committee approves what affects the whole portfolio (prioritization, pausing or cancelling); and the project manager approves their own reports and risk management (A/R), because waiting for another approval would only add delay.

What the free template includes

RACI sheet with 15 project and PMO activities already assigned and 7 editable roles.
A «Check» column that automatically flags rows with no A, two As or no R, plus a counter of rows with errors at the top.
Drop-down lists with R, A, C, I and A/R so no invalid letters are typed.
A configuration sheet with your organization's name (shown in the header) and an instructions sheet with legend and version control.
Direct Excel download, no email needed. It is the complete PMO-RAC-01 file from the PMO and Project Management Toolkit.

Common RACI matrix mistakes

Several As in the same row: nobody really decides and approvals are delayed.
Marking everyone as C "just in case": every C is one more meeting or email that slows the work down.
80-row matrices nobody reads: better a few activities that really cause doubts.
Confusing A with the line manager: A is whoever decides on that activity, not always the most senior person.
Building it once and forgetting it: when the team or governance changes, the matrix goes out of date.

Next step

Try it free or go straight to the complete solution.

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Free sample

Download a reduced version of the toolkit's risk matrix for free (Excel, 10 scenarios, heat map). See how it calculates risk level and category before you decide.

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Frequently asked questions

Can two people be A for the same activity?

It is best avoided. If two people approve, in practice neither owns the decision. If the activity really involves two different decisions, split it into two rows.

Should the RACI matrix list people or roles?

The PMO's general matrix lists roles so it works for every project. For a specific project, copy it and replace the roles with names.

What is the difference between RACI and RASCI?

RASCI adds S for Support: people who help the responsible person without being responsible themselves. It is useful in large projects; in small teams R is usually enough.

Is this template based on the PMBOK Guide?

It is original NexoDocs content. The RACI matrix is a general-purpose project management technique. NexoDocs is not affiliated with PMI; PMBOK and PMP are marks of Project Management Institute, Inc.

Updated: 2026-10-25