RACI Matrix

Understanding the RACI Matrix: How We Assign Compliance Roles

Compliance touches nearly every department, which can create confusion over who is responsible for specific tasks, who is accountable for outcomes who needs to be consulted and informed throughout the process. To keep roles clear, University Compliance, Ethics & Culture (UCEC) uses the RACI framework to define exactly who does what on every compliance initiative.

What RACI Stands For

RACI is a model for assigning roles on any task, project, or ongoing compliance activity. Each letter identifies a distinct type of involvement:

R — Responsible (Task Doer)

The person who does the work. This is whoever is completing the compliance task or activity itself: gathering documentation, drafting a policy update, closing out a corrective action item. Most tasks have one or more Responsible parties.

A — Accountable (Senior Leader)

The person who owns the outcome. The Accountable party has final approval authority and answers for the result, whether it’s on time, done correctly, and meets the requirement. Best practice: assign exactly one Accountable owner per task, so ownership is never ambiguous.

C — Consulted (Subject Matter Experts)

The people whose expertise shapes the work. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are consulted before a decision or action is finalized. This is a two-way conversation. Their input is gathered and considered, not just noted after the fact.

I — Informed (Community/Stakeholders)

The people who need to know. A stakeholder is any individual or group affected by the outcome of the work, even if they aren’t directly involved in doing it. Stakeholders must be communicated with when something changes that affects them, such as a policy update or a change in process.

Why We Use RACI in Compliance

Compliance obligations often cross department lines, involve multiple layers of review, and carry real consequences if a step is missed. A RACI assignment for each regulatory requirement, policy, or compliance task tells everyone involved:

• Who to go to when a task needs to get done (Responsible)
• Who has final say and is answerable for the outcome (Accountable)
• Who to loop in for expertise before finalizing a decision (Consulted)
• Who needs an update once something changes (Informed)

This prevents the two most common breakdowns in compliance work: tasks with no clear owner, and stakeholders who find out about a change after the fact.