Supply Chain Optimisation RACI Matrix
This is a practical guide to building a raci matrix for a supply chain optimisation project — a grid mapping tasks to who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed, adapted to the realities of improving the efficiency and resilience of the supply chain.
What a RACI Matrix is
A raci matrix is a grid mapping tasks to who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed. For the full concept and how it works in general, see RACI Matrix. On a supply chain optimisation project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.
Why it matters for a Supply Chain Optimisation project
Supply Chain Optimisation projects live or die on improving the efficiency and resilience of the supply chain. A well-built raci matrix gives the team a shared, explicit reference for exactly that — reducing ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and making problems visible early enough to act. Skipping it, or doing it generically, is how supply chain optimisation projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.
What to include
- Activities as rows
- Roles as columns
- One Accountable per row
- Responsible / Consulted / Informed
Supply Chain Optimisation-specific considerations
Tailor the raci matrix to the risks that most often derail supply chain optimisation projects:
- Data visibility
- Supplier coordination
- Change to established processes
Example
On a real supply chain optimisation project, the raci matrix would be shaped by improving the efficiency and resilience of the supply chain. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — data visibility, supplier coordination, change to established processes — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.