The RACI framework is well-known in project management for clarifying roles and responsibilities. Its principles are equally relevant in strategic planning, where multiple stakeholders contribute at different levels. This article explores the application of the RACI framework to strategy execution, with BSC Designer serving as a practical example.
RACI Framework
RACI stands for:
- Responsible
- Accountable
- Consulted
- Informed
Each role helps clarify who performs the work, who owns the decision, who provides input, and who needs to stay informed.
Role: Responsible
The Responsible person is directly involved in execution. This could be someone implementing an initiative or using KPIs to test strategic assumptions.
In BSC Designer:
- A “Responsible” user is the owner of an initiative or KPI (see the “Owner” field on the “General” tab).
- At the scorecard level, a “Responsible” user has full modification rights or limited rights to update specific values.
Role: Accountable
The Accountable person oversees execution and is ultimately answerable to leadership for the results.
Ideally, this role is assigned to one individual.
In strategic planning, this is often a manager, team lead, or supervisor.
In BSC Designer:
- An “Accountable” user is typically the owner of an objective and may also be the owner of an initiative or KPI.
- In some workflows, the “Accountable” user may have the right to approve data inputs.
- At the scorecard level, an “Accountable” user has full view and modification rights.
Role: Consulted
Consulted individuals provide input or expertise during execution. These may be domain experts who help shape the strategy, validate assumptions, or define how to quantify value for stakeholders.
In BSC Designer:
- “Consulted” users can comment on goals, KPIs, or initiatives, or upload supporting documents.
- They may be added as stakeholders (no access or notifications) or regular users (with access and notifications).
- At the scorecard level, “Consulted” users have edit rights to a functional scorecard and limited edit rights to specific parts of strategy scorecards.
Role: Informed
Informed individuals are kept up to date on progress. This is often a compliance officer or C-level manager receiving regular updates on specific areas of performance. These updates may include detailed reports, dashboards, and strategy maps.
In BSC Designer:
- Use the Schedule feature to automate report delivery to relevant “Informed” users.
- At the scorecard level, “Informed” users have view-only access.
Three Lines Model and RACI
The framework for clarifying roles and responsibilities might change depending on the business domain. For example, in risk management, a well-established structure is the Three Lines Model. The Three Lines Model, developed by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), is a framework used to map responsibilities for effective risk oversight and management.
Here is how the three lines correspond to the RACI model:
The First Line
The first line consists of front-line managers. Their responsibility is implementing risk controls and making risk-informed decisions. This line corresponds to the “Responsible” role in the RACI model.
The Second Line
The second line refers to the risk management and compliance functions. The role of risk managers and compliance officers in this case is to support the first line with tools, policies, frameworks, and ultimately to monitor risk.
In the RACI model, they are “Consulted”, and in some cases, their role may partially overlap with “Responsible”.
The Third Line
The third line is the internal audit function, which independently evaluates the effectiveness of the first two lines and reports to senior management. In the RACI model, they are typically “Informed” and “Consulted”.
In the case of risk management, the ultimate “Accountable” party in the RACI model is senior management — and sometimes the third-line audit function, depending on the governance structure.
Application in Strategic Planning
In strategic planning, these roles can be assigned across different levels:
- Scorecard level – who has access and what type (view-only, edit)
Within the scorecard:
- Objective level – who is involved in achieving the objective
- KPI level – who enters and tracks performance data
- Initiative level – who works on and monitors progress
Tracking Responsibility Execution
Assigning roles is only part of the process. Strategy and compliance teams also need visibility into how responsibilities are actually used. In BSC Designer, this is supported by audit trail features.
The audit trail includes:
- Change history for each goal, initiative, or KPI
- A detailed audit log accessible to the account administrator
- Monthly user activity logs to help estimate engagement
Conclusion
Clear role assignment is key to effective strategy execution. The RACI model, supported by BSC Designer, helps teams stay aligned by defining responsibilities at every level — from ownership to approvals and reporting. With structured accountability in place, organizations can reduce delays, avoid confusion, and focus on delivering results.
Alexis is a Senior Strategy Consultant and CEO at BSC Designer, with over 20 years of experience in strategic planning. With a background in applied mathematics and information technology, he brings a strong analytical and systems-oriented perspective to strategy and performance management. Alexis developed the “5 Step Strategy Implementation System” that helps companies with the practical implementation of their strategies. He is a regular speaker at industry conferences and has written more than 100 articles on strategy and performance management, as well as the book “10 Step KPI System”. His work is frequently cited in academic research.