The RACI Chart: How to Respond Faster to Security Questionnaires
Security questionnaires come in hot during a sales cycle, often with hundreds of questions about mitigation tactics and breach management policies.
While customers must assess the security posture of a vendor before signing on the dotted line, these questionnaires can slow down (or even defer) the deal.
That’s why the sales engineering team at Clari uses a RACI chart to help clarify roles and responsibilities, answer questions more efficiently and effectively, and cross the finish line faster. 🏁
The results? Clari now completes security questionnaires in 2 days (when it used to take them 2 weeks).
Learn how you can also use a RACI chart to speed up your security questionnaire response process
“Our team is like the Navy SEALS. We are Clari’s special operations team when it comes to helping our sales reps close deals. A big part of our success is answering our customers’ questions on how we protect their information.”
But First, What Exactly is a RACI Chart?
A RACI chart (a.k.a RACI matrix) is a useful tool in project planning that maps out who’s involved in doing what—and at which level. In other words, it’s a visual chart that establishes roles and responsibilities upfront for the various tasks and key decisions needed to complete a project.
The best part? A RACI chart provides much-needed clarity from the get-go. Instead of wondering, “who’s doing this part?” and waiting for the responsible person to raise their hand, team members know what they individually need to tackle ahead of time—and can move faster overall.
Psst … it’s especially useful to create RACI charts for complex projects involving several subject matter experts (SMEs) from multiple departments—like RFPs, RFIs, DDQs, and security questionnaires.
Another Acronym: What Does RACI Stand For?
RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed.
Since complex projects (like security questionnaires) often involve many contributors, stakeholders, and other “interested parties,” the different roles and responsibilities can quickly become confusing. With a RACI chart, you never have to worry about team members working on the same task (or an executive divebombing in with a derailing opinion) because everyone knows the part they play.
They might be…
🧑💼 The Responsible One (Hands-On Team Members, Like a Sales Engineer)
This is the person responsible for completing each particular task. While there may be more than one person who can complete the task, it’s best to assign one responsible party to avoid confusion.
📋 The Accountable One (Project Manager, Scrum Master, or Sales Manager)
This person oversees the execution of project tasks, and ultimately, reviews work by contributors before marking it as complete. Again, it’s ideal if the accountable role goes to a single person because it could add unnecessary complexity if multiple project managers have a say in the approval process. In some cases, the accountable person might be the same as the responsible person.
💬 The Consulted One (I.T. Specialists, Legal Experts, or Compliance Consultants)
This person weighs in with their expertise to support the overall project—usually one of your subject matter experts, a specialist, or someone from a senior leadership or executive position (this is where the divebombing comes in). At Clari, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is the consulted one for security questionnaires.
👂 The Informed One (Business Owners, Account Executives, External Stakeholders)
These are the people you need to keep in the loop on the progress of the project but don’t necessarily have to be involved in all of the details. On a complex project, you may have more people who need to be informed, like account executives (AE) and customer support managers.
Why Should You Use a RACI Chart for Security Questionnaires?
As a responsibility assignment matrix, you can use a RACI diagram to project manage your security questionnaires that involve multiple stakeholders. In other words, RACI charts help you smooth over unnecessary complexity and accelerate your approval process.
For example, it’s not uncommon for Clari to receive 120 security questionnaires in a single quarter (that’s a total of 5,000 questions to answer). 🤯 And stickhandling this influx can lead to common pitfalls, such as:
- Conflict or confusion when task ownership gets muddled
- Delays or misunderstandings in the review process
- Resentment when a workload seems unevenly distributed
Thankfully, Clari found 3 ways a RACI chart can be particularly useful for security questionnaires.
3 Ways to Use a RACI Security Questionnaire, Effectively
At Clari, the sales engineering team instituted the RACI chart to clarify project roles and responsibilities early on in the security questionnaire response process. After circulating it to all team members for buy-in and alignment, they’ve discovered three more ways to use RACI charts since.
Build Trust Through Project Communication
According to Forbes, 40% of workers say that poor communication reduces trust in their team. The RACI matrix can help solve this by providing two way communication on the progress of a security questionnaire response. For instance, you can invite those who are consulted to optional meetings or send project updates to the informed party. No one gets left in the dark.
Set Clear Expectations for Different Tasks
In times of confusion or push-back, the pre-determined RACI roles serve as a high-level foundation to review and re-establish alignment around any given task. For instance, if certain stakeholders become bottlenecks, you can remind them of their roles and responsibilities in the RACI matrix or move them out of the consulted and informed bucket if they need to be more actively involved in the project.
Lay a Foundation With New Security Engineers
Starting a role at a new company can be overwhelming. A responsibilities matrix helps to eliminate confusion when new hires respond to a security questionnaire for the first time because they know exactly what role they play, the final decision makers, and who they need to keep consulted and informed.
“If you don’t lay down the overall expectations during training and get alignment across departments you won’t get adoption.”
P.S. It’s important to note that RACI charts do not need to change per project—they are meant to act as a high-level foundation for all projects within the same category, like responding to security questionnaires.
Making it Real: Steal This RACI Chart Template for Security Questionnaires
Are you ready to create a RACI chart for your own team? Follow these simple steps…or copy the RACI chart example for security questionnaires below. 👇
- Create a table with the right amount of columns and rows
- Enter all project roles or team member names across the top row
- List all tasks, milestones, and decisions down the left column
- For each task, assign a responsibility value to each role or person on the team (R for Responsible, A for Accountable, C for consulted, I for informed)
| The Task at Hand 📋 | Sales Engineer | Sales Manager | Security Officer | Account Executive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receive and review security questionnaire | C | A | I | R |
| Prepare technical documents | R | A | C | I |
| Respond to sections | R | A | C | I |
| Review and revise answers | A | I | R | C |
| Submit security questionnaire response | C | A | I | R |
Want to steal (and customize) this RACI chart example?
Download this RACI chart template to establish clear roles and responsibilities for your team—and avoid wasting time wondering who’s doing what.
FAQS for RACI Security Questionnaires
The term “RACI” stands for:
- Responsible: The responsible person or group responsible for completing the task.
- Accountable: The person who is ultimately accountable for the task’s success or failure.
- Consulted: The individuals or groups who provide input or expertise on the task.
- Informed: The people who need to be informed of the task’s progress but don’t necessarily need to be directly involved.
No, you do not necessarily need a project management tool to create a RACI chart. While project management software can certainly streamline the process and provide additional features, there’s really no need for unnecessary complexity. A RACI chart is pretty simple:
To create a RACI chart, you can use tools like:
- Spreadsheet software (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets):
- Use rows to list the tasks or activities of the project.
- Use columns to list the different roles (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed).
- Fill in the appropriate cells with the names or identifiers of the people or groups involved in each role for each task.
- Word processing software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Google Docs):
- Create a table with appropriate rows and columns as described above.
- Fill in the relevant information for each task and role within the table.
- Online diagramming tools (e.g., Lucidchart, Draw.io):
- Note: Often these tools have a RACI chart example built into their templates
- If you prefer a physical approach, you can draw the chart by hand on paper or use sticky notes on a whiteboard.
Remember that the key is to make the chart clear and easily understandable by all team members involved in the project.
Using project management software can be beneficial for larger and more complex projects, as they offer collaboration features and integration with other project management tools, but they are not mandatory for creating a RACI chart.
In the context of security, RACI is specifically used to define and clarify the roles and responsibilities of individuals or teams involved in security-related tasks and processes within an organization.
The RACI model helps ensure that all security-related activities are appropriately managed, and that everyone knows their roles and contributions in maintaining the security of the organization’s assets and data.
Using the RACI model in security can be particularly valuable for tasks such as incident response, vulnerability management, access control management, security policy development, security training, and more.
By clearly defining roles and responsibilities, the RACI chart ensures that security-related activities are well-coordinated, accountability is established, and potential gaps in security coverage are minimized. This ultimately contributes to a more robust and effective security posture for the organization.
The four components of the RACI model are:
Responsible (R): This component identifies the individuals or teams who are responsible for completing the tasks or activities. Responsible parties are the ones who are directly involved in the execution and completion of the work.
Accountable (A): The “Accountable” component designates the person who is ultimately answerable for the success or failure of the task. This person ensures that the necessary actions are taken, and they often have the authority to make final decisions related to the task.
Consulted (C): The individuals or groups who are consulted for their expertise or input during the task’s execution fall under the “Consulted” component. They may provide advice, guidance, or specialized knowledge to support the Responsible and Accountable parties.
Informed (I): The “Informed” component includes the individuals or groups who need to be kept informed about the progress and outcomes of project phases. They may not be directly involved in the execution, but they have an interest in staying updated on its status.
While the RACI chart is commonly used in project management and security contexts, its versatility allows for application in various other situations and industries.
Here are some other ways to use a RACI chart:
- Business process management
- Change management
- Service management
- Quality management
- Compliance and governance
- Training and onboarding
- Event planning
- Product development
- Healthcare
- Marketing campaigns
Remember, the key to effectively using a RACI chart is tailoring it to the specific context and needs of the project or process.
It’s a flexible tool that can be adapted to various scenarios where defining roles, responsibilities, and communication channels is essential for success.