R.A.C.I.ng Roles & Rules
- Apparent
- The helmsman calls the tack.
- True
- Responsible and accountable are two different jobs, and everyone aboard has a right to know.
RACI is a framework from the managerial consulting world that facilitates communication, decision making, and overall management of teams. It’s sadly underused in sailing, especially in racing (and perhaps undertakings of all types). It recognizes both the limits and value of hierarchy.
RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, & Informed. This deserves elaboration. Especially, as “Accountable” and “Responsible” seem synonymous to most of us, those two in particular need to be contrasted.
Responsible = does the job. Think: ResponsABLE — having the ability to respond.
Accountable = “the buck stops here” is the simplest way.
Consulted = those asked for opinion—and they often deserve to be asked, even if their counsel is not heeded. They may also be asked to justify their opinion. For both requests “Don’t know”, if true, is usually a valid response.
Informed = the right to know. This is often after a decision has been made, but before implementing the decision impacts them.
For example, everyone — even rail meat, especially rail meat — needs to know a decision, like to tack. They have the right, and the helmsman is accountable for informing them, even if those most able to respond, that is forward the message, may be intermediaries, e.g. pit man.
I first wrote this when coaching a sailing team of 4 on a small keelboat during Wednesday Night Races and a regatta. While the architecture of every boat differs, the concrete examples illustrate the principles—and should be easily adaptable for differing boats and contexts.
A former Booz Allen consultant introduced me to RACI in Buenos Aires nearly 15 years ago. Then, I was trying to transition away from the magazine business I came to BsAs to start. It failed—and the failure was hard and slow to see—in large part due to the poor communication and distribution of authority amongst my partners. That dysfunction trickled down into the team and shook my self confidence. I had successfully started and then sold basically the same business in Poland; there I managed the dysfunction.
| Station | R / A / C / I |
|---|---|
| Helm | (A) eyes on the road · (A+R) steer steady and efficient · (C) advise Main of weather helm · (I) inform everyone of pending tacks and gybes |
| Main | (A+R) trim mainsail with mainsheet and traveler; be ready to ease when helm needs; accountable for outhaul, vang, Cunningham, backstay |
| Jib | prep windward sheet for next tack; continuously trim foresails to point of sail; accountable for fairlead, leech line, furling line, halyard |
| Pit | (A+R) hoists, douses, halyards, tack line, foredeck issues; responsible for things within reach; assist on jib trim |
| Tactician | keep time, set course, advise on when to tack and on puffs |
| All | always: be wind aware. Direction minimum; puffs a bonus |