In my previous article entitled ‘How to guide for S&OP Kick Off’, we approached the roles and responsibilities within the S&OP process and the importance of each member knowing what they need to do at each step. To assist and facilitate this task, we recommend the use of the RACI Matrix to quickly identify the roles and responsibilities of each individual/team in the S&OP process.
The matrix should be used by anyone implementing S&OP to understand the S&OP structure, hierarchy and responsibilities.
RACI Matrix
The RACI Matrix is a powerful tool to assist in the identification of roles and assigning of cross-functional responsibilities to a project deliverable or activity. Click the link below to download the Excel document.
RACI represents: R – Responsibility, A – Accountable, C – Consulted, and I – Informed
Snapshot of the RACI S&OP Roles and Responsibilities Matrix
DOWNLOAD RACI ROLES & RESPONSIBILITES MATRIX
RACI Definitions:
Responsibility = person or role responsible for ensuring that the task is completed
Accountable = person or role responsible for actually doing or completing the task
Consulted = person or role whose subject matter expertise is required in order to complete the task
Informed = person or role that needs to be kept informed of the status of the task, and informed when complete
After defining the participants and their responsibilities within the S&OP process it is necessary to communicate this to all stakeholders and deliver training (if required) to ensure each individual is capable of fulfilling their role.
This is a simple thing that goes a long way to getting S&OP off the ground and ensuring it is sustainable and manageable with the right participants, oversight and sponsorship. The next step is to develop an audit process to ensure that the RACI Matrix definitions are being followed for continuous improvement – more on that next time.