Project Team Roles Explained: Organization Charts, Stakeholder Registers, and the RACI Matrix

Managing a project isn’t only about timelines, budgets, and deliverables – it’s about people. Every initiative relies on a web of relationships between project managers, team members, stakeholders, and external contributors. When these interfaces aren’t clear, communication breaks down, responsibilities blur, and progress slows.

To run projects effectively, teams need a structured way to define roles, understand stakeholder expectations, and clarify who is responsible for what. You may already be familiar with tools like the RACI matrix, which defines who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed across project activities. While RACI is commonly used to clarify task ownership, it is most effective when applied alongside other complementary tools.

In this article, we explore three proven tools that help project managers gain clarity on team interactions and keep work moving smoothly: the project organization chart, the stakeholder register, and the RACI matrix. Together, these tools provide a practical framework for understanding how people connect, communicate, and make decisions throughout the project lifecycle. They also integrate naturally with modern project and portfolio management software, helping teams maintain clarity as projects evolve.

1. Project Organization Charts: Making Roles and Relationships Clear

The project organization chart is one of the simplest yet most effective tools for bringing clarity to a project team. It provides a visual representation of how roles fit together, who reports to whom, and how responsibility is distributed across the project.

At its most basic level, an organization chart shows the core reporting structure. Figure 1 illustrates a simple project organization chart, where the project manager sits between the project sponsor and a small group of clearly defined roles. This type of structure is common in smaller projects or initiatives with limited cross-functional complexity, and it helps team members quickly understand decision paths and accountability.

Figure 1: Simple Project Organization Chart – A basic project organization chart showing clear reporting lines between the project sponsor, project manager, and core team roles.

As projects grow in size and scope, team structures often become more complex. Figure 2 shows a more complicated project organization chart, with a broader range of roles and involvement levels. In this type of setup, not everyone contributes in the same way or attends every project meeting. Some individuals may be involved only at specific stages or provide specialist input when required.

Figure 2: More Complicated Project Organization Chart – A complex project organization chart illustrating matrix management structures, with solid lines for formal reporting and dotted lines for cross-functional relationships.

In Figure 2, solid lines represent formal manager–employee reporting relationships, while dotted lines indicate matrix or indirect relationships. These dotted-line connections are typical in cross-functional or matrix organizations, where team members report operationally to a functional manager but contribute to the project under the coordination of the project manager.

Why org charts matter:

• They give everyone a shared understanding of the team structure.
• They help new team members understand reporting lines quickly.
• They reveal overlaps or gaps in roles early.
• They are especially valuable in matrixed or cross-functional environments.

Depending on your project, your org chart may include:

• Core team members
• Department representatives
• External partners or vendors
• Individuals assigned to multiple roles

Pro tip:
If your project spans multiple departments, take the time to clearly distinguish dotted-line (matrix) relationships from formal reporting lines. This helps prevent confusion about authority and accountability.

Once finalized, the chart can be added to your project management system to ensure accurate resource tracking, workload visibility, and team governance throughout the project.

2. Stakeholder Register: Understanding Who Matters – And How

While the project organization chart shows the formal structure of the team, it does not tell the full story of who is affected by the project or who can influence its success. That’s where the stakeholder register becomes essential.

A stakeholder register is a structured list of individuals and groups who have an interest in the project, are impacted by its outcomes, or have the ability to influence decisions. It forces project managers to look beyond the core team and consider the wider organizational context in which the project operates.

It’s often easy to focus only on the people most directly involved in delivery. However, projects frequently affect other departments, external partners, governance bodies, or leadership groups whose expectations and concerns must be managed carefully. The stakeholder register helps ensure no critical voices are overlooked.

A comprehensive stakeholder register typically includes:

• Stakeholder name and role
• Department or organization
• Contact information
• Level of interest in the project
• Expectations
• Influence or attitude toward the project

Two fields that significantly improve stakeholder management

Expectations

Capturing stakeholder expectations is one of the most valuable aspects of the register. This field records what success looks like from each stakeholder’s perspective. Some may focus on cost control, others on delivery speed, risk reduction, compliance, or long-term business impact.

Explicitly documenting expectations helps project managers:

• Identify conflicting success criteria early
• Prepare for difficult conversations
• Align delivery priorities more effectively
• Avoid misunderstandings late in the project

Rather than relying on assumptions, the stakeholder register encourages direct dialogue and provides a reference point throughout the project lifecycle.

Influence

The influence field captures how much power a stakeholder has over project outcomes and how they currently feel about the initiative. Common classifications include supportive, neutral, or opposed, though organizations may use their own terminology.

This insight allows project managers to:

• Prioritize engagement activities
• Spend more time with high-influence or resistant stakeholders
• Monitor shifts in attitude over time
• Adjust communication strategies as the project evolves

Influence is not static. Stakeholders may become more supportive – or more resistant – as the project progresses, making periodic review essential.

Pro tip:
Stakeholder registers often contain sensitive observations. Use professional judgement when documenting opinions or attitudes, and limit access to those who genuinely need it.

3. RACI Matrix: Clarifying Responsibilities Across the Project

Even with a clear team structure and well-managed stakeholders, projects can still struggle if responsibilities are not explicitly defined. The RACI matrix is a practical tool designed to eliminate ambiguity around who does what.

Figure 3: RACI Matrix Example for Project Roles and Responsibilities – A sample RACI matrix showing how responsibilities are assigned across project tasks, clarifying who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed at each stage of a project.

A RACI matrix maps people to tasks, deliverables, or project phases using four role definitions:

• Responsible (R): The person or people who perform the work
• Accountable (A): The individual who owns the outcome and approves the work
• Consulted (C): Those whose input is required before decisions are made
• Informed (I): Those who need to be kept up to date

Names (not just roles) are typically listed across the top of the matrix, while tasks or phases run down the side. Each cell clearly indicates how each person is involved.

Why the RACI matrix is essential

A well-constructed RACI matrix helps project teams:

• Prevent duplication of work
• Avoid confusion over decision authority
• Make accountability explicit
• Support workload and resource planning
• Improve communication planning
• Identify bottlenecks or overloaded individuals early

It also addresses a common project management misconception: that people automatically know what is expected of them. In reality, assumptions about responsibilities are a frequent source of friction, delays, and missed deliverables.

Some organizations extend RACI to RASCI, adding Support (S) to identify individuals who provide resources, expertise, or assistance without being directly responsible or accountable. Both approaches are valid, and the choice often depends on organizational standards.

Beyond role clarity, the RACI matrix is also valuable for:

• Workflow and process mapping
• Change impact analysis
• Communications planning
• Identifying decisions that require consensus

Because roles can change over time, the RACI matrix should be reviewed periodically to ensure it continues to reflect reality.

Pro tip:
If a task has multiple people marked as Accountable, or none at all, it’s a sign that clarification is needed. Every key activity should have exactly one accountable owner.

Bringing the Tools Together

Individually, each of these tools provides valuable insight into a different aspect of project delivery. Together, they offer a comprehensive view of the people, relationships, and responsibilities that determine whether a project succeeds or struggles.

The project organization chart establishes structural clarity, helping teams understand reporting lines, authority, and how roles fit together—particularly in matrix or cross-functional environments. It answers the fundamental question of who is connected to whom and where responsibility sits.

The stakeholder register goes a step further by capturing expectations, influence, and engagement needs. It ensures that project managers look beyond the immediate delivery team and actively manage the broader network of individuals and groups who can affect outcomes. By making stakeholder dynamics visible, it reduces surprises and supports more deliberate, proactive communication.

The RACI matrix brings precision to execution by clearly defining responsibilities across tasks and phases. It removes ambiguity around ownership, approvals, and involvement, helping teams work more efficiently and reducing the risk of delays caused by unclear decision-making or duplicated effort.

Used together, these tools create a shared understanding of how work gets done, who needs to be involved, and how decisions flow through the project. They also provide a strong foundation for effective governance, communication planning, and resource management throughout the project lifecycle.

When supported by modern project and portfolio management software, these tools become living artefacts rather than static documents—evolving alongside the project and reflecting real-world changes in roles, priorities, and organizational structure.

Clear interfaces lead to stronger collaboration, better decision-making, and more predictable outcomes. And ultimately, that clarity is what enables project teams to move from planning to execution with confidence.