Overview
The DACI framework is a responsibility assignment matrix and ownership model. It delegates each person on a team a specific role, accelerating decision-making velocity.
The acronym stands for:
Driver (decision-drivers)
Approver (decision-makers)
Contributors (decision-aiders)
Informed (impacted by decisions)
To use the model, assign the project a lead driver. Then, assign each task in the project their own driver. Next, approvers (one per task) must be those who understand the threshold to approve a decision. Contributors assigned to tasks should be a relevant expert source. Finally, communicate with Informers regularly as key stakeholders who may be impacted users.
When used correctly, the DACI framework changes the team from a delivery model (creating deliverables) to an ownership model (team owns the process), holds the team structure together when undergoing complex projects, and streamlines role-delegation.
