Decision rights

Who decides what on the team: one decision, one owner, consulted parties named — plus the supporting RACI matrix.

Decision rights

DecisionOwnerConsulted
What outcome is valuableCustomerProduct manager, product designer
Build priority — what’s nextProduct managerCustomer, trio, team
Technical approachTech leadEngineers, enabling architects
UX and discovery methodProduct designerProduct manager, users
Increment readinessThe product trioTeam
Commitment for the cycleThe teamTrio
Readiness exceptionsThe trio — logged and visible
Team-specific decisionOne ownerConsulted parties

Exceptions

Decisions made off-table happen. Record every one in the exception log: who decided, what rule was excepted and why. Repeated exceptions against the same row mean the allocation is wrong, or the owner is being routed around. Both need fixing.

RACI matrix

The litmus test: if you can phrase it as who runs or produces X, it belongs in the RACI. If it’s who gets to choose X, it belongs in decision rights above.

OutputsProduct ManagerProduct DesignerTech LeadArchitectProduct EngineerData / Business AnalystDSO EngineerEngineer / Quality EngineerCustomer
Strategic Event StormingARRRRCIRR
Tactical Event StormingRCARRCIRI
Target State DesignCIRACICII
Business AnalysisACRIIRICC
Increment PlanningACRIRICCI
Demos, Retros, StandupARRIRIIRC

R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed

  • Responsible: A team member who is directly responsible for successfully completing a project task.
  • Accountable: The person with final authority over the successful completion of the specific task or deliverable.
  • Consulted: Who must be consulted for their input on tasks or the overall project
  • Informed: Who should be informed of the ongoing status of the project