A new model of Responsibility Assignment Matrix: BSAD

Those familiar with project management will recognize the RACI model, a means of assigning roles and responsibilities to people on a project. RACI stands for:

• Responsible
• Accountable
• Consulted
• Informed

Several RACI variations have cropped up, because of critical semantic differences between, say, the letter A being "Accountable" or "Assist," leading to hours of productive bickering, followed by snarky Gantt charts. In that spirit, we present a new accountability matrix, BSAD:

• Blamed - The lamentable sod standing wide-eyed and alone at ground zero as the project clears the bay doors and hurtles earthward. The career of the Blamed is subsequently identifiable only through DNA analysis.
• Screwed - Not responsible for the project outcome, the Screwed are yet implicated through the contribution of tasks and activities. The project's magnitude determines whether the Screwed should dust themselves off and walk away or simply lie motionless on the ground for some while.
• Appeased - The Appeased's input is solicited for the sake of ego soothing or political necessity, and then quietly discarded. The Appeased contribute primarily gossip and reside safely outside the project blast radius.
• Deceived - People allowed no input but receiving regular status propaganda. The Deceived are typically disinterested or amused by the proceedings.

Use BSAD at your next kickoff meeting and the fate of your project is virtually sealed!