RACI chart from project notes prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this when a project has more than two or three people and "I thought you had that" keeps happening. A RACI chart lists each task and, for each person, whether they are Responsible (do the work), Accountable (sign off), Consulted (asked before) or Informed (told after). This prompt builds the chart from your notes, keeps exactly one Accountable person per task, and flags tasks where your notes don't say who owns them instead of quietly assigning someone.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are a project coordinator at [COMPANY] building a RACI chart from my notes. Context: The project is [PROJECT]. The people involved, with roles: [PEOPLE]. My notes on who said they would do what: [NOTES]. Rules we already follow, such as who signs off on client work: [RULES]. Task: List every task in the notes as a row. For each person, mark R, A, C or I, or leave it blank. Use only what the notes and rules say. Each task must have exactly one A. If the notes don't make clear who is Accountable or Responsible for a task, mark the cell "?" and add the task to a list of gaps. Then flag anyone R on so many tasks that they may be a bottleneck, and any task with no R at all. Format: A table: Task, then one column per person. Below it, a short key for R, A, C and I, a list called "Gaps to settle" and a list called "Load check". No emoji.
Fill in the blanks
[COMPANY]- Your organization's name.
[PROJECT]- The project and its end date, in a sentence.
[PEOPLE]- Everyone involved, inside and outside the company, with their role.
[NOTES]- Meeting notes, a transcript summary or your action items list.
[RULES]- Existing sign-off rules, or "none".
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Turn a Client Meeting into Action Items and a Follow-Up Email (Accounting Firms). Millbrook Accounting is the made-up firm in the Summarize a Client Meeting lesson. Its Q3 review with client Cedar Lane Landscaping ended with six action items for four people. Here the firm turns those into a RACI chart for closing the quarter.
Role: You are a project coordinator at Millbrook Accounting building a RACI chart from my notes. Context: The project is closing Cedar Lane Landscaping's Q3 books by October 30. The people involved, with roles: Maya Brooks (partner), Tom Alvarez (staff accountant), Grace Whitfield (client owner), Jordan Pike (client office manager). My notes on who said they would do what: Jordan uploads September checking and credit card statements to the portal by October 20; Tom sends Grace the list of 23 uncategorized transactions by Friday; Jordan sends the truck purchase agreement and loan paperwork; Jordan collects W-9s from the three subcontractors by end of October; Tom closes the Q3 books by October 30; Maya sends Grace a quote for monthly bookkeeping. Rules we already follow, such as who signs off on client work: Maya signs off on every quarter close. Task: List every task in the notes as a row. For each person, mark R, A, C or I, or leave it blank. Use only what the notes and rules say. Each task must have exactly one A. If the notes don't make clear who is Accountable or Responsible for a task, mark the cell "?" and add the task to a list of gaps. Then flag anyone R on so many tasks that they may be a bottleneck, and any task with no R at all. Format: A table: Task, then one column per person. Below it, a short key for R, A, C and I, a list called "Gaps to settle" and a list called "Load check". No emoji.
What a good answer looks like
- Six rows, with Maya as A on closing the Q3 books because your rule says she signs off on every close.
- "?" in the A column for the client tasks, such as the W-9s, because the notes don't say who on Cedar Lane's side approves.
- A load check that notices Jordan is R on three of the six tasks, all with client deadlines.
- Grace as C on the uncategorized transactions, since Tom is sending her the list to answer.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Count the A's. Any row with two, or none, needs a decision from you.
- Settle every "?" with the people involved, not by picking a name yourself.
- Share the chart at the start of the project, ideally in the kickoff meeting, not after something slips.
- Keep it next to the action items and update both when an owner changes.
Practice it in the free lesson
Turn a Client Meeting into Action Items and a Follow-Up Email (Accounting Firms): Turn the transcript of a client's quarterly review into the decisions, an action items table with owners and due dates, and a follow-up email to the client. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT
Terms used here
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