Product Ops RACI Matrix
Role clarity across PM, PO, Engineering, Design, Data, Marketing, and Leadership for the 24 most contested product decisions.
What this template covers
The most common failure mode for a new product ops function is ambiguity with product managers. This RACI covers every recurring decision where PO, PM, and leadership tend to collide, roadmap approval, OKR drafting, tool procurement, pricing reviews, launch readiness, post-mortems, feedback routing, analytics instrumentation, and more. Fill it in with your team, review quarterly, and publish it to every stakeholder. Teams that ship a RACI within their first 90 days resolve cross-functional escalations 3x faster.
The template
# Product Ops RACI Matrix **How to use this template** 1. Copy the table below into a Google Sheet, Notion table, or Airtable. 2. For every decision row, fill exactly one R and one A. Use C and I freely. 3. Review with each named owner. Flag any cell where the named owner disagrees. 4. Re-circulate quarterly. Re-RACI any decision that has caused two or more escalations. **Legend** - **R = Responsible.** Does the work. Only one R per row. - **A = Accountable.** Owns the outcome and the final go/no-go. Only one A per row. - **C = Consulted.** Two-way input expected before the decision is made. - **I = Informed.** One-way notification after the decision is made. --- ## Strategy & Planning | Decision | Product Ops | PM | Eng Lead | Design Lead | Data | Marketing | CEO/CPO | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Quarterly roadmap themes | C | R | C | C | C | I | A | | OKR drafting (per team) | R | C | C | C | C | I | A | | OKR rollup (company) | R | I | I | I | C | I | A | | Annual planning calendar | A,R | I | I | I | I | I | C | | Investment shifts mid-quarter | C | R | C | I | C | I | A | ## Discovery & Decisions | Decision | Product Ops | PM | Eng Lead | Design Lead | Data | Marketing | CEO/CPO | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Discovery research priorities | C | A,R | C | C | C | I | I | | Customer interview cadence | R | C | I | I | I | I | I | | Experimentation approval | R | A | C | I | C | I | I | | Feedback triage routing | A,R | C | I | I | I | C | I | | Win/loss synthesis | R | C | I | I | C | A | I | ## Delivery & Launch | Decision | Product Ops | PM | Eng Lead | Design Lead | Data | Marketing | CEO/CPO | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Launch readiness sign-off | A,R | C | C | C | C | C | I | | Instrumentation spec | C | R | C | I | A | I | I | | Pricing or packaging change | C | R | I | I | C | C | A | | Rollback decision | C | R | A | I | C | C | I | | Customer-facing release notes | R | C | I | I | I | A | I | ## Operations & Rituals | Decision | Product Ops | PM | Eng Lead | Design Lead | Data | Marketing | CEO/CPO | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Tool procurement (PM stack) | A,R | C | I | C | C | I | I | | Permissions and access | A,R | I | C | I | C | I | I | | Ritual cadence (standup, planning) | A,R | C | C | C | I | I | I | | Documentation standards | A,R | C | C | C | I | I | I | | Post-launch retro owner | A,R | C | C | I | I | I | I | | Incident post-mortems | C | I | A,R | I | C | I | I | | Quarterly business review prep | A,R | C | I | I | C | I | I | | Team headcount asks | C | C | I | I | I | I | A | | Vendor renewal decisions | A,R | C | I | I | C | I | I | --- **Review cadence** - Quarterly: re-read every row, check for stale owners. - After every reorg or leadership change. - After any decision that triggered two or more escalations.
When to use it
- New PO function, first 90 days
- Reorg after hiring a Director of PO
- Resolving recurring PM/PO conflict
- Audit before a leadership offsite
How to adapt it
Copy the template above into Google Docs, Sheets, Notion, Airtable, or Confluence. Keep the section order intact, later sections often reference data entered earlier. Replace the example values with your own, then review quarterly and re-circulate to stakeholders.
Related templates
Templates are drafted from public Product Operations research and reviewed by practicing PO leaders. Free to copy and modify for internal company use.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common failure mode for a new product ops function is ambiguity with product managers. This RACI covers every recurring decision where PO, PM, and leadership tend to collide, roadmap approval, OKR drafting, tool procurement, pricing reviews, launch readiness, post-mortems, feedback routing, analytics instrumentation, and more. Fill it in with your team, review quarterly, and publish it to every stakeholder. Teams that ship a RACI within their first 90 days resolve cross-functional escalations 3x faster.
This template is written for Product Operations teams at software companies sized 50-500 employees. Common use cases include: New PO function, first 90 days; Reorg after hiring a Director of PO; Resolving recurring PM/PO conflict.
The template is designed as a Google Sheet. Copy the structure directly into your own Google Docs, Sheets, Notion, or Airtable workspace. No attribution is required for internal company use.
Start with the section structure exactly as published, then modify field names to match your organization's vocabulary. Most teams complete a first pass in 30 minutes and a polished version within one working week.