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MTTL, Mean Time To Learn

OrganizationPractitioner

Tool: the observability RACI matrix

For: team managers · executives and CIOsPrerequisites: None.

Reading mode

For each activity, a RACI states who does the work (R, responsible), who is answerable and signs off (A, accountable), who is consulted (C) and who is informed (I). On a cross-cutting topic like observability, it keeps everyone from thinking someone else should act. The matrix below starts from a proposal to discuss, and checks the rules as you fill it in.

ActivityCIOCISODPOPlatform, SREDevelopmentBusinessCFOCheck
Define the observability strategy
Decide the annual budget
Instrument services
Define a service’s SLOs
Run the platform
Lead the response to a major incident
Report an incident to the authority
Set log retention periods
Sign data processing agreements with vendors
Steer telemetry cost
Produce leadership reporting
Steer the roadmap

R: responsible, does the work. A: accountable, signs off, only one per line. C: consulted before deciding. I: informed afterwards. A+R: the same person is accountable and does the work.

Summary

    Load per role

    RoleARCI

    Nothing is sent: the matrix stays in this browser. The example loaded by default is a proposal to discuss in a workshop, not a standard.

    Things to try

    Section titled “Things to try”
    1. Start from the example and look for the line that would spark debate in your organization. It is often “Lead the response to a major incident” or “Set log retention periods”.
    2. Put two As on “Report an incident to the authority”, for the CISO and the CIO: the line turns red. If two roles share final accountability, neither owns it.
    3. Make the CIO A everywhere: the summary flags a bottleneck. A CIO accountable for everything cannot follow anything.
    4. Empty the DPO column: the summary asks whether this role is really involved. For retention periods and data processing agreements, it is.
    5. Copy as CSV and paste it into a spreadsheet for the workshop.

    The rule to remember

    Section titled “The rule to remember”

    A RACI is not decreed, it is negotiated. The journal in lesson 3 of the CIO path tells what happens when it is imposed: resignations and a three-month delay. Build it in a workshop with the people it names, sign it in the session, review it every quarter.

    Going further: the organization dimension, the AI observability RACI and the bridges between dimensions.