Your project manager in California thinks the VA is sending client updates.
Your VA in Manila is waiting for approval to send those updates.
The client emails three days later asking why communication stopped.
This costs you more than embarrassment.
Delayed deliverables. Duplicated work. Team members second-guessing every decision because nobody documented who owns what.
The RACI framework solves this specific problem.
It assigns four roles to every task: who executes, who approves, who consults, and who gets informed.
When you implement it correctly, you eliminate the ambiguity that kills productivity in distributed teams.
What RACI Actually Means
Four roles. Each one answers a specific question about task ownership.
Responsible means you do the work.
You’re the person sitting down and completing the task. Writing the report. Creating the graphics. Sending the emails.
Accountable means you own the outcome.
You’re the one who answers if it doesn’t get done or gets done wrong. You approve the final version before it goes out.
Consulted means your input shapes the work before it’s complete.
People come to you for expertise or feedback while the work is happening. You’re part of the process.
Informed means you get updates but don’t participate.
You need to know it happened but you’re not involved in making it happen.
Here’s how you build a basic matrix.
List every recurring task and critical one-time project where unclear ownership causes delays.
Don’t document every email. Capture anything where confusion costs time or money.
Put tasks down the left column. Team members across the top. Assign RACI roles for each task.
Assign who is responsible.
One person can be both responsible and accountable for simple tasks. For bigger deliverables, the executor and approver are usually different.
Who is accountable.
Only one person per task.
If you want multiple people accountable, break the task into smaller pieces where each person owns something specific.
Identify who gets consulted.
Only include people whose input genuinely affects the outcome.
Every person you mark as consulted is a potential bottleneck. Be ruthless here.
Mark who gets informed.
These people receive updates without participating. Include stakeholders who need awareness for coordination.
Common Mistakes That Make RACI Useless
Too many accountable people per task.
This creates the confusion RACI is supposed to prevent.
When everyone’s in charge, nobody is. If you think you need multiple accountable parties, split the task into components where each person owns a piece.
Overusing consulted.
Ten people providing input before anything gets done means you’ve built a bottleneck factory.
Be ruthless about who truly needs to consult versus who just needs updates.
Documenting every microscopic action.
You don’t need RACI for routine five-minute tasks.
Focus on significant deliverables and decisions where role clarity prevents problems.
Building without team input.
People support what they help create.
Present a finished matrix as a mandate and expect resistance. Involve your team from the start.
Treating it as permanent.
Workflows change. People leave. Responsibilities shift.
Review and update after major projects or team changes.
Real Examples for Virtual Assistant Tasks
Let me show you what this looks like with actual work.
Weekly Status Report
Responsible: Philippine VA (drafts the report)
Accountable: US Team Lead (approves before sending)
Consulted: QA Analyst, IT Support (provide their data)
Informed: Executives, Client (receive the final version)
Social Media Posting
Responsible: Philippine VA (creates and schedules posts)
Accountable: US Marketing Manager (gives final approval)
Consulted: Creative Director (checks brand alignment)
Informed: Full team (knows what’s going out)
Monthly Invoicing
Responsible: Philippine VA (generates the invoices)
Accountable: US Operations Lead (verifies accuracy)
Consulted: Accounting (reviews for compliance)
Informed: Finance team, VA (gets confirmation when processed)
Client Onboarding
Responsible: Philippine VA and US Account Manager (split the execution)
Accountable: US Operations Director (owns the whole experience)
Consulted: Legal, Compliance (reviews contracts)
Informed: Sales, Client Success (knows about the transition)
Time Tracking Submission
Responsible: Philippine VA (logs hours and submits)
Accountable: US Project Manager (verifies and approves)
Consulted: HR Administrator (checks policy compliance)
Informed: Payroll (processes the payment)
Notice the pattern here.
Accountability typically sits US-side in most structures because that’s where final decision authority lives.
Doesn’t mean the US side does more work. Just means they own the final call.
Making Your Team Actually Use This Thing
The matrix only works if people understand and use it.
Here’s how you make that happen.
Draft and document the matrix.
Build it in a spreadsheet or document. Make it clear and simple.
Hold a meeting to review the completed matrix.
Walk through each major task. Explain why each role was assigned.
Give people space to question workload balance and unclear boundaries.
Make it accessible.
Put it where everyone can reference it without hunting. Shared drive. Project management tool. Wherever your team actually looks for information.
Update when workflows change.
New team members get assigned roles and the whole team gets notified.
New deliverables get RACI assignments before work starts, not during chaos.
Use it during conflicts.
When confusion happens about task ownership, refer to documented assignments.
If the matrix doesn’t address the situation, update it.
Adjusting RACI for Your Team Size
A three-person team needs simpler documentation than a twenty-person department.
Early-stage operations work differently than established businesses with formal processes.
Start small.
Pick one problem area where role confusion causes recurring issues.
Build a matrix just for that workflow. Once it works, expand.
Adjust if needed.
Some teams add a fifth category like Support or Driver. Others modify definitions to fit their culture.
The core principle matters more than rigid adherence to four letters.
Get comfortable revising regularly.
Perfect documentation on the first try is unlikely.
You’ll discover edge cases, find some assignments that don’t work in practice, and adjust as you learn how your team operates.
The goal isn’t beautiful documentation.
It’s reduced confusion, improved accountability, and more effective execution.
If your RACI matrix achieves those outcomes, it’s working.
Starting RACI with Your US-Philippines Team
Start with one project or workflow.
Document the roles. Share with your team. Adjust based on what you learn.
Implementation takes effort upfront.
You’ll document what was informal. You’ll have uncomfortable conversations about authority and ownership.
The investment pays off in fewer misunderstandings, faster execution, and better team dynamics.
The confusion you’re experiencing isn’t permanent.
RACI is one way to fix it. The specific tool matters less than committing to define who handles what in your workflows.