I know two things to be true. First, Tableau Server is a great product that is relatively easy to use, deploy, and upgrade. Second, most of my clients are not using Tableau Server as effectively as they should be.
So why does this dichotomy happen?
Well, a lot of companies fail when it comes to getting people to use their Tableau Servers. One of the most common issue I see is that they have not taken the time to define roles and discuss corresponding responsibilities.
To help you out, I have put together a RASCI with some generic roles to help you get started.
What is a RASCI?
A RASCI is simply a matrix, and a matrix is just a way of organizing things into roles and columns.
On the horizontal axis we have roles in a company, generally for a specific tool, concept, platform, or project. On the vertical axis, have all of the responsibilities (generally tasks) for that given tool, concept, platform, or project.
Each cell in the matrix is assigned and R, A, S, C, or I.
Letter | Description |
|---|---|
R - Responsible | This team member does the work to complete the task. Each task needs 1. |
A - Accountable | This person delegates work and is the last one to review the task or deliverable before it is deemed complete. 1 per task. |
S - Support | These people support the R- Responsible team member to complete the work. |
C - Consulted | Consulted parties are typically the people who provide input and subject matter expertise. |
I - Informed | These team member simply need to be kept in-the-loop. All people who do not get another letter get an I-Informed. |
Tableau Server RASCI
The image below provides that generic roles and tasks that all companies will have to have to deploy a successful Tableau Server environment.
Note that most companies will have additional unique tasks that they will need to add to their own RASCI.
Shoutout to Aidan Bramel who made the first version of the RASCI above. Download the full template for the RASCI in the image above here.
RASCI Example
Let’s walk through one example from the generic RASCI above.
Responsibility | IT Director | Analytics Manager | Product Owner | Project Champions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Buy New Licenses | C - Consulted | A - Accountable | R - Responsible | C - Consulted |
Let’s break down each person’s role for buying new Tableau licenses.
The Product Owner – In this example, the product owner is responsible for making sure licenses are purchased from Tableau.
The Analytics Manager – Ultimately, the analytics manager oversees the work of the product owner. They are accountable for making sure that the product owner follows through on this responsibility.
The IT Director – Though varies from group to group, in this scenario the IT director needs to approve all software purchases, so they need to be consulted before the purchase can happen.
The Project Champions – In this scenario, the project champions are business unit project leaders in the Tableau Server environment. They are closest to how Tableau Server is being used in their group and should be consulted before the purchase, basically to figure out how many licenses are needed.
The Rest – Everyone else is informed of the license purchases made.
Making it clear who owns what task, as it relates to Tableau Server or really any analytics tool, is the first step towards having a successfully utilized environment.
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