Can AI streamline accountability structures?

Summary

This post walks you through an exercise of using AI to create an accountability structure (aka RACI). I'll share the prompts I used, how I adjusted them to better fit what I wanted, and my takeaways from the experiment.

By Brenna Lofquist, Senior Marketing Consultant / Client Services Operations at Heinz Marketing

I wanted to see if, when provided a set of steps with assigned owners, ChatGPT could create a RACI so I tried it out. The simple answer is yes but it’s incomplete. If you rely solely on ChatGPT to build a RACI then the answer is no. I’ll cut to the chase about what I learned.

Takeaways 

1. ChatGPT can be used to help guide the creation of a RACI however, you should not rely solely on CGPT to do so.
   • If anything, using ChatGPT might speed up the development a little but not substantially.
2. Context is important 
   • This one is likely very obvious but the more information you can provide ChatGPT the better.
   • Give it background about the info provided, how it should view the information, what it’s used for, etc..
   • Although there’s a balance with this one, if you spend too much time providing context to ChatGPT then you might consider creating it on your own. I use AI to reduce the time it takes for a task, so if it’s taking me longer than I’m likely not going to use AI
3. Experiment with prompts 
   • I tend to start with very basic, non-descriptive prompts so I’m not surprised when it doesn’t give me what I want.
   • I recommend trying a few different prompts then see what CGPT gives you. Then adjust the prompt and regenerate a response until it’s more in line with what you’re expecting.

Background 

Our team has been focused on and creating content around Marketing Orchestration. We developed our own framework and wanted to figure out if or how to incorporate AI. I highly recommend checking out my colleague Tom’s blog post “Can ChatGPT make a marketing workflow?”

A quick caveat before we dive in. I am by no means an AI expert and have only scratched the surface in terms of exploring AI. that’s just it– I’m exploring, and I thought why not share my experience?

Back to the Question at Hand: Can ChatGPT make a RACI chart? 

RACI is a foundational element required for successful Marketing Orchestration. When developing a Marketing Orchestration strategy, we create a workflow that maps out each step from planning to execution. The RACI defines roles and responsibilities for each of those steps.

I wanted to see if, when provided a set of steps with assigned owners, ChatGPT could create a RACI.

Setup 

Here’s where I started: 

I found a workflow we created in the past (a visual workflow and translated that into Excel). I copied the workflow steps from Excel and included the column with the owners.

I then pasted the two columns of information and let it do its thing. It started populating a chart with the roles across the top and the steps listed in the first column. It assigned an “R” to the owners listed for each step. As a refresher the “R” in RACI is the person or role responsible for completing the task.

Here’s a snippet of what ChatGPT provided:

The Problem 

ChatGPT didn’t assign any A’s (Accountable), C’s (Consulted), or I’s (Informed). Now this makes total sense because the data I provided didn’t include whether the person was responsible, accountable, etc. ChatGPT assumed that whoever was assigned to a task was the party responsible.

So I asked ChatGPT:
“Based on the roles I provided, can you try and fill in the As, Cs, and Is?”.

Here’s a snippet:

 

A few things I noticed: 

• In most instances it defaulted to the first Manager role listed as the accountable party
  • To be fair, there are multiple manager roles and I didn’t provide any job descriptions (maybe this is a perfect part 2 to this blog post).
• It’s unclear why CGPT assigned which roles.
  • For example, the first Manager role provided is accountable for a handful of tasks whereas a Manager listed later in the sheet is listed as Informed for quite a few tasks
• There are tasks missing assignments. Ideally there would be at least one R, A, C, and I for each task/step

Follow Up 

I asked ChatGPT to explain its reasoning:

Based on the actual responsibilities of the Integrated Marketing Manager this is not quite right, however the reasoning is pretty sound.  

Overall, ChatGPT assumed the Integrated Marketing Manager (IMM) needs to be kept informed about the progress and outcomes within the campaign strategy and planning process – this is correct. To further summarize the above response, here are a few more correct assumptions:

• The IMM oversees a broader scope of marketing activities where they might not be directly responsible for executing however, they need to stay informed to ensure alignment.
• The IMM is responsible for coordinating integrated marketing efforts so they need to be informed of the progress so they can provide accurate guidance and direction.
• The IMM works closely with other stakeholders and individual contributors.

I didn’t provide ChatGPT much context for the data so let’s see what happens when I do.

Prompt: The RACI I had you create it for a campaign planning to execution process where multiple teams are involved and must communicate and collaborate. Knowing that, would there be any changes you’d make to the RACI? If so, can you please call out the changes. 

Outcome: With the emphasis on communication and collaboration CGPT would make the following adjustments: 

• Increase the number of roles marked “C” for tasks that require input or coordination from multiple teams 
• Clarify accountability by designing specific roles as “A” 
• Enhance information sharing, given the interconnected nature of the process, by increasing the number of roles marked “I” to ensure relevant stakeholders are kept informed 
• Identify tasks that require cross-functional collaboration and designate those roles with “C” 
• Ensure leadership oversight by assigning senior leadership roles “A” 
• For tasks involving review or approval, designate relevant stakeholders as both “C” and “I” to ensure they are actively engaged in the review process 

More Thoughts

Without giving ChatGPT the full rundown of each job description and their responsibilities, this is spot on. These are all the things we would want to ensure when working with a Marketing Orchestration client.

Initially excluded the details about how multiple teams are involved and how they must communicate and collaborate. The response I received was less focused on communication and collaboration since that wasn’t explicitly mentioned. Instead ChatGPT focused on the knowledge of campaign planning and execution.

I’m going to continue my AI exploration, especially as it relates to Marketing Orchestration. If you want to chat AI and/or Marketing Orchestration or want to hear about my results, reach out any time brenna@heinzmarketing.com.  

 

Image by vectorjuice on Freepik