Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026
Hello, fellow evaluators! We are Linda Kawentel, Nardeen Shafik, and Rachael Kenney from the VA QUERI Center for Evaluation and Implementation Resources (CEIR). Among our other duties, we work together to design and facilitate evaluation trainings to build evaluation capacity within the VA healthcare system.
When working on an evaluation team, it’s important to understand each member’s roles and responsibilities. Clear roles prevent work from falling through the cracks, reduce duplication, support decision-making, improve collaboration, and foster accountability.
So how can teams promote role clarity? Here are a few suggestions based on our experience as evaluators and evaluation trainers.
1. Use a RACI matrix. A RACI matrix is a project management tool that assigns four role types:
A team member, typically in a project management role, lists tasks or deliverables in rows and team roles or names in columns. Then, alone or with the team, they review each task and assign the appropriate letter or letters (if any) to each role or individual (i.e. R, A, C, I, or combinations thereof). An example matrix is provided below, though it’s important to note that the roles and responsibilities presented are not the only options. Your team’s composition and responsibilities might differ from our example. Additional roles could include dedicated qualitative and quantitative analysts, subject matter experts (SMEs), consultants.
2. Create an internal work plan. An internal work plan can complement a RACI matrix by helping your team organize and coordinate its work once roles are established. A work plan is helpful for outlining key tasks and deliverables, timelines and milestones, as well as tracking progress and upcoming work. It can also be used to spell out in detail what responsibilities are assigned to each team member. Alternatively, you can include your RACI matrix within the workplan instead of as a separate document.
3. Discuss roles and responsibilities regularly. Regular team check-in meetings are opportunities to discuss upcoming work, clarify responsibilities, and identify gaps or overlap. One-on-ones with evaluation leads or project managers, as well as internal evaluation team meetings, are great venues to clarify expectations, address questions, and adjust as needed. Below are some questions evaluation leads or managers may want to cover during these meetings:
Because roles and responsibilities may change as an evaluation progresses, we recommend revisiting these questions regularly rather than treating them as a single check-in.
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