The DACI Approach to Getting Things Done

My good friend Jane turned me on to a framework called DACI that she learned at a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary; where D= Driver, A = Approver, C = Consulted and I = Informed.

So, anytime you are trying to get something done, ask yourself: "What is my role...and what other roles do I need served?" The Johnson & Johnson folks figured out that there are four key roles:

Driver = The person who DRIVES a project to completion. This is typically one person but can be two "co-drivers." Important Note: The driver doesn't have to be the smartest person on a particular project; just the person who can "move the ball" and, importantly, communicate well with the other roles.

Approver = The person who will approve the project (sometimes called "The Boss")

Consulted = These are the experts that the driver will call upon to CONSULT him or her (important note: I find that the most effective drivers of projects are rarely the smartest person available to consult on it.

Informed = These are the people who need to be informed about the progress of the project. They will include all the people above and possibly others who want to be posted on the project but aren't actively involved.

To make things trickier, if a project is big enough, there may be multiple drivers at any one time.

So, next time you're trying to get something done: Know thy role!