Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by Project Managers and PMO Leaders when evaluating the usage of ezRACI as an extension to their Program Management Office program.
A1.
Traditional PMOs often rely on Excel sheets to track project plans, status, and ownership. While familiar, Excel lacks:
Real-time collaboration
Dynamic role assignment
Version control
Integration with project execution tools
ezRACI offers a modern alternative: you can upload Excel files using pre-built templates, or bypass Excel altogether by syncing directly with systems like ServiceNow, CA Clarity, OpenText PPM, or SharePoint.
Once in ezRACI, projects transform into interactive Gantt charts, dynamic RACI matrices, and real-time Kanban boards, making ownership, blockers, and progress crystal clear across stakeholders.
A2.
In large programs, clarity around whoâs doing what breaks down fast â especially across departments or partner teams.
ezRACI solves this by generating a RACI matrix directly from your uploaded Excel file or connected PPM tool. You can define who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed at each task level â and visualize that across phases, teams, or departments with full traceability.
A3.
Static reports (PowerPoint decks, PDFs, spreadsheets) get outdated the moment theyâre shared. They also donât help surface blockers or misaligned ownership.
With ezRACI, you replace these with:
Live dashboards
Real-time Gantt charts
RACI matrices with role filtering
Custom Boards per stakeholder group
All updated automatically via integration with your project management system or Excel import.
A4.
Yes â you can use ezRACIâs Excel import templates to bring in:
Milestones
Tasks
Dependencies
RACI roles
Status values
Once uploaded, your spreadsheet becomes a fully interactive ezRACI project â complete with Gantt views, role-based dashboards, and cross-functional collaboration tools.
A5.
If you want to retain Excel as a starting point:
Fill in ezRACIâs Excel template
Upload it into the platform
Let ezRACI convert it into an interactive project
Assign roles and update dynamically across users
ezRACI bridges the gap between spreadsheet familiarity and modern project collaboration â without forcing a full tool migration.
A6.
Project trackers in Excel usually list tasks, owners, and due dates â but not role clarity. Thatâs where delays and finger-pointing begin.
With ezRACI, you can upload your Excel tracker using a simple template. The platform will:
Parse your tasks
Allow you to assign RACI roles (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed)
Create a live, filterable matrix to track ownership across the entire project
This gives PMs a real-time view into responsibility â no more guesswork.
A7.
Excel Gantt charts are brittle and donât update automatically.
ezRACI transforms your Excel plan into a live Gantt chart where:
Tasks are interactive
Dependencies are visible
Progress is automatically tracked
Roles are embedded in each task
Itâs the fastest Excel-to-modern-Gantt conversion without rebuilding from scratch.
A8.
PMs waste time managing conflicting versions of Excel files shared via email or Teams.
In ezRACI, project data lives in one central system, with:
Real-time updates
Timestamped role changes
Full audit trails
No need for file renaming or manual merges
Say goodbye to âFinal_V3_Updated_ReallyFinal.xlsxâ.
A9.
Interactive dashboards reduce meeting prep time and improve stakeholder confidence. Benefits include:
Role-based insights (see who owns what)
Drill-down into blockers and overdue items
Easy filtering by department, workstream, or risk
Real-time data, not snapshots
ezRACI makes this possible with automated dashboards built from your project data, whether uploaded or synced.
A10.
If your PMO has dozens of Excel plans across programs:
ezRACI lets you bulk upload projects via template
Assign RACI roles across each one
Group projects by portfolio, program, or region
Visualize cross-project ownership and Gantt timelines
Youâll move from spreadsheet chaos to structured PMO governance â fast.
A11.
ServiceNow is great for request intake and IT workflows â but it lacks collaborative role tracking.
With ezRACI, you can:
Sync projects and tasks from ServiceNow
Assign RACI roles per task
Visualize ownership and accountability gaps
Track real-time progress in Gantt or Kanban views
This gives your ServiceNow projects the collaborative layer theyâre missing.
A12.
Yes â ezRACI offers integration with OpenText PPM, enabling you to:
Sync project metadata and task hierarchies
Assign RACI roles at every level
Visualize cross-team collaboration via interactive boards
Eliminate static report exports
Itâs a better way to manage execution across departments without losing PPM governance.
A13.
SharePoint is often used for project templates and document storage â but lacks visibility into execution.
ezRACI lets you:
Import SharePoint project data
Assign real RACI roles
Display timelines and ownership in a live Gantt
Maintain SharePoint as the doc repo, while improving visibility elsewhere
Itâs the best of both worlds â structure + flexibility.
A14.
It doesnât replace these tools â it extends them.
ezRACI complements Microsoft Project and CA Clarity by:
Syncing key project items
Adding RACI roles to each
Layering on collaboration features (status boards, audit trails, stakeholder views)
This makes ezRACI ideal for project tracking, stakeholder communication, and risk ownership, while core tools manage scheduling.
A15.
With ezRACI integrations, you can:
Automatically sync new tasks
Map custom fields (e.g., status, owner, project ID)
Maintain live updates in both systems
Trigger RACI assignments based on ServiceNow categories or request types
This creates a real-time bridge between your planning tools and ezRACIâs collaboration engine.
A16.
ServiceNow project modules donât offer structured RACI role tracking by default.
With ezRACI, you can:
Integrate your ServiceNow project or demand records
Auto-assign RACI roles based on project type or template
Collaborate cross-functionally with role clarity
Provide visibility to both internal teams and external stakeholders
Now, every ServiceNow project has clearly defined ownership across planning, execution, QA, and delivery.
A17.
Yes. ezRACI aggregates data across:
Excel uploads
ServiceNow
OpenText PPM
SharePoint task lists
CA Project & Portfolio Management (Clarity)
You can visualize who owns what across programs, see overdue work by role, and monitor blockers â all in one place.
A18.
Many PMOs store project data in SharePoint and manage tasks in Excel. This creates silos and misalignment.
With ezRACI, you can:
Import your SharePoint task lists or Excel sheets
Tag each task with RACI roles
Sync updates across views
Track true ownership and progress with dynamic dashboards
No more toggling between tools â youâll get live ownership tracking in one interface.
A19.
The integration supports syncing of:
Project IDs and metadata
Work breakdown structures (WBS)
Task titles, descriptions, start/end dates
Status values and percent complete
Custom attributes (e.g., project sponsor, cost codes)
Once imported, ezRACI overlays RACI role tracking and task visibility, turning a structured but static system into a dynamic collaboration platform.
A20.
While ezRACI focuses heavily on enterprise-grade tools like ServiceNow, OpenText PPM, CA Clarity, Excel, and SharePoint, it also supports CSV/Excel imports from lighter tools like Smartsheet or Wrike.
This allows:
Project data migration via structured upload
RACI role application
Dynamic visualizations (Gantt, Board, Matrix)
Role-based filtering and reporting
For teams using Smartsheet or Wrike for execution, ezRACI becomes the PMO visibility layer on top.
A21.
Yes â and this is a popular use case.
You can:
Sync internal project tickets from ServiceNow
Assign vendor tasks with limited access
Track ownership across internal and external stakeholders
Create filtered views for vendors to only see what applies to them
This gives you governance + flexibility, without the need for multiple tracking systems.
A22.
When using the Excel import template, ezRACI lets you:
Map âTask Ownerâ to Responsible
Map âProject Managerâ or âTeam Leadâ to Accountable
Add multiple Consulted or Informed stakeholders per task
Auto-fill blank roles with a default fallback (e.g., project-level lead)
After import, you can visually edit or refine the matrix with drag-and-drop ease.
A23.
Sync frequency is configurable, but common options include:
Real-time sync (via API triggers)
Scheduled sync (hourly, daily, or weekly)
Manual refresh
Updates made in ServiceNow, OpenText PPM, or other connected tools are reflected in ezRACI within the configured interval, keeping project execution and ownership in sync.
A24.
Yes â bi-directional sync is supported for key fields, including:
Status
Comments
RACI role annotations (where custom fields are mapped)
Task owners or assignment fields
This ensures one source of truth, whether your user prefers to live in ServiceNow or in ezRACI.
A25.
The process is simple:
Export your SharePoint list to Excel or use direct sync
Map task columns to ezRACIâs Gantt template
Import or sync to create a visual timeline
Assign RACI roles and track progress
The result is a SharePoint-backed, ezRACI-powered project with full ownership and visual clarity.
A26.
Projects fail when thereâs unclear task ownership across departments. Often, work is assigned to a team â not a person.
ezRACI fixes this by:
Applying the RACI model to every task
Visualizing exactly who is Responsible and Accountable
Preventing âtoo many cooksâ by clarifying Consulted and Informed roles
Alerting when tasks are unassigned or overdue
Now, every stakeholder knows their role â and accountability becomes measurable.
A27.
When PMs take on too many tasks themselves, it leads to burnout and missed deadlines.
ezRACI allows you to:
Delegate ownership with role clarity
Track who is overloaded based on Responsibility count
Automate reminders for overdue tasks
Balance work across departments
With role-based dashboards, PMs shift from doers to orchestrators.
A28.
Matrixed organizations suffer from role confusion. Who owns what? Who needs to be involved?
ezRACI cuts through the noise:
Assigns RACI roles at the task level
Maps departments and owners across programs
Provides filtered views per stakeholder group
Allows cross-functional teams to collaborate without overlap
Matrix complexity becomes structured clarity.
A29.
These teams typically arenât in the PM tools, but their involvement is critical.
ezRACI allows you to:
Include Legal/Finance as Consulted or Informed roles
Assign them tasks with due dates and status
Limit their view to relevant parts of the project
Capture audit trails for sensitive approvals
Itâs collaboration without license or access friction.
A30.
Your U.S. team may use ServiceNow, while your EU team lives in Excel â and vendors use SharePoint.
ezRACI unifies this by:
Allowing project intake from any of these systems
Normalizing task structures
Assigning RACI roles that reflect team-specific context
Displaying cross-region dashboards for delivery and ownership
Itâs the collaboration layer on top of your fragmented toolset.
A31.
Projects stall. Escalations multiply. PMs scramble for answers.
ezRACI prevents this by requiring that:
Every task have at least one Responsible and one Accountable role
Tasks without clear ownership are flagged
Escalation workflows auto-initiate for overdue items
Ownership cannot be bypassed
This removes the ambiguity that stalls progress.
A32.
Meetings often substitute for a lack of clarity.
ezRACI eliminates the need for constant check-ins by:
Defining roles and expectations upfront
Tracking progress asynchronously
Alerting relevant stakeholders when their input is required
Creating a shared view of status and ownership
Now you get collaboration through clarity, not calendar bloat.
A33.
Conflicts arise when:
Task ownership is vague
Priorities differ
Functional leads arenât looped in early
ezRACI helps by:
Making each roleâs expectations visible
Clarifying who owns delivery vs. consultation
Creating stakeholder-specific dashboards for alignment
This improves alignment without power struggles.
A34.
Tasks get lost due to:
Poor visibility
Vague assignments
Untracked handoffs
ezRACI tracks:
Role assignment gaps
Task aging and overdue items
Dependencies without owners
Portfolio-wide ownership reports
Itâs your early warning system for missed work.
A35.
Yes â and itâs a major use case.
You can:
Assign RACI roles to vendor tasks
Filter views for secure, limited access
Track accountability and status updates
Provide customer-facing dashboards without exposing internal data
Vendors become part of your ecosystem, not a separate status black box.
A36.
Traditional methods like Excel or PowerPoint don't scale. ezRACI solves this by:
Aggregating project status into live dashboards
Showing ownership and blockers across projects
Rolling up progress to portfolio and program views
Auto-color-coding tasks by RAG status and role risk
You get real-time PMO visibility across every initiative.
A37.
Yes. ezRACI supports hierarchical organization by:
Portfolio
Program
Region
Cost center
Business unit or division
You can report and filter based on any of these, with ownership and progress tracked across all views.
A38.
Use ezRACI to:
Visualize overdue tasks by department or role
Track stalled initiatives with missing Accountability
Monitor cross-program blockers in a single dashboard
Surface repeat patterns across teams
Bottlenecks become visible â and solvable â before escalation is needed.
A39.
Your program may have projects in:
ServiceNow
Excel
OpenText
SharePoint
ezRACI allows you to:
Import or sync from all tools
Normalize task hierarchies
Assign cross-project RACI roles
Link dependencies and visualize blockers
This creates a true program view, not a tool-fragmented mess.
A40.
It includes:
RAG status by project
Task progress by owner role
Upcoming deadlines and milestones
Overdue items grouped by Responsible party
Cross-project blockers and handoffs
ezRACI builds this for you â automatically â from your connected tools or uploads.
A41.
Executives donât want to read Gantt charts or Excel formulas â they want answers.
ezRACI lets you:
Build auto-updating dashboards by portfolio or business unit
Show project health, milestones, and owners
Filter out noise and surface only strategic insights
Share stakeholder-friendly views with no login required
This turns raw data into executive-ready clarity â with zero PowerPoint prep.
A42.
Absolutely. In ezRACI, you can:
Customize views for vendors, partners, or clients
Limit visibility based on role (e.g., only Informed stakeholders)
Share links or embedded dashboards with filtered content
Provide real-time access without exposing sensitive project data
This builds trust through transparency, without compromising security.
A43.
Email updates and status decks create noise and version confusion.
ezRACI helps by:
Tagging stakeholders as âInformedâ in the RACI matrix
Letting them view filtered dashboards on-demand
Automating updates when tasks hit specific statuses
Showing them only whatâs relevant to their role
No more chasing PMs for updates â itâs all available, filtered, and real-time.
A44.
Rather than hand-building updates, use ezRACI to:
Auto-generate reports every Friday (or your preferred cadence)
Include task status, RACI role activity, and blockers
Export to PDF or share links with stakeholders
Keep formatting consistent across teams and programs
Weekly reporting becomes a push-button process.
A45.
Yes â you can export from ezRACI as:
CSV
Live shareable links
Embedded dashboards for intranet or portals
Perfect for leadership reviews, governance boards, or cross-team alignment calls.
A46.
With ezRACI, you can:
Tag milestones across projects
Roll them up into a single view
Track by department, initiative, or portfolio
Show RAG status with ownership clarity
This gives execs a one-page milestone heatmap, always up to date.
A47.
Use RACI-powered dashboards to monitor:
Task progress and overdue items
Blockers and unassigned ownership
Completion rate by Responsible role
Accountability gaps across teams
With ezRACI, your dashboard becomes the status meeting â no meeting required.
A48.
Stakeholder approvals can stall timelines if ownership isnât clear.
ezRACI supports:
Assigning âAccountableâ or âInformedâ roles for approvals
Auto-notifying when items reach approval stage
Tracking who approved what, and when
Creating audit trails for compliance
Now you know whoâs holding up progress â and have proof.
A49.
Yes. You can slice data by:
Business unit
Region
Workstream
Initiative type
Portfolio or program
ezRACI lets you define filtered dashboards for any of these â role-aware and auto-updating.
A50.
You want transparency without oversharing.
ezRACI enables:
Secure, limited-access project views
Filters by role (e.g., show only âInformedâ tasks for the client)
Highlighting milestones, blockers, and delivery dates
Optional commenting or feedback workflows
This keeps clients in the loop without adding noise or risking data leaks.
A51.
Tasks often fall through the cracks when only one generic "Assignee" field exists. ezRACI ensures every task includes:
At least one Responsible role (whoâs doing the work)
One Accountable role (who ensures it gets done)
Optional Consulted and Informed roles
Role assignment tracking with overdue alerts
This structure turns vague delegation into crystal-clear accountability.
A52.
Scope changes without auditability cause disputes and confusion. ezRACI enables:
Change control workflows with RACI role assignments
Approval/rejection logs with timestamps
Stakeholder visibility without access to PM tools
Integrated records for governance and compliance
Youâll never have to guess who signed off again.
A53.
Yes â ezRACI is designed with auditability in mind:
Time-stamped task activity logs
Historical RACI role assignments
Record of status changes and approvals
Exportable reports for SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, etc.
It gives your auditors what they need â without manual work.
A54.
Traditional PMO processes can slow teams down. ezRACI strikes a balance:
Lightweight governance with real-time dashboards
Role clarity without heavy documentation
Agile-friendly workflows with PMO oversight baked in
Status reporting that doesnât interfere with delivery
Itâs governance by design, not by bureaucracy.
A55.
Adoption struggles happen when tools feel:
Redundant
Complicated
Not aligned with daily work
ezRACI improves adoption by:
Integrating with tools your teams already use (ServiceNow, Excel, SharePoint)
Providing intuitive role-based dashboards
Offering mobile-friendly and shareable links
Keeping setup simple, with templates and import support
Teams see value without having to change how they work.
A56.
Track:
Task on-time rates
RACI role coverage
Resolution speed of blockers
Stakeholder engagement metrics
Escalation frequency and outcomes
ezRACI visualizes these KPIs across portfolios so PMO leaders can quantify impact and improvement areas.
A57.
Common signs:
Youâre using PowerPoint or Excel for updates
Thereâs confusion around ownership
Stakeholders ask for the same updates repeatedly
Missed deadlines are a surprise
ezRACI addresses these with real-time role-based visibility, intuitive dashboards, and integration with your existing tools.
A58.
Risk tracking often fails to surface who is responsible for mitigation.
ezRACI lets you:
Assign RACI roles to risk items
Tag mitigation owners
Monitor overdue actions
Escalate unresolved risks automatically
You can even build a live risk matrix by program or project.
A59.
Use ezRACI playbooks and templates to:
Standardize project phases
Assign default RACI roles
Create repeatable task structures
Ensure reporting consistency
This brings PMO consistency across business units, without forcing every team into a one-size-fits-all tool.
A60.
Yes. ezRACI is methodology-agnostic and supports:
Waterfall Gantt timelines
Agile Sprints and Boards
Hybrid workflows with both
You define the project flow â ezRACI adds collaborative clarity and visibility on top of it.
A61.
Escalations often get buried in Slack threads or emails. ezRACI allows:
Structured escalation workflows per project or program
Assignment of RACI roles (whoâs escalating, who resolves)
Status tracking with due dates
Portfolio-wide dashboards for open escalations
No more escalation chaos â just visible, trackable issue management.
A62.
PMOs often struggle to tie project work to business outcomes.
ezRACI supports this by:
Tagging projects and tasks to strategic initiatives
Rolling up progress by goal or objective
Surfacing blockers tied to priority areas
Reporting progress with ownership traceability
It helps PMOs bridge the gap between planning and doing.
A63.
If your team spends hours per week building decks, you need automation.
ezRACI:
Tracks task progress and role activity automatically
Auto-generates status reports and RAG summaries
Provides live shareable links
Exports stakeholder-specific summaries
Youâll spend less time reporting â and more time delivering.
A64.
Compliance projects often involve IT, Legal, HR, and Ops â and fail without coordination.
ezRACI gives each task:
Defined RACI roles
Deadline tracking
Department filtering
Stakeholder visibility and secure sharing
This aligns cross-functional teams under one structured compliance framework.
A65.
Use ezRACIâs:
PM onboarding templates
Preloaded best-practice workflows
Role-based walkthroughs
Embedded documentation and videos
New PMs get up to speed without disrupting delivery.
A66.
Absolutely. You can build tailored dashboards that show:
High-level delivery health
Strategic milestone progress
Accountability by initiative
Risk and mitigation summaries
Board reporting becomes accurate, defensible, and effortless.
A67.
Project close-out is often rushed.
ezRACI:
Provides a closure template with RACI roles
Assigns post-mortem responsibilities
Tracks documentation completion
Links closure to compliance or audit goals
Every project finishes strong â and leaves a trail.
A68.
Use ezRACI to:
Import or build a roadmap by initiative
Break it into projects, each with RACI tracking
Assign visibility based on stakeholder role
Review cross-department status in one place
Youâll align teams, not just timelines.
A69.
Annual planning requires clarity around who owns:
Initiatives
Resource allocation
Delivery commitments
Reporting and governance
ezRACI allows you to embed structure into planning, then transition seamlessly into delivery tracking with no data loss.
A70.
With ezRACI, PMOs can measure:
On-time delivery rates
Escalation resolution time
Ownership clarity (RACI coverage %)
Risk mitigation tracking
Stakeholder satisfaction from shared visibility
This is how PMOs shift from overhead to strategic enablers.