Chapter 4
🟣 From Paper to Power
A completed RACI+ chart doesn’t solve problems on its own, but it creates the clarity you need to start real conversations.
In this chapter, we’ll show you how to use your RACI+ chart to open dialogue, advocate for change, and strengthen relationships without creating conflict.
💡 Use It as a Clarity Tool — Not a Weapon
Many people are afraid of governance tools because they’ve only seen them used to assign blame.
That’s not what this is.
RACI+ is a visibility tool. It helps people step into their responsibilities with support, not shame.
Use it to:
Ask questions: “Who currently owns this part of the process?”
Open dialogue: “Can we map this together to get on the same page?”
Surface issues: “Here’s where things are falling through the cracks.”
🤝 Different Ways to Use It
Depending on your role, here are ways to bring RACI+ into practice:
🧑💼 If You Work Inside the Shelter:
Invite leadership to review it with you.
Use it during staff meetings to clarify recurring challenges.
Add it to onboarding materials or team handbooks.
🐾 If You’re a Volunteer:
Use it to explain where your concerns are coming from.
Frame it as a way to support staff, not criticize them.
Offer it as a tool to improve communication between teams.
🏛️ If You’re an Advocate or Citizen:
Use it to inform your concerns to county officials.
Present it when requesting transparency or oversight.
Attach it to certified letters when raising formal issues.
📘 Sample Conversation Starters
For internal shelter use:
“I made a rough RACI+ map for how medical decisions get made here. Want to take a look and help revise it?”
For outreach to a county commissioner:
“This tool helps clarify where the system is breaking down — not to blame anyone, but to make sure dogs don’t fall through the cracks.”
For volunteer teams:
“This helped me understand who’s doing what. Can we try filling it out together?”
🧠 Real-World Win (Generalized)
A small shelter team used RACI+ to clarify who was accountable for vet follow-ups.
Before the chart, no one owned it, and dogs sometimes went days without being seen.
After walking through RACI+, the director and medical partner agreed on clear roles, and even added a new checkpoint into the daily task system.
Result: faster triage, fewer missed cases, better morale.
✏️ Reflection Exercise
Think of a time when a communication breakdown led to a poor outcome for a dog.
Could your RACI+ chart have predicted that gap?
How might you use your chart to open a dialogue about preventing it in the future?
📣 Key Takeaway
“A RACI+ chart is only as powerful as the conversations it starts.”
Use it to invite alignment — and help people see where they can lead.
You’ve now seen how to build your RACI+ chart — and how to use it in real conversations that lead to change.
Next, we’ll walk through a real-world failure (fictionalized for privacy) where RACI+ could have made a critical difference and show how this tool doesn’t just prevent confusion but can also help prevent harm.
▶️ Go to Bonus Chapter → Case Snapshot: A Real Shelter Failure