Data Engineering Initiative RACI

Organisations who are new to data engineering initiatives, and are not familiar with the common roles required to support said initiatives, can use this figure as a reference.

The roles stated above can be outsourced and staffed by vendors. Also, it is not impossible for individuals to take up multiple roles within the initiative, but organisations should be careful not to overstretch their personnel and undermine their effectiveness.

Remember, there is no “one size fits all” role setup. As such, it is recommended that organisations adapt the roles to their initiative accordingly – by first defining the necessary roles and responsibilities using the RACI matrix. This will aid in reducing misunderstandings and efficiently assign roles and responsibilities to the appropriate contributors.

Here is an illustration of the responsibilities a data engineer could undertake, as well as the various support levels (A, C, I) of other roles within the initiative.