THE ROLE OF A PROJECT SPONSOR
By Linda Franks
The role of the project sponsor is a topic that is not specifically addressed in the Guide to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and therefore may be an area that is potentially overlooked during project
planning. It is ultimately the project manager’s responsibility to provide the customer guidance on the need
for this very important role and should be one of the first discussions that occur once the project manager is
engaged.
Who should be a Project Sponsor? The ideal candidate would embody the following personas:
- An executive: Someone who has the ear of those in the C-suite and authority over many of the departments
effected by the project
- An influencer: Someone who has earned respect in the organization and has the power to influence and
enforce project requirements
- A spokesperson: Someone who understands the organization’s culture, goals, and mission and can associate
the project results with critical issues
The Project Sponsor roles includes being:
- A Communicator
- An Obstacle Remover
- A “Know-it-all”
- A Director
- A Cheerleader
Communicator: The first step to a successful project is to communicate the importance of the project,
its strategic position in the organization’s overall mission, and the need for cooperation and involvement of
all stakeholders. This includes the executive officers, physicians, clinical staff, auxiliary department
managers, and any other employees of the organization that will be affected by changes in the project
methodology. Together with the help of the PM, the project sponsor can identify who these individuals and
groups are and the vehicle and frequency of communication.
Obstacle Remover: A project sponsor helps the PM keep the work on track by ensuring that any obstacles to
success, both on an individual team member basis or an overall project basis, are removed. Keeping team
members accountable for their task completions is the responsibility of the PM; however, whether internal or
external to the organization, the PM often does not have the authority to insist on the razor sharp focus of
the team members, especially when the departments providing the resources are part of a matrixed organization
(reporting in a functional alignment). The project sponsor would have the power to persuade, negotiate and
enforce the use of these resources for the duration of the project.
Know-It-All: A project sponsor must be available and accessible along with being very well-informed.
This means, not only attending meetings and reading status reports, but also participating in informal
discussions with individual team members when needed. Face to face communication is essential between the PM
and the project sponsor. These formal and informal meetings are the key to keeping the project sponsor
accurately informed in a timely manner.
Director: One of the criteria for success of a project is to ensure that the results of the project are
in line with the strategic direction and goals of the organization. This can be a particularly difficult
achievement if there is no project sponsor to help keep the project aligned and/or the project duration is long
and the organization experiences major changes during that time. The project sponsor needs to monitor the
internal organization and help plan, with the PM, to make project adjustments if the environment changes.
Project finances also need to be made available at strategic points in the project and any scope changes must
be evaluated for their financial impact. Should a change be required and additional finances need to be
appropriated, the PM can provide the supporting documentation to justify financial challenges, however the
project sponsor is the organization liaison responsible to acquire the additional funds. Change management is
one of the most difficult aspects of any project. It is the responsibility of the PM to monitor change
requests and maintain the schedule and budgeting. The project sponsor has the political clout within the
organization to achieve consensus on any impactful changes needed to be approved, such as a major timeline
change or the inclusion or exclusion of large parts of the project.
Cheerleader: One of the most important roles of the project sponsor is as the cheerleader and
reward-giver. As the project progresses, the customer team members will need to be recognized for their
successes. In projects of long duration, this is particularly important, as a motivation, to continue a high
level of activity and focus in order to achieve overall project success. Rewarding individual and team
successes is also the responsibility of the PM, but in most cases it is the project sponsor’s approval and
acknowledgement (either through word or reward) that provides the most effective incentives when achieving
major project milestones.
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