Selecting the best sponsor to champion your project

It’s well known in the project management field that great sponsors lead to project success. There’s plenty of research and articles about that. So how do you determine who should sponsor your project? The choice shouldn’t be made simply based on seniority or the program involved. Carefully consider the right person for the role, and remember that you can and may need to change sponsorship after a project has started.

Characteristics of a good sponsor

A good sponsor is someone who has an elevated position in your organization with the ability to make decisions, and is able to actively engage in the project. Sponsors should be someone in the organization who has “skin in the game” and truly cares about the project succeeding. The ideal project sponsor is:

·        A visionary – they know what success looks like

·        Engaged in the project – listens and asks questions in meetings

·        Engaged with customers/external stakeholders – can make phone calls when needed to address issues or get buy in

·        Consistent and available – attends monthly ESC and can also get on a phone call to discuss issues and solutions

·        Solution oriented – doesn’t accept only complaints and problems, but seeks answers

·        Able and willing to make critical decisions in meetings when needed, and is supported by other stakeholders in those decisions (even if there is disagreement)

While an organization should look to identify a sponsor who is ideally positioned to support the project, we recognize the real constraints that face many organizations. This is where good project management and change management practitioners can help sponsors be successful. 

Project managers partner with sponsors

Sponsors are not alone in leading the project to success. Project managers have a vested interest in helping their sponsors succeed in their role. (Read Supporting a Project Sponsor for advice we provide to project managers) Good project managers will help sponsors by:

·        Carrying out the priorities of the project as directed by the sponsor, including quality, deadlines and budget limitations

·        Ensuring the project team is committed to and on track with delivering the solution

·        Identifying and escalating potential risks and issues, and offering solutions to mitigate them 

·        Providing clear and concise information for sponsors to make informed decisions

·        Identifying specific needs for the project so sponsors can obtain resources (financial or staff) to meet the project objectives

Solid project management can help your sponsor achieve project success, delivering the solution for your organization.  

Change management support sponsors

In addition, good change practitioners can coach your sponsor to help them succeed in their role, especially if they haven’t been a sponsor before. The right change management practitioner can:

·        Help a sponsor build a champion network of managers who have the respect and attention of staff

·        Identify resistance and suggest strategies to mitigate risks with staff successfully adopting the solution

·        Provide talking points for sponsors to encourage staff and champion the project within and outside the organization

·        Identify opportunities for sponsors to be visible and engaged in the project

Together, your sponsor, champion network and change practitioner can be the dream team for a smooth transition to the new solution and achieving the objectives of the project.

Common sponsorship obstacles

While good project and change management can help sponsors be more successful, there are several challenging scenarios we have seen when it comes to sponsorship.

·        Sponsorship by committee.  It becomes very difficult on a project to drive to decisions if every decision must be made by a committee.  If your project sponsorship is a committee, you will need to have clear decision-making framework for how decisions will get made and who/when they get to be made. 

·        Sponsors whose breadth of responsibility doesn’t allow them the capacity to be as involved as they need to be to lead the project.  For example, it is difficult to have a sponsor that doesn’t have bandwidth to meet with the project/change manager, attend regular project status meetings or provide support to the project as needed. If your sponsor is in this position, it might help to work with sponsor to create two levels of sponsorship. For example, an Executive Sponsor to provide organizational leadership, and a Business Sponsor that can be called on for the day-to-day type decisions and issues that arise on the project.

·        Sponsors who are passionate without authority.  If this is the case, then as stated above we recommend finding a way to incorporate executive support through an Executive Sponsor.  This would allow this manager to make day-to-day decisions, while the executive ensures proper funding, and resourcing to support the project.

·        A project that is legislatively mandated with little buy-in from the organization. This is where finding a sponsor that is well respected in the organization is critical.  A sponsor that understands the legislative point of view as well as the organizations’ reluctance. A change management practitioner can make a difference assisting sponsors with these types of projects.

Organizations that are intentional when selecting a sponsor will find higher success with delivery by striking the right balance of authority and ability to engage successfully in the project.