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Tips for Dealing with Your Project Sponsor

January 20, 2009 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Project Management Best Practices

Tips for Dealing with Your Project Sponsor (#5 in the series Project Management Mistake - We Didn’t Have The Right Sponsorship)
By Lonnie Pacelli

Make sure your project sponsor is current and engaged - Do a regular status meeting with your project sponsor and make sure that they know the status of the project, where there are problems, and what you need from them to keep the project moving forward. Make sure they know enough about the project so that when you need them to make decisions you’re not spending unnecessary time getting them up to speed on project basics.

Get clear on your project sponsor’s expectations – Identify the expectations of your project sponsor at the onset of the project to ensure you’re working towards a common end result and that project deliverables are in line with what your sponsor wants. Periodically validate the expectations to ensure that any changes in expectations are clearly communicated and understood between you and the project sponsor.

Right-size your time with your project sponsor – Chances are your project sponsor has a long to-do list of things that they’re doing and will not want to feel like their time is being wasted. Determine with your sponsor the frequency, time and method of communications that you need and stick to it.

Tell your project sponsor explicitly what you need for the project to succeed – As discussed earlier, let your project sponsor know as explicitly as you can what you need them to do to ensure project success. But, make sure your requests are appropriate. Don’t ask them to make decisions that others (or you) could be making.

Strongly consider stopping the project – If you aren’t able to secure appropriate sponsor engagement, then you should think strongly about stopping the project and refocusing resources on other projects that management cares about.

Lonnie Pacelli is an internationally recognized project management and leadership author and consultant with over 20 years experience at Microsoft, Accenture and his own company, Leading on the Edge International. Read more about Lonnie, subscribe to his newsletter, see his books and articles, and get lots of free self-study seminars, webcasts and resources.

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