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Warning Signs That You Don’t Have the Right Project Sponsor
December 6, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Miscellaneous
Warning Signs That You Don’t Have the Right Project Sponsor (#4 in the series Project Management Mistake - We Didn’t Have The Right Sponsorship)
By Lonnie Pacelli
You don’t have an identified project sponsor - If you’re running a project and don’t have someone at an appropriate level in the organization sponsoring the work, then you most likely don’t have a viable, sanctioned project and it’s just a matter of time before the project meets an abrupt end. Someone at an appropriate level in the company needs to care enough about the work that you’re doing to sponsor it. If not, then you’re better off stopping the work yourself before someone stops it for you.
You can’t get the project sponsor’s attention – Cancelled meetings, unresponsive emails, unreturned calls, are all signs that your project sponsor isn’t engaged, doesn’t care, is the wrong person, or has more important things to do. Regardless of the reason, if your sponsor won’t give you the time of day then you’re unlikely to get the support for your project when you really need it.
Your project sponsor doesn’t help you with management issues – Your project sponsor has a responsibility to the project to provide guidance on key issues that materially impact the resulting work product. Armed with the right decision factors, a good project sponsor will provide direction on key issues on a timely basis and keep the project moving forward. I’ve seen some project sponsors, though, that are either unwilling or unable to provide direction on key issues which can ultimately stall out a project. Having an unwilling or indecisive project sponsor is a pretty clear signal that you’ve got the wrong sponsorship for the project.
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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