The Role of the Project Sponsor

Revision as of 18:43, 18 February 2018

Abstract

A sponsor is the person or group who provides resources and support for the project, and is accountable for enabling success. The sponsor may be external or internal to the project manager's organization ^[1]. This is a critical role, as is focused on monitoring and controlling the project in a strategic level. It Is very common to associate the term “Project Sponsor” to a disconnect stakeholder from the project. On the contrary, a Project Sponsor can define the difference among success and failure. Moreover, one of the fundamentals reasons why a project fails is the absence of executive sponsorship and management ^[2]. The Sponsor owns the business case and leads the project through the initiating processes until formally authorized, and plays a significant role in the development of the initial scope and charter ^[3]. Therefore, it is vital to establish a close relationship between the sponsor and the P3 to ensure that the business case remains viable and it will deliver the stipulated goal and benefits. There is a lack of understanding of the impact that a Project Sponsor can address on the success of a project. The main goal of this article is defining the role and responsibility and identify the importance of a Project Sponsor in any project.

Introduction

The Project Sponsor

Definition and Responsibilities

According to the PMBOK® Guide, a sponsor is the person or group that provides the financial resources, in cash or kind, for the project. When a project is first conceived, the sponsor champions the project. This includes serving as spokesperson to higher level of management to gather support throughout the organization and promote the benefits that the project will bring. The sponsor leads the project through the engagement or selection process until formally authorized, and plays a significant role in the development of the initial scope and charter. For matters that are beyond the control of the project manager, the sponsor serves as an escalation path. The sponsor may also be involved in other important issues such as authorizing changes in scope, phase-end reviews, and go/no-go decisions when risks are particularly high. ref3

In dissecting this definition we can extract the following responsibilities of a sponsor: ^[4]

• Champion the project
• Lead the project through the engagement or selection process until formally authorized
• Provide a significant role in the development of the initial scope and charter
• Serve as an escalation path
• Authorize changes in scope
• Provide go/no-go decisions.

General Role

The sponsor leads the project through the initiating processes until formally authorized, and plays a significant role in the development of the initial scope and charter. For issues that are beyond the control of the project manager, the sponsor serves as an escalation path ^[1]. The Project Sponsor Role is responsible for providing good governance for the project. This includes the following: ^[5]:

• Maintaining a focus on the broader issues on behalf of the project / informing the project manager and team of organizational and environmental changes which might impact the project.
• Establishing connections on behalf of the project, and supporting interfaces between the project team and the winder organization and external environment.
• Advocating on behalf of the project with the senior executive and other key senior stakeholders.
• Clearing pathways so that key resources can be obtained for the project.
• Motivating the project team when times are difficult.
• Objectively criticizing project performance.
• Providing ad hoc support to the project manager and the project team, including mentoring.
• Approving finance.

Role between the Project and the Organisation

Framework of Project Sponsor relationships

The project sponsor often serves as the liaison between the project and the organisation. The sponsor has different responsibilities towards different stakeholders during different phases of the project life-cycle. These responsibilities are what ultimately determine the attributes required by the individual who will act in this role.^[6] Figure 1 illustrated the framework (Lechtman, 2005^[7]) for describing and analyzing the pivotal role with 360 degree relationships. It is clear that there are four main sets of relationships, namely vertical-up, horizontal internal, horizontal external and vertical-down.

Project Stakeholders & Governance

Project Stakeholders

Project Sponsor vs: Project Management & Project Owner

Conclusion

Glossary

P3: Project, Program and Portfolio Management. ^[8]

Bibliography

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition, 2.2 Project Stakeholders and Governance
2. ↑ KPMG New Zealand Project Management Survey 2010
3. ↑ A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition, 2.2.1 Project Stakeholders
4. ↑ https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/project-sponsorship-collaborative-journey-6210. James, V. M. (2011). Project sponsorship: a collaborative journey. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2011—North America, Dallas, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute
5. ↑ Tools for Complex Projects, CRC Press, 2016. Kaye Remington, Julien Pollack. Role definition, page 125
6. ↑ https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/exploring-role-executive-project-sponsor-8107. Labuschagne, L., Cooke-Davies, T., Crawford, L., Hobbs, J. B., & Remington, K. (2006). Exploring the role of the project sponsor. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2006—North America, Seattle, WA. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
7. ↑ Lechtman, E. (2005). A Holistic Framework for Successfully Sponsoring ITProjects
8. ↑ https://www.apm.org.uk/body-of-knowledge/p3-management/. Association for Project Management