Owe Thy Sponsor

I’ve read a number of articles about the value an engaged sponsor adds to a project. They help provide funding. They help settle scope issues. They act as boundary mangers. Their vision helps define the project and their leadership provides light on the project team’s darkest days.

These articles go on to say a good project manager will keep the sponsor informed. They will meet frequently so the sponsor knows the issues and challenges faced by the teams. Etc. Etc. Etc.

I agree… this all makes perfect sense and who wouldn’t welcome a good sponsor’s support.

But I think there is something missing. I think we sometimes try to make sponsor relationships sterile and we try to build them into repeatable processes that hold minor mention in our project schedule. They are placed in communication plans or issue management plans and there they sit.

To understand what we owe thy sponsor, we need to really understand what sponsors risk. We also need to understand what can happen to them when a project fails. And when we have a “good” sponsor, we need to understand how to thank them for their support.

Sponsors risk many things in the projects they champion. Many times they have to strike bargains so project teams have the resources they need to achieve project goals. As an example, a critical path task may require highly skilled or specialized staff resources. As is the usual case, those resources are in high demand. Your sponsor may have to give something in order for your project to get the resources you tell them you need.

Sadly many organizations only remember the bad and forget the good. A sponsor may have a great track record but let one highly visible project stumble and they become yesterday’s news. Or the new senior leader wants any excuse to replace a long term leader and a project failure may be just the ticket. Once again our project sponsors are placed at risk by our actions.

So the next time you send your sponsor a status update or meet with them face to face, take the time to understand what they need in exchange for their support. Put yourself in their shoes and consider what it would be like to work with their manager or peers. Don’t underestimate the impact you can have on their success. When you ask for their support just remember you owe them yours.