Let’s Be Clear

The Problem

Vagueness drives me crazy when it comes to defining the roles and responsibilities of a project sponsor. When you ask 10 different people to define this term, you’ll likely get 10 different answers. The various answers or lack of succinctness can cause serious problems. This is particularly important given selection of the project sponsor and their correct execution of their responsibilities is the most important ingredient in achieving project success.

On multiple occasions I’ve met with different clients as they repeat the same fruitless exercise. They list a dozen or more bullets as a definition of the project sponsor. It’s as if someone had their list and passed it on to another person. That person edited a few bullets, deleted a few, and then added their favorites. Is there a cutoff point where the list is complete, or does it go on forever? Is the definition of the term project sponsor undefinable because of our lack of knowledge or is it simply not knowable in exact terms? Maybe if we take a collection of vague terms describing a project sponsor, and throw them in the air, we can come to an agreement on what it means based on the terms that land on a tabletop. But whose list of vague terms is the right one? Which terms do we use from this list? I’m sure there’s a template including the latest list of leadership characteristics I can download from a website so I can start on my own unique set of project sponsor attributes.

The Solution

A clear definition of a sponsor is the recipe we need, as a starting point, for project success. We need a record of concise meaning, not a laundry list of perceptions to guide project sponsor selection and subsequent execution of roles and responsibilities. While I’m not trying to define project sponsor in terms of every possible usage, I maintain we need a crisp definition in a project context as a guiding reference point.

Definition precision for this key project leadership role helps us select an individual based on specified desired behaviors and abilities. When we see these behaviors and abilities or deviations from them, we can rely on the definition to inform us and use its vocabulary to understand what we need in project sponsorship.

So, let’s be clear. A sponsor is a patron, who blesses the project on behalf of their organization. They hold a leadership position, such as chief executive. As the chief executive, they have the formal and informal power to legitimize their organization’s undertaking by approving funding and all other resources required to execute the project successfully. They execute this authority to fulfill the organization’s strategic vision/purpose and priorities.

When a sponsor deviates from his or her role, we can readily see it because we have a concise definition as a reference point. This provides a roadmap for corrective action. Just because an individual holds this leadership position, which means they have authority over others, doesn’t mean they know how to lead. With a clear definition of this role, we can identify a problematic project sponsor. While having a conversation with a sponsor about this is never easy, it’s necessary. This requires preparation before this meeting, including clarity about what others need from the sponsor described in safe language. It is not unusual for a sponsor to have little idea of what their roles and responsibilities mean. So, when working with a sponsor, it helps to start by taking time to understand their viewpoint, particularly about their what’s in it for me. This input may help the sponsor grasp the importance of their role and improve their performance. When it doesn’t, it’s time to seek other options. This can include assessing the sponsor’s performance and providing feedback base on the concise definition. Sometimes it also helps to enlist an effective sponsor peer in the problematic sponsor’s development. In severe cases it may be necessary to replace the sponsor since their underperformance can derail a project. No matter the course of action, this concise definition is the necessary starting point that helps to ensure selection of a capable project leader and the ongoing execution of their responsibilities.