From Project Manager to Project Sponsor: Navigating the Transition
Jim gets appointed to be a Project Sponsor
What a great opportunity for Jim; after all, he’s worked on a number of projects and knows the ropes and his way around a Gantt chart. It’s about time the company recognised his skills.
While Jim has probably been a great Project Manager, does that automatically make him a great choice as Project Sponsor?
Maybe ... maybe not.
Sure, he would have been reporting to a Sponsor in his Project Manager role, but does that actually guarantee Jim knows the finer workings of being a Sponsor? Should Jim just copy what he knows and be the same as everyone else in that role?
Here’s a few things to ponder for Jim (and maybe for you, if you have also been appointed as the Sponsor of a project):
- Can you clearly articulate the problem that the project is attempting to solve? Does everyone agree on what that problem is? Are you sticking to just solving that problem or has there been a bit of scope creep?
- Are you convinced that the budget allocated to the project will actually make a difference? What checks are in place to ensure wise spending?
- Have the financial benefits actually been calculated and who is monitoring those to see if there are any early wins? Who will be checking on those after the project has been completed?
- Business is long term (not really a news item!) but projects are shorter term. Therefore stakeholders need to be considered as a long-term relationship management task, not a short-term gain activity – watch that your key relationships are not burned along the way in the rush to get things done cheaply or quickly.
- How have you and the steering committee agreed to make decisions – is it by consensus, absolute rule or voting? You might need to think about the terms of engagement (how we operate) with the steering committee before the stuff hits the fan.
It’s a lot to consider, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s not just turning up to the monthly status meeting and reading a report. A Project Sponsor plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of a project. We know from experience that a Project Sponsor can significantly contribute to the successful completion and delivery of a project.
Authored by Carol Speirs, one of our project management specialists.
Need some help working all this out? We can provide individual skills coaching for new or emerging Project Sponsors, or we can customise a workshop to help get your Project Sponsors understanding the role and ensuring project success. Contact Nicky at 021 133 1201 or info@odi.org.nz.