7 Steps to Stronger Relationships Between Project Managers and Sponsors (PM Network®, September 2014, pp. 50–55)

1. Talk Early and Often

“Just as you would do for a kickoff meeting for a project, it's important to do a kickoff meeting for the project manager-sponsor relationship…both parties should outline what they understand their roles to be.”

– Paul Dinsmore, Dinsmore-Compass Consulting, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“It's essential that the project manager and project sponsor have at least a half hour booked very month.”

– Vicki James, Professional Project Services, Seattle, Washington, USA

2. Make It Personal

“Those early friendly conversations build a rapport that makes working together easier.”

– Paul Dinsmore

“Look for areas of commonality. See if there's something you can glean that you can build a relationship upon or at least ask questions about.”

– Vicki James

3. Build the Team Together

“Even the sponsor can change mid-project. When that happens, the project manager must form a bridge between the old sponsor and the new one, says Sakshee Kohli, PMP, program manager, ANZ Bank, Melbourne, Australia.”

4. Speak the Same Language

“Just as a doctor might need to translate medical terms for a patient, a project manager can help the sponsor understand things like earned value analysis and critical path—all those terms project managers take for granted.”

– David West, WSP, London, England

5. Help Me Help You

“Most project managers are independent individuals and assume they should try to handle problems themselves…Sometimes they don't realize that the sponsor's role is to help, particularly in situations that are political in nature…The best thing a sponsor can do is say ‘Hey, if you need help convincing so-and-so, I know him well and we can work together on this.’”

– Paul Dinsmore

6. Anticipate Surprises

“Sponsors should try to avoid surprising project managers with scope creep…[Project managers] should never keep bad news to themselves—especially if negative developments call into question the project's strategic value.”

7. Stay in Your Lane

“Micromanaging is ‘the cardinal sin of project sponsorship,’ says Mr. Dinsmore. When both parties do the work of building trust, outlining roles and responsibilities, and communicating regularly, micromanagement shouldn't be an issue. ‘Presumably, the right project manager has been assigned to the project, so the project sponsor has to trust that that person will do the job.’”

“So, as a project manager, you have to ask yourself: Are they [the sponsors] really micromanaging: Why are they making this request? In the scheme of things, it might not be so bad.”

– Vicki James

The purpose of this evaluation is to measure how well the sponsor supports project management in your organization. The following questions refer to your current project.
If you are not now working on a project, or if your current project has just begun and you feel you cannot answer the questions appropriately, then refer to the last project you worked on when answering these questions. If you are an upper manager, think of the project or projects with which you are most closely associated.
Rate each statement using any number from a low of 1 to a high of 7. Use the following guidelines:
“1” means the statement is true to an extremely small extent, never, or not at all.
“4” means it is true to an average extent, or about normal in degree or frequency.
“7” means it is true to an extremely large extent, always, or without fail.

	1.	The sponsor's goals for the project are clear.
	2.	The sponsor believes there is a real need for the project.
	3.	The sponsor understands how many people or groups will be affected by the project.
	4.	The sponsor understands what resources are needed for the project to be successful.
	5.	The sponsor is willing to commit the resources needed for the project to succeed.
	6.	The sponsor publicly conveys the organization's strong commitment to the project and its desired outcomes.
	7.	The sponsor uses appropriate rewards and pressures to gain support for the project.
	8.	The sponsor ensures that procedures to track progress and problems are established.
	9.	The sponsor is aware of all commitments that are required for the project to succeed.
	10.	The sponsor shows consistent, sustained support for the project.
	Sponsor Factor Total (70-point scale) 10–29 High Risk/Danger 30–49 Moderate/Caution 50–70 Low Risk/Opportunity

Success Assessment

While the purpose of the survey is to measure how well sponsors support project management in your organization, the ultimate benefit being sought is for each project to be successful and contribute value to the organization. The goal of capturing benchmarking data is to correlate component factors with project success.

Assess how well this project has succeeded or has the potential to succeed if it is currently in process.

Use these criteria:

1. Project did not accomplish any of its objectives.

2. Project met only one of its objectives.

3. Project met some of its objectives.

4. Project satisfied the triple constraints of scope, schedule, and resources.

5. Project fully satisfied customer, user, or client requirements.

6. Over time the project contributed significant value, exceeding expectations.

7. Project met or exceeded key stakeholder requirements and contributed value and benefits far in excess of its costs.

The project was a complete success (pick one):

1. Strongly Disagree

2. Disagree

3. Somewhat Disagree

4. Neutral

5. Somewhat Agree

6. Agree

7. Strongly Agree

Success Score:

Purpose:

This Memo of Understanding (MOU) summarizes a proposal between the Englund Project Management Consultancy (Englund PMC) and [organization] for a project sponsorship initiative within [organization].

Vision:

“Achieve Excellence in Project Sponsorship as a Core Competency”

The overall goal is to cover the whys, whats, and hows of project sponsorship practices, so that managers sponsoring projects have the leadership, learning, means, and motivation (L2M2) to better manage their portfolios of projects. Proposed is an accelerated initiative that takes the best thoughts, experiences, and dreams of the people assembled in the organization, combined with leading practices injected from outside the organization, and applies them to get greater results for the company.

Implementation success depends upon developing wide spread organizational support for this initiative, which means ensuring that sponsors and participants are clear about the need and proposed approach to improved project sponsorship practices. A measure of success is that upper managers directly attribute radically improved business results to this initiative.

Statement of Needs:

In support of organizations goals to establish and sustain Project Management as a core competency, there is a need to improve the rigor and consistency in Project Sponsorship.
Means to address these needs are to:

• Gain common alignment and reduce variability in approach and understanding
• Reduce feelings of “don't know what need to do”
• Educate newcomers to the sponsorship role
• Increase sponsor engagement in projects

Furthermore, in support of the question—how can PM's work with sponsors towards successful projects and what information should be provided to help them be successful sponsors—there is a need to take Project Sponsorship and Sponsor/PM Relationships to a higher level of performance.
Means to address these needs are to:

• Identify criteria, selection, and characteristics of high performing sponsors
• Develop a checklist and framework of what is required from and by sponsors at the beginning of projects
• Discover what project managers can do to increase sponsor engagement in projects

Mission:

Project Objective Statement (POS)

Englund PMC proposes consulting and training to develop and deliver a project sponsorship initiative at [the organization] for fees estimated not to exceed $[ ]. We expect the first phase to be completed by the end of [month, year].

This proposal includes working with [organization] to:

• Identify key learning objectives
• Understand current project sponsorship practices and needs
• Establish a baseline maturity level using assessment (Sponsor Evaluation Survey) and interview tools
• Establish appropriate sponsorship for the initiative
• Set aggressive, short term goals
• Refine existing processes and/or methodologies that lead changes across the organization
• Apply leading practices and/or design practices to address specific findings and goals, including an effective and efficient portfolio of projects and improved management practices that create an environment for successful projects
• Implement excellence in project sponsorship
• Pilot the practices, make adjustments as needed, and implement widespread adoption
• Identify case studies for use in training sessions, complete with examples
• Establish regular forums to reinforce goals of the initiative
• Remeasure performance to gauge progress
• Provide recommendations based upon personal experiences and industry best practices
• Develop courseware and facilitated sessions
• Provide on-going consulting as requested

The objective for the initiative is to achieve excellence in project sponsorship as a core competency.

The primary target audience is site VPs, senior directors, and managers. A secondary audience may be senior project managers, extended team managers, critical vendors/suppliers, and other key stakeholders.

Next steps are to complete an agreement between the two parties, develop a course outline, and dialogue with directors (& others) who are sponsoring the initiative.

Project Funding:

The following table shows a breakdown of proposed fees:

Billing will be handled in the following manner:

• Estimates are approximate and can be adjusted up or down
• Fees for discrete activities such as meetings, books, services will be billed upon delivery or on a monthly basis.
• Minimum billing is half day segments.
• Payments on invoices are due within thirty days.
• An additional fee of 5% applies to amount billed if payment not received within 30 days.
• Cancellation of any activity within 14 days is subject to full charges.
• This quotation is effective for 60 days and may be subject to adjustment after that time.
• Rates may also be subject to change at the beginning of a new fiscal year.
• No further licensing fee will be required for perpetual use of the materials developed by this initiative.
• Englund PMC retains rights to use developed materials in other works.
• Any sensitive or proprietary material may be covered by a non-disclosure agreement.

[Sample] Political Plan

• Assessment of environment

  We are a “loose-tight” organization with a moderately weak project culture. Power is relatively diffused and no one person dominates team meetings. People with initiative can step up and succeed but few of these efforts are coordinated across the organization. Ineffective and inefficient processes are a big problem.

• Description of political jungle

  The tigers stay out of our way. The lions’ roars are not heard very far, and the bears seem to run the show, doing their own thing. Venomous attacks can come from anywhere, especially when traversing in new territories.

• Stakeholder roles

  Sponsors are assigned but do not actively support projects unless asked. Team members lack full commitment to the project because of other distractions. Senior management is just beginning to understand the value of project and program management to the vitality of the organization.

• Potential issues

  Too many projects threatens successful completion. Requirements change when managers cater to special interests. Vague understanding of roles and responsibilities creates confusion and leads to missed milestones. Few commitments exist to follow through on project plans.

• Approach to stakeholders and issues

  Need to get tigers involved in supporting program management and a project portfolio process. Need to harness the lions to roar in concert by focusing on a limited set of strategic goals and corresponding projects. The bears will continue to perform as long as we do not disturb them too greatly with complex processes or detailed checklists.

• Strategic response, such as positioning and steps

  A small project office reporting to the general manager can facilitate the introduction of simple portfolio and project management processes. Get the attention of the lions by pointing out the consequences in the market if we fail to systematically coordinate our efforts. Neutralize negative (venomous) behaviors by an open approach to all issues and the free flow of information.

• Action plans

  Interview all stakeholders. Prepare proposal. Line up upper management support. Define the project sponsor role and conduct training for new sponsors. Develop an environment where excellence in project sponsorship contributes to competitive advantage. Select strategic efforts leading first to small wins before rolling out more broadly. Get explicit commitments from all stakeholders. Remember to be authentic and act with integrity in every interaction.