How to Coach Your Project Sponsor

How to Coach Your Project Sponsor

An effective sponsor can contribute 30% or more to a project’s success. Yet, according to recent research performed jointly with Harvard Business Review, only 13% of executives have received specific training on how to be a successful project sponsor. What do good sponsors do and how can you make sure yours is doing those things?

A project sponsor is usually a senior executive with a vested interest in the success of the project and enough authority to shepherd it to success. A sponsor makes sure the project is aligned with the organization’s strategy and goals, helps obtain the funding and resources it needs, supports the project and the project manager, communicates with senior management and stakeholders about the project, oversees project execution, assists with solving challenging problems, and more.

The sponsor does a lot, so a bad or untrained project sponsor can lead to an unhappy team and project failure. Antonio recommends coaching your sponsor. For example, at the beginning of the project, set up a meeting with your project sponsor to review the importance of the role and its key responsibilities, and discuss how the two of you will work together. Then, request a 30-minute meeting, ideally every two weeks on the same day and time to create a habit. In this meeting, you can provide a project update and discuss any support you need. 

Have questions about the specific duties of project sponsors, how they can support you as the project manager, or how you diplomatically coach an executive-level project sponsor? Join Antonio and Bonnie in their Office Hours event, Building a Better Project Sponsor, on January 9, 2025, at 9 AM MT.

Coming Up

December 11, 2024 Where Microsoft Project Management Tools Stand Today

Microsoft project management products come and go, change names, and introduce or retire features, which can be confusing and a bit nerve-wracking. On December 11, 2024 at 9am ET/11am MT, Bonnie Biafore and Cindy M. Lewis will answer your questions about Microsoft’s project management tools: what’s changing, what’s new, and what’s staying the same. Feel free to add your questions to the comments section of the event.

January 9, 2025 Coaching Your Project Sponsor

The project sponsor plays a big part in the success of the project. And yet, very few executives understand their role as project sponsor. In this Office Hours, Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez joins me to talk what makes a great project sponsor and what you can do to ensure that your sponsor lives up to their title.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 82,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

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