A productive relationship between the project manager and sponsor is vital. Each relationship is unique, as the individuals involved are unique. So, you must develop the relationship with intention. Here are critical items to understand to ramp up the development of your sponsor relationship:
- Understand your sponsor’s motivations and concerns. This provides insights to their business perspectives, which is useful to support your relationship. Sponsors launch projects for many reasons. You should be certain you understand those reasons along with any concerns the sponsor has about the project. A sponsor may personally want the benefits of a project or may be told to deliver a project by their senior manager. Understanding why a sponsor wants a project delivered or would rather not own a project that was forced upon them is key to understanding their sensitivities, so you can proactively support their needs.
- Does your sponsor prefer details or overview? Communicating with a focus on your sponsor’s needs builds confidence and rapport. We all have preferred ways to receive information. Some like to see the big picture, while others prefer to dive into the details. You may find your sponsor likes to focus on completed and upcoming tasks, whereas others concentrate on your budget status. Find the best way to share status, and you’ll increase your efficiency and your sponsor’s confidence.
- Where is your sponsor succeeding or wanting to improve? Understanding your sponsor’s terms for success, and areas they feel they need to improve will influence your project approach. These perceptions will contribute to the priority of your triple constraints of cost, scope and time. This also enables you to understand the trade-offs your sponsor is willing to make, and where you will need to do your homework relative to risk, and variance reporting. Support improvement areas, while not detracting from areas of success, and you’ll win a sponsor’s dedication to your management approach.
- Understand your sponsor’s decision-making approach. Some managers prefer having facts laid out so they can analyze them to determine a course of action. Others want to see options with pros and cons so they can choose based on the analysis you have performed. Understanding this preference will increase your efficiency in getting decisions made and can streamline your approach to change management for your projects. Tailor your change management and project priority decisions in the frame preferred by your sponsor and you’ll both effectively navigate project issues.
To learn more, check out my Project Management Foundations course on LinkedIn Learning.
