Supporting Sponsor Decision Making
Sponsors have to make critical decisions that can affect both the project and the overall business. But not all project sponsors are ready for this responsibility. As a proactive project manager, you can help. Here’s how:
- Anticipate when decisions are needed. The more time you give a sponsor to ponder the decisions they need to make, the better. That way, they can tell you the data and help that they need to make a confident decision. And you can develop data collection processes and schedule time to review data to ensure it accurately reflects the project situation.
- Sort through facts, intuition, and conjecture. Major decisions often require significant input. To help the sponsor sort through the information they receive: confirm facts, identify when a viewpoint comes from intuition, and when the info shared is someone’s conjecture or assumption. This effort can sometimes help the sponsor confirm assumptions.
- Identify the sponsor’s preferred data sources. Project sponsors usually have favorite data sources, for example, internal trusted advisors or external entities like consulting companies. It’s good practice to proactively ensure the input from these sources is incorporated into the decision-making process.
- Inform the sponsor of the decision pros/cons, including affected stakeholders and business processes. Sponsors might make decisions without fully understanding the impact on all business areas and stakeholders. To address this, it’s best to proactively summarize detailed pros and cons when you present options. That way, your sponsor can use them to make informed decisions.
- Anticipate decision timing impacts. Tell the sponsor about potential timing factors to consider. For example, delaying a product purchase decision until shortly before accounting year-end might mean a lower price. Conversely, purchasing a product earlier, though more expensive, might allow project staff to spend more time learning how to best deploy the product.
- Maintain psychological safety. Project managers should consider what constitutes psychological safety for themselves and then provide the same to their sponsor. That way, the sponsor will probably feel less stress about their decisions. For example, if you disagree with the sponsor, share that information calmly without being judgmental. Share the risks, saying that this information comes from your experience. Unless it is an extreme situation, reassure the sponsor that you will support their decision regardless of the one they make, given they understand the risks.
Do you have an example of how you’ve supported a sponsor’s decision-making? Share with us in the comments.
For more about working with sponsors, check out this Office Hours with Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez.
Coming Up
Whether you’re a manager aiming to lead more effectively or a team member feeling stifled by excessive oversight, this conversation is for you. Join Julie Robinson and I for Office Hours on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 3pm MT, 5 PM ET where we will talk about how to improve performance by reducing or eliminating micro-management. We’ll discuss how to recognize signs of micro-management, whether you’re dishing it out or receiving it. If you’re a manager, you’ll gain insight into the why of this behavior and what you can do to become a more empowering leader. Team members will discover strategies for regaining autonomy. You’ll come away with a handout from Julie with tools and resources to support lasting change. Click here to join!
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