Working with a Sponsorship Committee

Sometimes, the time and extent of authority needed to sponsor a project is beyond what one person can handle. In that case, a sponsorship committee is the answer. Here are tips for working with a sponsorship committee.

• Request an individual to represent the committee when you need quick responses. At times, you will need a quick decision. Communicating with multiple sponsors is time-consuming, so it’s important to have a single sponsorship representative you can contact on short notice. That person can make decisions for the project, or they can poll other committee members if needed.
• Propose logistics for the committee. A project manager can’t dictate how steering committee logistics will work, but the committee usually appreciates reasonable recommendations. Consider the priority and risk elements of the project. Then propose meeting frequency, definition of a quorum, and a standard agenda. The committee may not adopt your suggestions. But proposing sound logistics increases the chances things will run smoothly. Sound logistics also centralize communications, easing the burden on the project manager.
• Strive for a single set of priorities. Work with the sponsorship committee to develop a common set of project priorities. If you’re lucky, members of the committee will agree on the priority of project requirements and the relative importance of project constraints (cost, time, scope, and quality). Hold discussions early to identify potential conflicts. These talks can set the stage for future debates and decision making.
• Propose a decision-making process. It’s important for the committee to agree upon a decision-making process. Will all decisions require a consensus, or is a majority decision acceptable? Will a committee chairperson break ties or logjams? Agreeing to a decision-making process in advance saves considerable time. Without a process, needed decisions might not be made. Influential stakeholders in conflict can kill a project whether you have one or several sponsors. An unmade decision could stall or halt projects,  as the committee tries to develop a decision-making process and make a controversial decision at the same time.
• Define the relationship between the sponsorship and steering committees. Many organizations appoint a steering committee for major projects. Members are typically key managers and customer personnel. Things can get confusing when you have both a steering committee and a sponsorship committee. So, it’s wise to draft a mission statement for the steering committee and one for the sponsorship committee, explaining how the committees work together. This can avoid confusion about where project related decisions will be made.

Have you ever worked with a sponsorship committee? What were the pros and cons? If you have tips or questions about sponsorship committees, share with us in the comments section.

For more about working with sponsors, check out my Project Management Foundations course.