Executive sponsor (sometimes called project sponsor or senior responsible owner) is a role in
project management
Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...
, usually the senior member of the project board and often the chair. The project sponsor will be a senior
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dir ...
in a corporation (often at or just below board level) who is responsible to the business for the success of the
project
A project is a type of assignment, typically involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a specific objective.
An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of events: a "set of interrelated tasks to be ...
.
Responsibilities
The sponsor has a number of interfaces and responsibilities for the project.
Board
The responsibilities for which the sponsor is accountable to the board are:
* Provides leadership on culture and values
* Owns the
business case
A business case captures the reasoning for initiating a project or task. Many projects, but not all, are initiated by using a business case. It is often presented in a well-structured written document, but may also come in the form of a short ver ...
* Keeps project aligned with organization's strategy and portfolio direction
* Governs project risk
* Works with other sponsors
* Focuses on realization of benefits
* Recommends opportunities to optimize cost/benefits
* Ensures continuity of sponsorship
* Provides assurance
* Provides feedback and
lessons learned
Lessons learned (American English) or lessons learnt (British English) are experiences distilled from past activities that should be actively taken into account in future actions and behaviors.
Definition
There are several definitions of the ...
Project manager
The governance activities that take place between the sponsor and the
project manager
A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers have the responsibility of the Project planning, planning, procurement and execution of a project, in any undertaking that has a defined scope, defined star ...
are:
* Provides timely decisions
* Clarifies decision-making framework
* Clarifies business priorities and strategy
* Communicates business issues
* Provides
resources
''Resource'' refers to all the materials available in our environment which are Technology, technologically accessible, Economics, economically feasible and Culture, culturally Sustainability, sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and want ...
* Engenders trust
* Manages relationships
* Supports the project manager's role
* Promotes ethical working
Project stakeholders
In addition to these activities the following activities take place between the sponsor and other
project stakeholder
Project stakeholders are persons or entities who have an interest in a specific project. According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), the term ''project stakeholder'' refers to "an individual, group, or organization, who may affect, be affe ...
s:
* Engages stakeholders
* Governs stakeholder communications
* Directs client relationships
* Directs governance of users
* Directs governance of suppliers
* Arbitrates between stakeholders
Impact
Due to the problem-solving needs of the role, the executive sponsor often needs to be able to exert pressure within the organization to overcome resistance to the project. For this reason a successful executive sponsor will ideally be a person with five personal attributes - understanding, competence, credibility, commitment and engagement.
A few research studies have been published that not only detail the role of this individual within project management but also provide a way to ensure that the success of a project is increased if this individual plays a more active role.
Senior Responsible Officer role
The
UK government
His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. treats the role of a Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) as distinct from the sponsor's role, referring to projects where the sponsor "may be considered to be at a very senior level or part of a sponsoring group, above the SRO". A
Public Administration Select Committee
The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee (PACAC), formerly known as the Public Administration Select Committee, is a committee appointed by the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Its primary role is to scrutinize ...
report published in 2011 and critical of UK
government IT procurement, noted that SRO's had often moved on to new roles during the course of an acquisition project, and this was one of the reasons why problems had been encountered.
[House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee]
Government and IT - "a recipe for rip-offs": time for a new approach
Volume 1, page 8, published 28 July 2011, accessed 15 November 2022
See also
*
Project sponsorship
References
Further reading
*
Exploring the Role of the Project Sponsor', conducted by members of the
Project Management Institute
The Project Management Institute (PMI, legally Project Management Institute, Inc.) is a U.S.-based not-for-profit professional organization for project management.
Overview
PMI serves more than five million professionals including over 680,0 ...
, in particular, Dr Lynn Crawford and Christine Brett (both at the
University of Technology in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
).
*
Top Challenges in managing Executive Sponsor Programs ', based on research from the Executive Sponsor Industry Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Executive Sponsor
Project management