Disengaging the overly involved project sponsor

Nasrullah:
Bravo that this sponsor is engaged but sounds like they are overbearing and micromanaging.

Depending on where you are at in the project 1 yr or is this a 3 year project; you may just have to keep up the moral and keep going. It's not a good idea to disengage the sponsor who is already so embedded into the project.
You can try to create a team environment so there is more openness; it may demonstrate to the sponsor that the team is going to bring this project across the finish line. Also, if you don't already have sponsor meetings setup; start them with the sponsors approval of course. You may also want to vary the meetings so you have an all hands status meeting, technical meetings/stand-up meetings and development meetings etc. Keep your team focused; work with your sponsor to make sure they stay engaged but not in the way.

Hi Nasrullah, your sponsor seems a little unclear of their role- perhaps this useful paper would be helpful to them

http://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/p...-engagement.pdf

Thanks for your feedback and suggestions Naomi.
Having a strong, supportive project sponsor can truly make or break the project. We had described the project objectives at our team kick-off meeting but already that “big picture” is, at best,second hand information. We can engage the sponsor in the delivery and reiteration of this message directly to the team, thus ensuring that the vision is “first hand” and that the sponsor is engaged with the team as required and we get them working as part of the team.

I think the suggestion above are excellent. I have frequently included a slide that outlines the role of each person and what is expected at the kick off- because I have faced disengagement more than over engagement. Also do you have a weekly status update with the sponsor? - that may help them feel that everything is under control.
Let us know how it works out.

The suggestions are perfect, I know there are kick-off (responsibility) hitches, I need to add quickly that ,

1.The sponsor may feel you are not on top of your game.

1b.Get deliverable and Milestone report across to him before he gets it himself.

1c.Present an up-to-date risk register to him , note: not problem register , work harder and quicker with the team to analysis risks, once your risk register is more detailed than he has ,he would start to see your relevance. I have tried this, it worked like fire. Do not disengage; rather manage his engagement.

2.This is not common in projectized organizations , so Mohammed, don't worry if you are seen as a coordinator or expediter ,it's part of your job.

Reading the responses, I see a theme that carries through; transparency, clear expectations, open conversations. I can't pretend to understand the work environment or office politics in your organization, but with all the suggestions prescribed above, I feel confident you can turn this into a win-win situation. Good Luck, and keep us posted.

Sound like a good news that the sponsor is engaged.
Already many excellent suggestions,
Why is he so involved? First time sponsor! What get the sponsor worry? This project or previous projects that fail.
Understanding the why, may help you in proposing suggestion/change that would make the sponsor a complementary helping hand in the project