In my experience when the project sponsor has a clear vision on how they want the project to be,than it's good. But if they have lack of focus with a loose vision, then it's the opposite situation. So, far I have mixed experience with some good and some really bad.
I find that the role of the sponsor and how the PM will receive their support is important to whether they help or hinder a project. A sponsor can be a good support system when dealing with difficult stakeholders (for example), however, if the sponsor is a former PM and is more focused on the details of managing the project than supporting the objectives of the final outcome then this can be detract from the project success.
Michael those kinds of sponsors are difficult as you say because they are former PM's and tend to want to go over the finer details of your project management just for the sake of it. Saving Changes...
In my experience when the project sponsor has a clear vision on how they want the project to be,than it's good. But if they have lack of focus with a loose vision, then it's the opposite situation. So, far I have mixed experience with some good and some really bad.
Thanks Anish, I too have a mixed experience as I am sure many have. Saving Changes...
Hirdesh SinghalChief Executive Officer| Center for Electronic Systems Research Education and IncubationHyderabad, Ranga Reddy District, Telangana, India
Sponsor is one of the most important stakeholders in projects to manage. As this is the sponsor who takes the decision to invest in the project, it is important that he/she is managed actively.
If sponsor is not engaged in the project, it will definitely become a burden.
One needs to engage sponsor from the beginning. Sponsor is primarily interested in the outcome or ROI of the project. Therefore, the engagement strategy needs to meet the expectations.
However, there might be some practical scenario where the above statements are not true. For example, in an organization context, a project has been thrust on the sponsor. It does not interest him. It becomes difficult to engage him. In such a scenario, you need to adopt a different strategy. It will then start from the basics --- understand his expectations and map him on influence and expectations matrix and decide your strategy. Saving Changes...
