Project Sponsors: it’s all about making choices

DFW Scrum – Lighting Talk

October 18, 2016

Presented by Greg Gomel

Illustrations by Grant Gomel

Do you feel like it’s luck the decides if you get a “good” project sponsor?

What if I could show you how to get yours to be where you need them to be?

Let’s look at 3 types of sponsors – they’re like the ones from the Goldilocks story

One is too hard: “it’s a push, push, push world out there”

They get what they want by using the burnt earth method – whatever it takes.

And might ALWAYS be around; adding value by telling you what, how and when (sometimes why).

And pray you don’t have an escalation take place…

The next is the softy, aka the absentee landlord.

They might have been assigned their role by not moving out of the way fast enough.

They’re identified by never being around when you need them.

If you do track them down, try getting a commitment out of them; hey, where’d he go?

Then there’s the project sponsor that’s just right.

They’re involved early on, since it’s their project; but they engage you in clarifying roles, responsibilities and escalation paths.

You know what they want and when they want it; communication is open and two-way.

What made the difference and how do we get to just right?

First, sponsorship isn’t an accidental role and project selection process makes sense

Second, the sponsor understands and practices the fundamentals of effective change management.

Third, you’re there to guide, and upwardly manage them to be what you need; using a RACI is a great first step.

Here’s to you having a happy ending to your Goldilocks story of making good choices!

greggomel@thegomelgroup.com