(^152) 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
Project Sponsors—Good, Bad, and Ugly
Jorge Gelabert, PMP
Berlin, Connecticut, U.S.
EvERy PRojECT nEEDS A SPonSoR—usually the person who initiated the
project and is responsible for providing the financial resources to successfully
complete it. Typically, this is someone high in the organization who will cham-
pion the project and step in when the software project manager faces company
challenges beyond his control. The larger the project, the greater the impor-
tance of a strong sponsor.
In my experience, sponsors come in three flavors: good, bad, and ugly. It is
important to recognize each type and know how to deal with it.
The worst type of sponsorship is “ugly.” These sponsors are usually assigned.
Therefore, they have no personal investment in what the project is delivering
or its intended use. Such a sponsor tends not to listen to the project manager
and instead focuses on arbitrary due dates set by those who have assigned
him/her to the project. Benign neglect is common. Assigned project sponsors
may change frequently, so there is no continuity.
Spotting this type of sponsorship is easy; addressing the problem is not. The
software project manager must work with the sponsor and respond to his/her
desires. Often this is at odds with making the project successful. One answer
can be to find a surrogate sponsor, a person or group who will benefit from the
deliverables of the project and who may be able to provide the assistance typi-
cally provided by a sponsor. Alternately, the project manager can ask others
with influence to intervene on their behalf with the current sponsor. Your suc-
cess will depend heavily on how well you, the project manager, are networked
within the organization.