Project Sponsorship Best Practices Guide
Introduction
Project sponsorship plays a critical role in the success of professional services projects. A project sponsor provides strategic guidance, ensures alignment with business objectives, and removes obstacles that could hinder project execution. Effective project sponsorship helps drive project success by ensuring strong governance, stakeholder engagement, and risk management.
This guide outlines best practices for project sponsorship, structured across the key phases of the professional services project lifecycle.
1. Role of the Project Sponsor
A project sponsor should:
Champion the project within the organization.
Provide executive-level support and strategic direction.
Secure necessary resources and budget.
Facilitate decision-making and remove roadblocks.
Monitor project progress and ensure business value realization.
Act as an escalation point for critical issues.
Promote stakeholder engagement and change management.
2. Project Sponsorship Best Practices by Phase
SELL Phase: Establishing Sponsorship and Business Alignment
Key Responsibilities:
Define project objectives, success criteria, and business impact.
Ensure project alignment with corporate strategy and priorities.
Advocate for the project with executive leadership and secure funding.
Engage key stakeholders to gather support and input.
Set high-level expectations for governance, reporting, and decision-making.
Best Practices:
Clearly articulate the business case and value proposition.
Ensure executive buy-in and sponsorship at the leadership level.
Establish a governance model for decision-making.
ONBOARD Phase: Setting Up for Success
Key Responsibilities:
Ensure a smooth transition from sales to delivery.
Assign a project sponsor who is actively engaged.
Validate project scope, key milestones, and stakeholder roles.
Support risk identification and mitigation planning.
Establish formal governance structures, including regular steering committee meetings.
Best Practices:
Conduct an executive-level kickoff meeting to reinforce commitment.
Define and communicate roles and responsibilities for governance.
Ensure change management considerations are included in planning.
IMPLEMENT Phase: Driving Project Execution
Key Responsibilities:
Ensure the project remains aligned with business goals.
Monitor key project milestones and overall health.
Act as an escalation point for resolving critical risks and issues.
Reinforce accountability for project outcomes.
Ensure proactive communication with key stakeholders.
Best Practices:
Schedule and participate in regular steering committee meetings.
Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress.
Address scope changes promptly to manage impact on budget and timeline.
ADOPT Phase: Ensuring a Smooth Transition
Key Responsibilities:
Oversee go-live readiness and change management efforts.
Ensure business users are equipped for successful adoption.
Monitor early-stage system usage and end-user engagement.
Facilitate quick resolution of post-go-live issues.
Best Practices:
Sponsor user training and engagement initiatives.
Reinforce commitment to adoption in leadership communications.
Gather feedback from end-users and address adoption barriers.
TRANSITION Phase: Formalizing Project Closure
Key Responsibilities:
Ensure all success criteria and business objectives have been met.
Participate in the formal project closure meeting.
Review and approve final project documentation.
Facilitate transition to ongoing support and customer success teams.
Recognize and celebrate project team contributions.
Best Practices:
Conduct a lessons learned review to drive continuous improvement.
Ensure long-term ownership and support structures are in place.
Communicate project success to stakeholders and executive teams.
OPTIMIZE Phase: Driving Continuous Value
Key Responsibilities:
Support periodic business reviews to assess solution effectiveness.
Drive opportunities for further optimization and innovation.
Advocate for additional investment in improvements if needed.
Ensure alignment of technology with evolving business needs.
Best Practices:
Leverage post-implementation analytics to measure ROI.
Identify and implement process or system improvements.
Maintain ongoing executive engagement for long-term success.
3. Summary of Sponsor Engagement by Phase
Phase
Key Sponsor Activities
SELL
Define objectives, secure funding, align strategy
ONBOARD
Assign sponsor, establish governance, mitigate risks
IMPLEMENT
Monitor progress, escalate issues, drive accountability
ADOPT
Ensure adoption, support change management, track engagement
TRANSITION
Formalize closure, validate success, transition ownership
OPTIMIZE
Assess effectiveness, support ongoing improvements
4. Conclusion
Effective project sponsorship is a cornerstone of successful project execution in professional services. By ensuring strong executive involvement, proactive risk management, and a commitment to business outcomes, sponsors can help drive projects to completion with lasting value.
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