While it might not seem like either of these is a great choice, from a project management perspective there is a clear answer.
First of all, I want to state my firm belief that – after being a part of more than 25 ERP projects during the course of my I.T. career – executive sponsorship/leadership is the single most important factor in determining project success (and a quick internet search will reveal I am not alone in this view).
But most significant projects have some form of executive sponsorship, so why do so many fail? I believe that quite often it is because too many executive sponsors are chickens, not pigs.
You may rightly ask why – in the pantheon of barnyard animals – I have cast my lot in with the lowly pig, as opposed to the regal chicken. To understand the answer, you need only look at the bacon-and-eggs on your breakfast plate (assuming you are neither vegetarian nor vegan!): the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed!
Hopefully this analogy has not offended any of you who have particularly deep feelings for chickens or pigs (or both). However, I believe it does illustrate the point I want to make: in order to be truly effective, your project sponsor must be committed.
Unfortunately, executives who exhibit high degrees of commitment do not walk around with a large ‘C’ on their chest. So, how can you identify those that do have this critical trait? The answer is simple: are they acting like a ‘pig’? (In other words is your executive behaving as if the success or failure of the project will have a significant impact on his/her (professional) life?)
More specifically, ask yourself the questions below:
- Is their leadership visible and tangible to the project team?
- Do they actively participate in meetings and discussions?
- Do they take the time to truly understand issues and risks?
- Do they make timely decisions?
- Do they make a point of checking in with you, even when it’s not on their calendar?
This list is obviously not exhaustive, but if the answer to all of these questions is not ‘yes’, then there could be a cause for concern. So, how can you, as a project manager, encourage more commitment on the part of your executive sponsor? Here are some suggestions:
- Sometimes a project sponsor has been appointed by their manager and has no clear understanding of their role in the project. Therefore, take the time to explain their responsibilities to them at the outset, and confirm their acceptance of these responsibilities.
- Do not assume your executive has a project management background. Give them a primer in project management: clarify terminology, illustrate what happens at various project stages, explain your strategy for highlighting and managing risks and issues, ensure they understand the critical project dependencies (i.e. have at least a basic understanding of how to read a project plan). This will help avoid your executive ‘turning off’ because they have no idea what you’re talking about, or they are failing to understand the significance of the issues you are bringing forward.
- Meet regularly with your executive sponsor, on a schedule that has been put in place well in advance (NOTE: This does not mean you need to maintain the same schedule throughout the project. In fact, the meeting cadence should probably change as you move through your implementation cycle.)
- When you call a meeting with your sponsor, be prepared and have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve during the discussion.
- Hold your sponsor to their commitments. (Obviously, this could be a somewhat sensitive task, so I would advise against a heavy-handed approach, such as kicking in their office door. It will be more effective – and career-extending – to subtly remind them of their commitments on a regular basis and well in advance of the due date.)
- Ensure significant issues and risks are escalated to your sponsor in a timely manner. (Try not to place yourself in a position where your executive says “…If you had told me ‘x’ days/weeks ago, I could have done something. Now it’s too late!…”.)
In summary, I do not want to imply that having a truly committed project sponsor is a panacea for all a project’s ills. There are certainly many reasons why projects fail but having an executive who is a ‘pig’ will greatly increase the chances for success.
