Avoid Mistakes When Sponsoring a Project
If you are a sponsor who is looking to complete a project, there are a number of things you will want to avoid. Doing the things described in this article will likely lead to failure, and it can cost you a great deal of time and money. In some cases, your reputation could become damaged. The first mistake that you will want to avoid is failing to meet the project manager during the planning stage.
It is important for the project manager to have a clear understanding of what you are looking to achieve from the project. If you cannot meet with them, how can they know your vision?
Meeting with the team during the planning stage will allow you to tell them in detail what you are looking for. You don’t want any assumptions to be made. When it comes to project management, assumptions lead to disaster. Another mistake made by sponsors is failing to give a speedy reply to written plans that are submitted to them by project managers. As soon as you’ve read over the plan, you will want to immediately respond telling rather you accept or you reject it. If your reject it, you must give them a detailed reason for it. Failing to do this will damage the morale of the team, and they will not be certain how to properly proceed with the project.
Once the project is in progress, the sponsor will not want to do anything that destroys the connection of the team. For example, if you have a problem with the project manager, you will want to bring this up to them directly. It is a waste of time and energy to talk about the issue with one of their subordinates. Make sure the issues is discussed in an open manner. This will ensure that there are no disruptions in the completion of a project. When you attend project status events, you should take the time to be helpful. While you should not be overly critical, you should let the team know what you truly thing of the project so far, and you should also give them a list of areas where improvements will be necessary.
One terrible mistake that sponsors will want to avoid is using the funds within the budget of the project management team for their own personal use. This is a dangerous for a number of reasons. First, it is dishonest. In addition to this, you are reducing the ability of the team to fund the project. If they don’t have the necessary funds available to complete the project, how can they be successful? You must make sure that the accounts for the project and your personal accounts are separated at all times. If the project should fail or succeed, you should always take responsibility. You should never place all the blame on the project manager if the project fails, and you should not take all the credit if they are successful.
Sponsors play an important role in the success or failure of a project. Sponsors who are honest and actively involved with the team will greatly help them become successful. Remember, hiring a team to carry out a project can be an expensive endeavor.
It doesn’t make much sense to waste money on a project that ultimate fails because you did not do your part to make sure it would become a success. Both the team and the sponsor must work together seamlessly. At the beginning of the project, you must make your vision clearly understood. As the project progresses, you must monitor it carefully to make sure that vision is being maintained.
In order for a project to succeed, the sponsor must not have the attitude of the "project manager and their team will do all the work." If though you are there sponsor, your input is of crucial important. Working with them and monitoring their progress will build a sense of morale with the team, and this will allow them to work harder. The end result of this will not doubt be success. Everyone on the team has their own specific role, and this includes the sponsor, who plays an integral role in the team. Without a sponsor, there would often be no project for the team to work on.
