Accountability for project, 90–96
Active listening, 85
Adaptability, 42
Ambiguity, artful handling of, 85–87
Associated sponsor engagement points, 64
Blaming culture, 39
Business decisions, 52
Business orientation, 39–40
Buy-in, lack of, 50
Change control process, 74–76
costs, 75
sponsor engagement in, 77
Characteristics of executive sponsor
ability to manage self, 87–88
accountability for project, 90–96
assessing, 106–107
behaviors and temperaments, 83–89, 107
communication and listening skills, 84–87
responsive, collaborative, and approachable, 89
roles and responsibilities, 89–105
support for project manager, 96–100
supporting project, 100–105
Collaboration, 40–41
Commitment, stakeholder, 103–104
Communication
effective, 85
skills, 84–87
components, 67
content, 66
description, 65
primary goal of, 66
prior versions of, 65
specific design for, 67
template, 66
Consistency, 62
Continuous improvement, 140, 141
Cultural influences on executive sponsorship, 35
cultural pitfalls. See Cultural pitfalls of sponsorship
cultural readiness, 56–58
deployment pitfalls. See Deployment pitfalls of sponsorship
project management, 35–38
project sponsorship, 44–49
Cultural pitfalls of sponsorship
barriers, 39
blaming, 39
business orientation, 39–40
collaboration, 40–41
effectiveness, 39–41
embrace of process, 40
executive transparency, 43–44
flexibility and adaptability, 42
with project management worksheet, 38
response to risk, 41–42
theory X/Y, 42–43
Cultural readiness, 11
assessing, 56–58
goal of, 57–58
sponsorship program, 57
Current state assessment, 135–136
Customized training, 120
Decisions in timely manner, 105
Deficient competency/skills, 52–53
Delivery methods for sponsorship training, 121, 122
Deployment pitfalls of sponsorship
deficient competency or skills, 52–53
insufficient bandwidth, 54
lack of buy-in, 50
poor performance, 53
refusal to be trained, 51–52
unsustained interest/focus, 55
Effective communication, 85
Effective governance, 94
Effectiveness, 39–41
Effective sponsors, 25
attributes of, 6
criteria and temperament necessary for, 111–112
defined criteria for, 47
evaluate and cultivate, 111
personal characteristics and behaviors of individuals, 7
Emerging projects, sponsorship assignment to, 21–24
Engage senior management, 134–135
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, 56
Executive development, opportunity for, 24–26
Executive project sponsorship
defining, 1
effectiveness of, 1
program, 2
role, effectiveness of, 2
Executive readiness, importance of assessing, 111
Executive sponsor
active, 4–5
assignment to emerging projects, 21–24
characteristics of. See Characteristics of executive sponsor
evolution of preparedness to, 131
expectations for sponsors, 8–9
foundation for, 46–47
impact of, 28–29
improvement plan. See Improvement plan, executive sponsorship
investment in project management, 28–31
leadership development. See Leadership development
modern conceptualization of, 4–8
nomination form, 24
organization, 10–12
origins of, 4
prioritizing projects for, 20–21
program, attributes, 129
projects with and without, 4
project visibility, 19–20
refining, monitoring of, 140
roles and responsibilities, 8
training and support, 12
Executive transparency, 43–44
Flexibility, 42
Framework goals, measures of progress toward, 140, 141
Functional executives, 25
Global Alliance for Project Performance Standards (GAPPS) Framework, 89–90, 93, 98
assessing individual sponsor, 90
decisions in timely manner, 105
primary roles, 89–90
readiness for project reviews, 103–104
stakeholder commitment, 103–104
Improvement plan, executive sponsorship, 133–134
assess current state, 135–136
assessment tools, 136
for continuous improvement, 140, 141
effective prioritization, 140
engage senior management, 134–135
explicit support for, 134–135
first-priority gaps/weaknesses to address, 137–138
general support for, 134
holistic approach for, 139–140
identify and prioritize areas for, 136–138
identify gaps and opportunities for, 135
plans to address priorities, 138–140
sample action plan, 139
Individual sponsor, assessing, 90
Infrastructure requirements, 136
Insufficient bandwidth, 54
Inter-relationships, 136
Inventory of recent strategic projects, 113, 115
Language, 61–62
for standard processes and tools, 61–62
Leader/negotiator role, 51
Leadership development
instrument for future, 26–27
mechanism for project manager development, 27–28
opportunity for executive development, 24–26
Leadership role, 51
Listening skills, 84–87
Meeting Minute Package, 68–71
advantages, 70–71
template, 69–70
Negotiation/decision making, 53
Nomination form, executive sponsorship, 24
One-on-one training, 120
Organizational culture, 44
Organizational preparedness, 127–128
baseline assessment, 130–131
monitoring and continuous improvement, 131
rating criteria for executive sponsorship program attributes, 129
senior management’s perception of, 128
tools and process, 14, 128–130
Organizational sponsors
effectiveness of, 113
Performance, 53
Priorities, plans to address, 138–140
Prioritization process for executive sponsorship, 20–21, 23
Project kick-off meeting, roles, responsibilities, and behavior, 120
Project life-cycle process, 64
sponsor touch points in, 65
Project management, 35–38
benefits of, 36
culture, 36
effective, 36
executive sponsorship impact on, 29
influencers of executive perception of, 30
investment in, 28–31
life cycle phase, 9
literature, 6
maturity, 37
sustainability of, 28
waxing and waning commitment to, 28–29
worksheet, 38
Project Management Institute (PMI), 3
Project Management Office (PMO), 15, 23, 59, 80, 108, 125, 131
cultural barriers, 59
executive sponsors, 108
leadership, 129
operational preparedness, 131
project management standards, 80
sponsor readiness, 125
sponsorship program improvement plans, 142
Project management standards, 12, 112
assess and identify gaps, 78–79
change control process, 74–76
communication package, 64–68
comprehensive set of, 63
essential process/tool considerations, 63–64
language, 61–62
Meeting Minute Package, 68–71
practices, 62
processes/tools and sponsor engagement, 76–77
project life-cycle processes, 64
risk management process, 71–74
Project manager, 15, 32, 59–60, 80–81, 96, 98, 99, 108, 125, 132
cultural barriers, 59–60
development, mechanism for, 27–28
effectiveness and working relationships with, 1–2
gap identification and improvement teams, 142
operational preparedness assessment, 132
project management standards, 80–81
senior management, 32
support for, 96–100
training planning, 125
Project messaging, 68
Project outcomes, 112–116
assessing, 116
and sponsor contribution worksheet, 124
Project reviews, readiness for, 103–104
Project scope, definition, 75
Project sponsorship
cultural indicator, 45–46
effectiveness, 7
enhancing, 48
organizational culture, 44
organizational readiness, 47
preparation for planning, 44
project management, 46
role, 45
senior management, 44–45
Project, supporting, 99–105
Radar diagram in spreadsheet, 130
Readiness for project reviews, 103–104
Realization, orchestrate plans for, 95
Refusal to be trained, 51–52
Response to risk, 41–42
Risk management process, 71–74
Risk register, 71–72
Risk-response plans, 84
Risk statement
example of, 74
format for writing, 72
Schedule performance over time, 114
Self-management, 87–88
Senior executives, 26
Senior management, 20, 21, 44, 130
Situational leadership skills, 6
Situational Sponsorship Model, 7
Skills
communication and listening, 84–87
deficient, 52–53
leadership, 6
situational leadership, 6
Sponsor, 6
additional benefits, 145–146
behavior, reinforcing, 48–49
communication, 66
expectations for, 8–9
five-step assessment process, 10–11
framework, initial assessment of, 133
historic, 5
information, external sources of, 118
involvement worksheet, assessment tool-standardized processes for, 79
performance, standard for, 111
professional development opportunities from, 26
projects and effectiveness of, 112–113
role, effectiveness of, 2
roles, responsibilities, and behavior, 120
Sponsor contribution, 112–116
process, assessing, 116
subjective assessment of, 115–116
Sponsor engagement
in change control process, 77
processes/tools and, 76–77
Sponsor readiness, 111–112
assessing, 121–124
focus areas for, 112
project outcomes and sponsor contribution, 112–116
right people for sponsor role, 116–117
schedule performance over time, 114
sponsorship training, 119–121
sustainable sponsorship standards, 117–119
Sponsorship program
cultural readiness focus, 57
framework for assessing, 3, 78, 106, 123
Sponsorship training, 119–121
delivery methods for, 121, 122
development and implementation of, 46
gap identification and remediation, 119, 123
implementing/refining, 119
process for, 119
programs, 121
Stakeholder commitment, 103–104
Strategic projects, inventory of recent, 113, 115
Sustainable sponsorship standards, 117–119
Training
customized, 120
delivery methods for sponsorship, 121, 122
one-on-one, 120
planning, 125
sponsorship. See Sponsorship training
and support, 12
Unsustained interest/focus, 55