The Project Sponsor is often referred to as the ‘Project Champion’. A committed, available, and supportive Project Sponsor is a magical ingredient that can make or break a project. Sure, effective delivery is important, but having a champion who can advocate for the project, build its vision, and ensure that benefits are realised is the key factor that enables the pre-project and the post-project to succeed.
At the end of the day, a project is a means to a higher end. The Sponsor is therefore the organisational link that ensures the project will leave a sustainable legacy.
Despite projects being delivered on behalf of the Sponsor, it is not rare for Sponsors not to know what their role entails. Often, they are subject matter experts or heads of departments who have not received any project management education. They speak business, not the project management language: yet they are asked to make decisions about the project. Would you feel comfortable making a decision in Portuguese if you did not speak the language? That is precisely what we ask of our Sponsors.
The Project Sponsor vs the Project Manager: Understanding the Distinction
Every project, regardless of size, needs at least two distinct roles: a Project Manager and a Project Sponsor. These must always be different people. Having the same person fill both roles means they are effectively endorsing their own work, which is not good for the project, the organisation, or the individual.
The Project Manager is responsible for managing the project within agreed constraints and tolerances: the classic triangle of time, cost, and scope/quality. Inside that triangle, the Project Manager is in charge. However, it is not the Project Manager’s job to decide what that triangle looks like: to authorise the scope, set the budget, or determine the timeline. That is the Sponsor’s domain.
Think of it this way: the Project Manager operates inside the triangle, while the Sponsor operates outside and around it, making sure the triangle itself is appropriate, justified, and aligned with organisational strategy. The Sponsor is accountable for the project; the Project Manager is responsible for managing it.
To hold the Sponsor to account and set strategic direction, there must also be some form of project board, steering committee, or governance group. Empowerment and information flow downward; escalations flow upward. This linear governance structure is what makes projects work.
What Are the Key Responsibilities of a Project Sponsor?
1. Represent the investment and organisational interests
As the representative of the organisation, the Sponsor is responsible for ensuring the project adheres to established project and portfolio management (PPM) processes and governance. This includes compliance with agreed stage gates, financial approvals, and budgeting principles. The Sponsor also ensures the project aligns with the organisation’s culture, codes of conduct, and ethics.
Sponsorship ideally starts before the project is even initiated. When a need, problem, or opportunity is identified, the Sponsor, as someone with sufficient authority and strategic understanding, must review it, verify it, and provide initial endorsement. Not every need can be addressed; the Sponsor helps ensure organisational effort is focused where it matters most.
2. Provide leadership and support to the Project Manager
The Sponsor should offer strategic guidance and support to the Project Manager, complementing the project’s delivery focus with organisational context and foresight. They equip the Project Manager with the project vision, business case, outcomes, requirements, and anticipated benefits, helping them understand priorities and potential trade-offs.
A good Sponsor is a critical friend to the Project Manager: championing the project, removing obstacles, and empowering the team without crossing into micromanagement. The Sponsor also has the power to set the tone for the project, establishing a culture of collaboration, psychological safety, and open communication.
3. Act as the point of escalation
If the Project Manager or team encounters a risk or issue beyond their capacity to resolve, or any change that exceeds agreed tolerances, prompt escalation to the Sponsor is essential. The Sponsor must respond swiftly, providing leadership and guidance, and if required, escalating further to the board or steering group.
A useful way to think about this: if a decision or action fits within the constraints triangle and does not change tolerances, it sits with the Project Manager. Anything that exceeds or alters those tolerances must be escalated to the Sponsor.
4. Stakeholder management
The Sponsor plays an active role in stakeholder management, particularly when the Project Manager does not have the authority to resolve certain issues, such as when project tolerances are breached or when additional resources or scope changes are required. The Sponsor’s relationships and networks are a critical asset here; their ability to negotiate, influence, and unlock doors is something the Project Manager typically cannot replicate.
Failing to engage stakeholders is one of the most common reasons projects fail. The Sponsor must be present, visible, and willing to advocate.
5. Oversee progress reporting and governance
The Sponsor should regularly review project status reports, encouraging transparency and a culture of honest reporting. When amber or red indicators appear, they should be addressed promptly, not hidden. The Sponsor is also responsible for participating in and visibly supporting project reviews and board presentations. A Sponsor who cannot attend key governance meetings sends a damaging message to the rest of the organisation about the project’s importance.
6. Accountability for benefits realisation
Ultimately, a project’s success is measured not by whether it was delivered on time and on budget, but by whether it achieved meaningful, measurable results. The Sponsor is accountable for those benefits. Even when there is a long lag between the project outcome and when benefits are measurable, as is common in public health or organisational transformation, the Sponsor endorses the investment based on what is known today and continues to verify that endorsement throughout.
Success requires balance: benefits must be achieved within an acceptable level of investment. It is not ‘benefits at any cost’, and it is not ‘completing the project regardless of results’. The Sponsor is the person who determines what an acceptable balance looks like.
What Makes an Effective Project Sponsor? Key Characteristics
When organisations are asked what they want from their Sponsors, the same themes consistently emerge: engagement, accountability, credibility, communication, and leadership. Here is what good project sponsorship looks like in practice:
| Characteristic | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Authority | The Sponsor must have sufficient seniority to make decisions, act as an escalation point, and represent the project credibly to senior stakeholders. |
| Credibility | Beyond formal authority, the Sponsor needs credibility with stakeholders: a combination of interpersonal skill, sound judgement, and a track record of acting ethically and in the organisation’s best interest. |
| Strategic understanding | A Sponsor who does not understand the organisational context cannot make sound decisions or reflect the organisation’s risk appetite. Strategic awareness is non-negotiable. |
| PM awareness | Sponsors do not need to be project management experts, but a working knowledge of constraints, tolerances, and escalation is essential. Without it, they risk making decisions that are undeliverable or harmful to the project. |
| Subject matter awareness | Sponsors do not need to be the greatest expert in the project subject. What matters is the ability to draw on others’ expertise, listen actively, ask the right questions, and build credibility through good judgement. |
| Commitment and engagement | Being present should be the minimum requirement. A Sponsor who does not attend key meetings or reviews signals to the rest of the organisation that the project is not a priority. If a Sponsor is consistently disengaged, it may be a signal that the project itself lacks value and should be reviewed. |
| Courage | Effective sponsorship requires bravery: the courage to champion a difficult project, fight for resources, or withdraw support when something has fundamentally changed. |
| Capacity | The Sponsor must have enough time to fulfil their role. Capacity is consistently cited as the biggest challenge in project sponsorship. Without sufficient time and attention, sponsorship becomes ineffective by default. |
| Relationships and networks | The Sponsor role is fundamentally a people role. The ability to build and maintain relationships with senior executives is what enables the Sponsor to remove blockers, secure support, and negotiate when needed. |
How to Choose the Right Project Sponsor
Choosing the right Sponsor for a project is one of the most important decisions an organisation can make. Some things to consider:
- Skin in the game: ideally, the Sponsor represents the part of the business where benefits will be realised. They should be invested in the outcomes, not just providing resources.
- Appropriate level of authority: categorise projects by complexity and strategic importance, and match the seniority of the Sponsor accordingly. Smaller projects may be appropriate for a head of department; major strategic initiatives may require director-level or above.
- Avoid default sponsorship: automatically assigning the head of department as Sponsor for every project carries risks: blind spots, complacency, and overloaded individuals who cannot give any project sufficient attention.
- Consider splitting the role: in some organisations, a senior sponsor holds ultimate accountability while a deputy or ‘sponsor executive’ carries out the day-to-day responsibilities. This can work well, particularly for complex or programme-level work.
- Safeguard capacity: limit the number of projects any one individual sponsors, and consider what backfilling of BAU responsibilities might be needed.
Common Challenges with Project Sponsorship
Finding the right balance in project sponsorship can be challenging. An absent or disengaged Sponsor impedes progress; an overly involved Sponsor risks micromanaging and undermining the Project Manager. The goal is a Sponsor who acts as a critical friend: championing the project, providing support, and removing obstacles, while trusting the Project Manager to manage.
The most commonly cited challenges include:
- Sponsors who lack sufficient time to dedicate to the project
- Sponsors who are unclear about what their role requires, ranging from a misunderstanding that it is symbolic sign-off to confusion about how hands-on they should be
- Remote and hybrid working arrangements that create physical and psychological distance between Sponsors and project teams
- Organisational goal posts shifting, making it difficult for Sponsors to know what the priority is
- Ineffective boards or steering committees that fail to support and hold Sponsors to account
How to Deal with Poor Project Sponsorship
When a Sponsor is absent or ineffective, the first step is to understand why. The root cause usually falls into one of three categories:
1. Capability: they do not know how to be a Sponsor
Have a direct conversation about the challenges the project is facing and what is expected. Set clear expectations before the project starts, covering meeting attendance, decision-making, timelines, communication, and how to balance business and project responsibilities. Formal education, such as Wellingtone’s APM Endorsed Sponsoring Successful Projects course, is the most effective solution where there is a wider organisational sponsorship challenge.
2. Belief: they do not believe in the project
If a Sponsor has been assigned to a project they do not believe in, they may distance themselves from it. In this case, explore their genuine concerns and identify whether they can be addressed. If not, it may be necessary to go back to the business and consider changing the Sponsor to someone who does support the change.
3. Capacity: they are too busy
If the Sponsor sees the project as an additional burden on an already stretched schedule, consider whether some responsibilities can be redistributed, either by the Project Manager taking on more, or by introducing a deputy or executive sponsor who can handle day-to-day sponsorship activities.
How to Help Sponsors Get and Stay Engaged
- Ensure there is a clear, shared understanding of the Sponsor role: its purpose, boundaries, and what good looks like. Consider a workshop, such as Wellingtone’s APM Endorsed Sponsoring Successful Projects course, to bring Sponsors up to speed in context.
- Run a kick-off meeting at the start of every project to clarify roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Repeatable processes make it easier for Sponsors to engage consistently across multiple projects.
- Use varied communication methods: little and often tends to work best. Short, focused meetings are more effective than infrequent marathon sessions.
- Celebrate success. Connecting Sponsors visibly to benefits realised milestones helps them see and feel the value of their contribution.
- When a Sponsor seems disengaged, take time to understand their perspective before escalating. Making them feel heard and valued is often the first step to re-engagement.
How to Keep Your Project Sponsor Satisfied
- Managing project sponsor satisfaction is an ongoing and dynamic task throughout the project’s lifespan, not a one-time effort.
- Successful Project Managers recognise the need to adapt Sponsor messages to changes in the project’s context and constantly reevaluate their communication needs.
- Communication requirements are not static; they will evolve and remain flexible during the project. Be vigilant and prepared to adjust your messages and delivery methods accordingly.
- Cultivate a collaborative relationship with your Sponsors by showing appreciation, actively listening, and validating their needs.
- When Sponsors seem disengaged, take the time to understand their perspective and make them feel understood, validated, and appreciated to maintain their support.
Diagnosing Sponsorship Problems: A Quick Reference
When sponsorship is not working, use the following questions to identify the root cause and choose the right response:
| Question to ask | If the answer is no: the issue | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| Do they know what it means to be a Sponsor? | Capability gap | Discuss the role and responsibilities in full; provide formal education such as the APM Endorsed Sponsoring Successful Projects course. |
| Do they believe in the change and want to be associated with it? | Belief gap | Discuss their genuine concerns about the change and agree actions to address them. Consider replacing the Sponsor if concerns cannot be resolved. |
| Do they have the capacity to fill the responsibilities, or do they see it as a nuisance? | Capacity gap | Outline the challenges caused by their lack of involvement. Explore sharing or delegating responsibilities to a deputy sponsor. |
How Does the Project Sponsor Relate to the PMO?
Sponsors are customers of the PMO, just as project managers and delivery teams are. The PMO’s role includes ensuring Sponsors understand what is expected of them, and finding opportunities to eliminate situations where Sponsors lack the capacity or capability to carry out their responsibilities.
This can be achieved through strong portfolio management practices, maintaining a healthy balance of initiatives in terms of strategic value and capacity, and by providing services that help Sponsors understand and execute their role effectively.
Benefits management is particularly important here. When benefits management is made a visible organisational capability, it naturally increases the visibility and perceived importance of the Sponsor role, because it is the Sponsor who ultimately owns those benefits.
Project Sponsors and Assurance
Sponsors should be strong supporters of project assurance, not because it is required of them, but because a well-governed, well-managed project is more likely to succeed and deliver the benefits they are accountable for. In a three-lines-of-defence assurance model, the Sponsor typically sits at the second line: overseeing governance arrangements and ensuring the project is being managed effectively.
A practical first step for any organisation looking to increase assurance visibility through the sponsor framework is to make explicit what is expected of each Sponsor and what good governance looks like. Do not assume they already know. Equally, be mindful that Sponsors have a stake in the project: they are not independent reviewers, which is why the board or steering committee plays such an important role in holding them to account.
Sponsoring Successful Projects Training
Wellingtone offers the only APM Endorsed Sponsoring Successful Projects course, available as both a full-day and a half-day programme. Designed for those in or moving into Sponsor, SRO, or senior leadership roles that influence the direction of projects, the course covers:
- The context in which project Sponsors operate and common pitfalls
- The full scope of the Sponsor role and how it interacts with the Project Manager and the organisation
- Stakeholder engagement, governance, and benefits management
- What to expect from your Project Manager, and what they should expect from you
Whether you are looking to develop individual Sponsors or address a wider organisational sponsorship challenge, get in touch with the Wellingtone team to discuss the right approach for your organisation.
