A Practical Guide to Dealing with Difficult Stakeholders

CHAPTER 2The Project Sponsor

 

 

 

Introduction

The project Sponsor is generally the senior manager taking responsibility for the Project and to whom the project manager reports. While they will typically be encouraging the project manager to go out and engage with Stakeholders, they themselves can be the most important – and difficult – Stakeholder of them all. This is because; (1) they have authority, (2) they are directly involved in The Project and (3) they have influence over other people with authority.

Because they have the power to make or break the Project, it is crucial that you understand the project Sponsor – their role, responsibilities, activities, motivations and, importantly, how their role differs from and relates to that ...