The IT project sponsor is a person, usually a supervisor or executive, responsible for the project’s overall success. He or she is mainly responsible for determining whether a project achieves the negotiated business advantages and serves as the company’s spokesperson, providing critical leadership throughout the project’s many domains. The project sponsor position has been recognized as a critical aspect determining the project’s success and a possible communication drawback (Breese et al., 2020). A project sponsor is usually in charge of starting, assuring, authorizing, and creating several critical parts of the project, summarized as strategy, administration, value, and profit realization. Throughout the project’s lifespan, the sponsor can also identify, resolve, and take necessary action if corporate circumstances change radically, ensuring that the project remains relevant and the project manager can oversee the processes.
Considering the actions that can be implemented to keep sponsors engaged in the IT projects, firstly, it is possible to invite him to participate in the project’s brainstorming and agenda sessions. One of the main reasons why the sponsors of the project are not interested in the course of its development is a significant lack of communication between him and the project manager. In addition, the sponsor’s lack of understanding of the purpose and essence of the project can be emphasized. By organizing an initial meeting, during which key ideological aspects will be explained, it will be possible to interest the sponsor in the final result and the work process. Furthermore, one should remember to build correct and benevolent human relations since the personal factor plays a significant role. An informal coffee meeting in a pleasant place will help build trusting and pleasant communication that will create conditions for an increase in the frequency of meetings, subsequently leading to more active involvement.
Reference
Breese, R., Couch, O., & Turner, D. (2020). The project sponsor role and benefits realisation: More than ‘just doing the day job’. International Journal of Project Management, 38(1), 17-26. Web.