The Importance of the Project Sponsor: Their Impact on Organizational Success.

The success of a project goes beyond meeting deadlines, costs and quality. It encompasses the delivery of a product that meets customer needs and drives the future of the organization. In my master's dissertation, completed in 2017, I conducted a comparative case study between two projects within the same organization and observed how the role of the project sponsor is fundamental to achieving this success. I believe that, despite being written a few years ago, the conclusions of my research remain current and relevant, especially with the recent changes in the labor market and the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), which tend to reinforce the importance of the sponsor.

Research since the 1970s points to senior management support as a critical success factor, and the sponsor, as a representative of senior management, directly influences the project outcome. Studies show that behaviors such as ensuring planning, maintaining relationships with stakeholders, and ensuring effective communication positively impact agreement compliance, customer success, and the future of the company.

In my case study, I observed that the differences in sponsor behaviors were decisive for the success and failure of each initiative. The successful project had a sponsor who was actively involved in planning, communication, and stakeholder relationships, while the other project with negative results lacked this support.

Agile methodologies, increasingly popular in project management, further reinforce the importance of the sponsor. In agile environments, characterized by short development cycles and constant adaptation to change, the sponsor's support and guidance are essential to ensure that the project remains aligned with the organization's strategic objectives. The Project Management Institute (PMI), in its report "Pulse of the Profession" (2021), highlights that projects with actively engaged sponsors are 3.5 times more likely to be successful. You can find the full report on the PMI website.

But what are the specific actions of the sponsor that make a difference? In my research, I identified three crucial functions:

• Clear definition of objectives and priorities: The sponsor must ensure that the project objectives are aligned with the organization's strategy and that priorities are clearly defined. This helps to maintain the team's focus and avoid scope creep, especially in agile environments where change is constant.
• Effective and transparent communication: The sponsor must be an effective communicator, keeping all stakeholders informed about the project's progress, the challenges faced, and the decisions made. Transparency in communication builds trust and collaboration, essential elements for the success of agile projects, which depend on collaboration between teams.
• Risk management and conflict resolution: The sponsor must be prepared to deal with risks and conflicts that may arise during the project. Their experience and authority are essential to make difficult decisions and ensure that the project moves forward, especially in transformation projects, which generally face greater resistance and challenges.

With the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the increasing automation of tasks, the trend is for the role of the sponsor to become even more strategic. AI can help with data analysis and risk identification, but complex decision-making and aligning the project with the organization's vision will remain human responsibilities. The sponsor, with their experience and strategic vision, will be essential to ensure that AI is used effectively and that the project achieves its objectives, driving the delivery of valuable products and the future of the company.

A study by McKinsey & Company (2020), titled "The five trademarks of agile organizations," reinforces the importance of executive sponsorship in transformation projects, highlighting that engaged leadership is critical to the success of these initiatives. You can find more information about the study on the McKinsey website.

Therefore, the role of the sponsor is and will continue to be fundamental to the success of projects in all sectors. Their active involvement, from planning to communication and stakeholder relationships, ensures that projects achieve their objectives, driving the delivery of valuable products and the future of the company, even in a scenario of constant change and technological advances.