Essential Skills to Become an
Exceptional Project Sponsor
ADVISORY ARTICLE
By Randall L. Englund & Alfonso Bucero
USA & Spain
Today’s project-driven organizations do not deliver their strategy through operations; they deliver it through projects. Yet, despite advances in methodologies and tools, one factor continues to determine success or failure: executive sponsorship. Research across leading project management journals and practitioner literature—including the work of Randall L. Englund and Alfonso Bucero—consistently shows that effective sponsors are not passive supporters. They are active leaders who shape outcomes. The question is no longer whether sponsorship matters.
The key question for us is:
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- What skills must executives develop to sponsor projects successfully?
We (Englund &Bucero) propose the following Competency Model, see Figure 1:
Figure 1: Englund & Bucero Executive Sponsor Competency Model
- Strategic Alignment Thinking
Exceptional sponsors ensure that every project aligns with the business strategy, and it requires the ability to:
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- Translate strategy into executable initiatives
- Challenge misaligned projects
- Continuously validate business value
As highlighted in project sponsorship literature, sponsors are the bridge between vision and execution. Without this skill, projects drift into irrelevance. The sponsor asks:
“Why does this project matter—now?”
- Organizational Influence and Political Intelligence
Projects do not fail because of Gantt charts—they fail because of people dynamics. An effective sponsor needs to:
More…
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How to cite this work: Englund, R. L. and Bucero, A. (2026). The Executive Edge: Essential Skills to Become an Exceptional Project Sponsor, advisory, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue V, May. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pmwj164-May2026-Englund-Bucero-The-Executive-Edge.pdf
About the Authors
Randall L. Englund
Utah, USA
Randall L. Englund, MBA, BSEE, NPDP, CBM believes all leaders need to create healthy environments for people to consistently and sustainably achieve project success. Sponsors can do a better job of guiding and supporting project teams, and project managers can expand their people skills.
Randall offers keynote talks, consulting, professional facilitation, executive education, and advanced training services to people in management, managing projects, and working on project teams. His approach includes the behavioral, technical, business, and change management aspects that create an environment for project success. The goal is to get greater, optimized results from projects underway or contemplated in the organization. An organic approach to implementing projects, program, and portfolio management taps the inherent power of people to work in harmony, have fun, and be more productive.
He co-authored with Alfonso the book Project Sponsorship: Achieving Management Commitment for Project Success, 2nd Ed as well as The Complete Project Manager: Integrating People, Organizational and Technical Skills, 2nd Ed. Randall also co-authored Creating an Environment for Successful Projects, 3rd Ed.
The Project Management Institute honored Randall with the PMI Distinguished Contribution Award and the PMI Eric Jenett Excellence Award. You may contact Mr. Englund at englundr@englundpmc.com
Alfonso Bucero, PhD
Madrid, Spain
Alfonso Bucero, Ph.D., CPS, ACE, PMP, PMI-RMP, PfMP, SFC, IPMO-E, PMI Fellow, is an International Correspondent and Contributing Editor for the PM World Journal in Madrid, Spain. Mr. Bucero is also the founder and Managing Partner of BUCERO PM Consulting. Alfonso was the founder, sponsor, and President of the PMI Barcelona Chapter until April 2005 and belonged to PMI’s LIAG (Leadership Institute Advisory Group). He was the past President of the PMI Madrid Spain Chapter and then nominated as a PMI EMEA Region 8 Component Mentor. Alfonso was a member of the PMIEF Engagement Committee.
Alfonso has a Computer Science Engineering degree from Universidad Politécnica in Madrid and a Ph.D. in Management from the ISM University. He has 39 years of practical experience and is actively advancing the PM profession in Spain and Europe. Alfonso received the PMI Distinguished Contribution Award on October 9, 2010, the PMI Fellow Award on October 22, 2011, and the PMI Eric Jenett Excellence Award on October 28, 2017. You can contact Mr. Bucero at alfonso.bucero@abucero.com.
To see other works by Alfonso Bucero, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/alfonso-bucero/
