ADVISORY ARTICLE
By Yogi Schulz
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Often, project managers need to coach their project sponsors because these time-challenged executives are unsure how they can best support the project and are too self-assured to admit they need help.
Experienced project managers coach and sometimes nudge their project sponsors to improve their effectiveness in the following elements of their role. Often, many of these elements surprise project sponsors.
Are accountable for project business results
Project sponsors validate the project business case. How valuable others think the project is to the organization doesn’t matter. There is no project if the sponsor doesn’t believe the business case is credible.
The project sponsor ensures alignment between the project’s business goal and the organization’s strategic goals. They are accountable to the CEO and other senior executives for achieving the business goal of the project.
Project managers often explain this accountability to their project sponsor.
Provide project resources
Project sponsors provide budget dollars, business staff, and facilities. Without these resources, no project can proceed and has no hope of finishing successfully.
If some of these resources aren’t available, project managers remind the project sponsor to take action. Project managers reassure their project sponsors when others claim the project can be magically completed with fewer resources or a different approach.
Champion project benefits throughout the organization
Project sponsors and the other steering committee members must enthusiastically communicate, sell and defend the project benefits in informal discussions throughout the organization. They remind the organization of the project’s value proposition and maintain its commitment to the project. If these individuals fail to champion the benefits or worse, challenge the benefits or criticize the project, the project is doomed.
Project managers often provide project sponsors and steering committee members with summary communication talking points.
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How to cite this article: Schulz, Y. (2025). What should project managers coach their project sponsors about? PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue IV, April. Available online at http://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pmwj151-Apr2025-Schulz-what-should-project-managers-coach-their-sponsors-about.pdf
About the Author
Yogi Schulz
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Yogi Schulz has over 40 years of Information Technology experience in various industries. Yogi works extensively in the petroleum industry to select and implement financial, production revenue accounting, land & contracts and geotechnical systems. He manages projects that arise from changes in business requirements, from the need to leverage technology opportunities and from mergers. His specialties include IT strategy, web strategy and systems project management.
Mr. Schulz regularly speaks to industry groups and writes a regular column for IT World Canada and Engineering.com. He has written for Microsoft.com and the Calgary Herald. His writing focuses on project management and IT developments of interest to management. Mr. Schulz served as a member of the Board of Directors of the PPDM Association for twenty years until 2015. Learn more at https://www.corvelle.com/. He can be contacted at yogischulz@corvelle.com
His new book, co-authored by Jocelyn Schulz Lapointe, is “A Project Sponsor’s Warp-Speed Guide: Improving Project Performance.”
To view other works by Yogi Schulz, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/yogi-schulz/
