You are a Project Sponsor: Now What?
The Project Sponsor is a key stakeholder who provides leadership support, secures resources, and ensures the success of a process improvement project. They play a strategic oversight role, helping the Project Leader and Team navigate organizational challenges and align the project with business goals.
How to Be an Excellent Project Sponsor
In Lean Six Sigma, and in any project-based work, the role of a project sponsor is critical to success. A great project sponsor doesn’t just approve a project and disappear — they stay engaged, provide guidance, and help the team overcome obstacles. Here’s how to excel in this vital role:
1. Participate in the Creation of the Project Charter
As a project sponsor, your job is to:
- Align the project with business strategy
- Secure resources (people, time, and budget)
- Provide guidance without micromanaging
- Advocate for the project and remove roadblocks
- Monitor progress and ensure sustainability
In KPI Fire, this can be done by reviewing the project charter, and collaborating with the Project Leader on the following:
- Problem/Opportunity Statement
- Goal Statement
- Project Scope.
- Charter Status Summary
2. Request Regular Status Reports from the Project Leader
If you have a great project leader leading the project you may not feel that you need to do much in this phase. However, do not underestimate the importance of asking for updates to show your support and to communicate the importance of the project. Accountability is a 2 way street and benefits BOTH parties. It serves to keep the project on track, but it also provides a mechanism for the team doing the work to feel recognized and validated for their contributions.
Excellent project sponsors don’t disappear after kickoff. They:
- Participate in milestone meetings (DMAIC tollgates or stage gates)
- Check in with the project leader regularly
- Stay informed about challenges and offer support when needed.
- Request Status Reports from Project Leaders regularly.
- Pay attention to changes in project health.
3. Remove Barriers
One of your most important jobs is to clear obstacles that the project team cannot remove on their own. Whether it’s organizational politics, resource constraints, or data access issues — your influence can keep the project moving.
4. Share Best Practices
You are the voice of the project at the executive level. Communicate the project’s successes and discoveries of best practices. Your organization can likely eliminate huge amounts of waste in other departments and divisions if the processes improvements of each team are shared with others.
5. Ensure Financial Validation
Work closely with finance to make sure project savings or benefits are realistic and validated. Credibility matters — and part of your role is to ensure that the project delivers measurable value.
6. Support Sustainability
Your job isn’t done when the project is closed. Follow up to ensure control plans are in place and that improvements stick. Ask: Is the process owner trained? Are the metrics being monitored? Is there a plan for sustainment of the improvement?
Conclusion
Being an excellent project sponsor takes more than approving a budget. It requires active leadership, strategic guidance, and ongoing support. When done well, you’ll not only help deliver successful projects — you’ll also help build a culture of continuous improvement throughout your organization.
10 Questions to CRUSH Your Next Project Review
1. What is the problem we are looking to solve, or the opportunity we are trying to capture?
Start every project review by revisiting the why. This question reminds everyone of the purpose behind the project, ensuring alignment and helping to refocus if the team has strayed from the original intent.
2. What is the target condition or goal of this project?
Frame your goals clearly using this structure: “From X to Y by when.” For example, “Increase customer retention from 65% to 75% by the end of Q3.” This clarity helps track progress and keeps the team goal-oriented.
3. What progress has been made since our last review?
Evaluate how far you’ve come. Have milestones been achieved? Celebrate wins, identify areas of stagnation, and understand what’s working well or not.
4. What do we plan to accomplish before our next review?
This forward-looking question sets the stage for the next phase of work. Clarify upcoming assignments, who owns them, and the expected outcomes to maintain accountability.
5. What is the health of this project?
Use a color-coded system to evaluate project health:
Green: On schedule, on budget.
Yellow: Some issues, but recovery is possible.
Red: Significant problems affecting delivery scope, benefits, or timeline.
Discuss the reasoning behind the status and, if necessary, action plans for improvement.
6. Are we on schedule? Are there any delays?
Timelines are crucial. Assess whether you’re meeting deadlines and identify reasons for delays. This discussion can surface blockers or inefficiencies that need immediate attention.
7. What risks are being monitored? Are there any new or escalated risks?
Projects rarely go exactly as planned. Review known risks and determine whether new risks have emerged or existing ones have intensified. Discuss mitigation strategies to stay ahead of potential issues.
8. Do we need to adjust? Are there any changes? Is the prior project plan still relevant?
Projects evolve. This question ensures that your plan adapts to changing circumstances. If adjustments are necessary, discuss how they affect timelines, budgets, or deliverables.
9. Is the team properly engaged? Are stakeholders properly engaged?
Review the team’s involvement and capacity. Are they motivated and clear on their roles? Additionally, assess whether stakeholders are providing the necessary input and support. Engagement gaps can derail progress if not addressed.
10. How will we manage changes to project definition or deliverables?
Changes are inevitable, but how you manage them can determine a project’s success. Define a clear process for handling changes, ensuring transparency and alignment among all stakeholders.
