A01 – Appoint the sponsor

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What

The first management activity is to appoint a senior manager as the program sponsor. The sponsor is the highest role in the program, and the program manager reports to the sponsor.

The sponsor is

• accountable for the justification, outcomes, and benefits of the program;
• responsible for making high-level decisions for the program;
• responsible for making sure the program is properly funded and resourced; and
• charged with leading the sponsors of projects under the program.

In small programs, the program sponsor can also be the sponsor of the projects defined under it. However, if more people are available to the program or if it’s a larger program, it’s better to have other people as project sponsors, working under the supervision of the program sponsor, so that the program sponsor can focus on the higher-level aspects without distraction. In such cases, these people will be appointed throughout the program, as new projects are defined in the Monthly Initiation activities of the program and not during the Program Initiation activities.

Why

Having a program manager is not enough, and the sponsor’s role is necessary because

• program managers have to be focused on collaboration, facilitation, conflict resolution, and other day-to-day work, which don’t leave them enough time and attention to direct the high-level aspects of the program.
• program managers may not have enough organizational power to be able to get resources for the program, or to have enough strategic information to make high-level decisions for the program.

Who

Since the sponsor is the highest role in the program, they should be appointed from a higher position outside the program, such as the portfolio management system.

When P5.express is used for portfolio management, the program sponsor must be a member of the portfolio board. That way, the sponsor is aware of all the investments in the organization and, therefore, capable of making better high-level decisions for the program.

How

The program sponsor must be a high-level manager in the organization, such as a director. This is necessary because their organizational power is necessary for getting resources for the program. Moreover, their high position in the organization provides them with the strategic information they need for the high-level decisions of the program.

The sponsor should have a special interest in the program so that they can champion it in the organization. Usually, the sponsor manages a department or business area that has the most to do with the outcomes of the program, and that’s why they want to champion it. However, the sponsor should not hesitate to cancel the program if it becomes unjustifiable.

When possible, it’s a good idea not to have a single person as the sponsor for all programs and projects in the organization because a healthy level of competition among sponsors can be helpful to all.

Sponsors don’t have to spend a lot of time on the program, but they still need to be involved and dedicate some portion of their time to the program.