"Understanding the Client's Perspective: Navigating Major Project Sponsorship Realities"

Client sponsorship of major projects acts as the ownership on behalf of the client organisation. So, given its importance, do clients really have the skills or expertise to lead from the front, or is it just a case of employing a contractual 'span-breaker' and managing the fall-out?

We all know that a major project is in effect a 'business within a business'. It has to employ the same governance, and be accountable for its actions as any corporate board does, but do client organisations understand what's expected of them as an intelligent client, when leading a major project?

From my experience, I would suggest client organisations get it more wrong than not. Thats not to say they don't understand the client role or its significance, its just that most client organisations fail to differentiate the skills needed from say, a project director. They rarely employ an a separate executive sponsor and project director. Most client organisations recognise they need for a business leader to justify the business case of a major project. They also accept the need for a project director that can deliver the business requirements. However, they then tend to combine the two roles into one! This creates a dilemma for the project team and the organisation as there is effectively a conflict of interest in the 'game-keeper come poacher' scenario.

These roles need to be kept separate but remain complimentary. The client sponsor is at the business end of a major project, where identification, definition and viability have greater emphasis. I would argue that a client sponsor is accountable as the major project as custodian, whereas, the project director needs to focus on a major projects execution. Both very important, but both very different. They are essentially an integrated team that depend on each other to answer both sides of the same problem, but from a different focus and perspective.

The key skills of a client sponsor are rarely taught in client organisations. They tend to be learnt on the job. Most client organisations appoint operators on a major project to safeguard the client organisations interests. Mainly because the project needs to create assets, so an individual with operator skills, knowledge and experience would be the natural choice. Theres one problem with this approach....a major project needs to create the assets first!

A client sponsor has to adopt a more strategic perspective, with a collective outlook. More collaborative and decisive when it comes to key decisions. They need to become the strategic business leader of the major project, where they embrace proactive change as a challenge to reduce risk and improve chances of success.

This is never easy in a complex environment without the appropriate training and experience. These skills have to be taught and fine tuned in the field. I see client sponsorship is a career path that runs in parallel to any other management function engaged in major projects. Client organisations have to recognise that client sponsors of major projects have to be developed over time and be exposed to different challenges and complexities. After all, they are accountable and therefore responsible for making the right decisions, at the right time, for the right reasons.

Author Comments

I'd welcome your thoughts, comments, or previous experiences on these points. Do you think there is room for improvement? or do you think client organisations have just about got it right when it comes to client sponsorship 'realities'?