Getting to grips with your role and project
The project is going full tilt and you’re taking over as Project Sponsor. What questions do you need to ask to ensure that you want to take over as Sponsor.
The first thing you need to do is ensure that you are fully aware of your accountabilities as a Project Sponsor so that you have a context and framework for making your decision.
Then you need to get hold of the big picture — what is this project all about?
Do you agree with the targeted end state?
The fastest way to achieve this is to read the list of ‘desired business outcomes’, the descriptions of the business end states to be delivered. Are they consistent with your strategy? When you/the project realizes these end states, will you consider this ‘success’ and as a positive contribution to your planned future? Do you have another plan or want to achieve to another set of end states? If so, stop the project immediately.
Is the project still viable?
Next, look at the benefits' value to be delivered. What is their current state? Do you know? During the course of a project external and other circumstances can change resulting in a change in the nett value of your project. The status of the key benefits value drivers should be being tracked on an ongoing basis.
NB If the value of the benefits has decreased since the business case and the costs of delivery have increased, is the project still viable? If not, you should stop it and either rejustify it or close it down. This is your best chance to avoid a disaster.
Are the benefits deliverable?
Having confirmed that your project is still viable (previous step) and relevant you now need to ensure that the project’s benefits are realizable. Benefits are only worthwhile if they can be realized. If they cannot be realized, then the project may not be worthwhile continuing. For each benefit, there should be a viable benefits delivery plan that shows how it will be achieved.
NB Some benefits will be acheived automatically by the successful delivery of the project - but even for these ti should be clear how they'll be delivered and measured.
Also, if the project's scope has changed, you need to assess if the project as currently being delivered will enable and deliver the desired benefits. Often many of the benefits have been destroyed by scope changes.
Now you have validated the value proposition of your project.
Next you need to look more closely at the project.
What is the project's true status?
Firstly you need to ascertain the true status of the project. What can happen on projects is that many activities are 98% complete which, for the time being, is okay; but as the project goes on, these loose ends begin to take their toll as the earlier work is not fully ready, not totally reliable or cannot be easily completed as the person involved has left or moved on, etc. The project's progress reporting SHOULD focus on the verified 100% complete delivery of the monthly outputs when due. If planned outputs are not completed on time, the project is running late and liable to go over both time and budget.
The next question is, ‘Is the project really on track to deliver the outcomes and benefits expected?’ This may require a value-focused health check to determine. Now is a good time to find out all of the faults you have inherited.
What are the threats to success?
Having established the project is on track you next need to look at the threats to the success of the project. These threats come in the form of
Risks — the potential threats to the success of the project. Does each risk have an appropriate management plan vis-a-vis its likelihood and criticality. Low probability risks may need no action. NB It is more likely that a combination of risks can do the most damage to the success of the project rather than any single risk.
CSFs — the factors critical to the success of the project which are outside the control of the project team that need to exist or occur for the project to be successful. If the CSFs for your project have not been identified you may need to identify them with your steering committee. Each CSF needs to be allocated to someone on the Governance Team to monitor or manage. If they are not managed then, by definition, these “critical success factors” will reduce the success of the project.
Outstanding issues — problems that have occurred and need to be managed.How many issues exist and are they increasing or decreasing in number, severity and time taken to resolve? Issues are unplanned work and, therefore, have the potential to damage the project plan and work effort. Too many outstanding issues indicate a project off the rails (even if the project reporting says everything is okay).
The key is to satisfy yourself that the project will deliver all of the outcomes and benefits as promised.
So, when you’re satisfied that the project is viable, relevant, on track and not under threat and should, therefore, be successful, you can accept accountability for delivering the results.
But remember, a key Sponsor accountability is to stop the project if it is no longer relevant, viable, deliverable or correctly focused.
It really is that simple.
A more complete guide to taking on a project as a project sponsor is included in the TOP Project Governance program.
