Designate the Internal Sponsor of the Project

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Martin had worked for the company a long time. He had seen many projects come and go. He knew that the successful ones always had a strong executive leading the charge. Martin himself was not exactly a political lightweight in his senior management position, but it never hurt to have someone else share the burden of sponsorship. Martin knew the man he wanted was John, who had been with the company for almost 15 years and had survived many mergers and projects. John was the head of the IT group for Martin's business unit. He knew that his senior management would support John's projects because John consistently delivered; also, the head traders he supported were always ready to mention in conversation to senior management how important John's projects were to their work.

Jason had been in a project manager's role for only a short time. He had risen through the ranks of his company quickly, carried along by the pull of his manager. Because his manager was a star in the organization, he was able to bring his people along with him as he was promoted. Jason was seen by some as a hanger-on, getting his position only because of whom he knew. Jason resented that and worked hard. Sometimes his hard work left him deaf to valuable feedback from others. Quite often, this feedback was not always tactful. Jason knew that his senior manager would support his project, but the latter's tolerance for problems was decreasing . After the blindside the security group had provided, a little of the glow on his name had fallen off. Jason needed this project to go smoothly.


The Methodology

Now that we have identified the lead business unit, the internal sponsor will probably come from this group. The internal sponsor should be a mid- to senior-level manager, and not necessarily an executive. The mid- to senior-level manager is normally in a good place in the company management chain to have interactions with both workers in the business unit and the senior executive responsible for the business unit. By having a foot in each camp, the sponsor can act as a point of contact for the project and can direct the flow of information. If the sponsor hears that senior management may want to reduce or eliminate the project, the sponsor can gather positive feedback to pass on to the senior executive, or can give the project a heads-up of what is to come. Mid- to senior-level managers, who are normally in the thick of the political ebb and flow of the company, are usually able to direct resources and give advice that can help the project. They may even redirect subversive actions. Awareness of the subversive undercurrents that surround a project can help the project thrive and continue. In addition, when internal group conflicts arise during the pilot, the sponsor can help smooth ruffled feathers or grease the rails to make the tough work easier.

In accepting this role, the sponsor needs to be prepared to dedicate significant time to the project. If the sponsor is there to be merely a figurehead or gloryhound, the project can be at risk due to a lack of attention. At the same time, the sponsor needs to allow the project his/her room to grow and mature. Micromanaging may introduce conflict and slow consensus-building.

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Biometrics for Network Security
Biometrics for Network Security (Prentice Hall Series in Computer Networking and Distributed)
ISBN: 0131015494
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 123
Authors: Paul Reid

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