PM Network - September 2014

Build the Team
Together

Ideally, the ;rst people on a project will be the sponsor and project manager, who’ll build the team from there. “It’s di;cult when the sponsor has already hired an architect and a cost consultant and a structural engineer and then says, ‘Oh, I think I need a project manager,’” Mr. West says. “;en the project manager is the new kid on the block, and the architect and cost consultant and engineer don’t feel they owe the project manager any intrinsic loyalty.” When the project manager gets involved in hiring the team members—sitting in their interviews, asking them questions—then “the team members will in turn feel they owe the project manager some loyalty,” he says.

But forming a team doesn’t guarantee it will never change. Roles can shift, people leave jobs, and the team you hired to launch a project may not be the team that ;nishes it.

Even the sponsor can change mid-project. When that happens, the project manager must form a bridge between the old sponsor and the new one, says Sakshee Kohli, PMP, program manager, ANZ Bank, Melbourne, Australia.

“New sponsors tend to have a new perspective and often question past decisions. ;e best strategy in that case is for the project manager to get the two sponsors together, even for just 20 minutes, to say, ‘Here’s what we’ve done so far, here’s what we’re working on now, and here’s where we’re headed,’” Ms. Kohli says. “Explain that where we’re headed is open to suggestions, but we can’t change what’s been done in the past.”

Make It Personal

Establishing a personal connection goes a long way toward building trust—a necessity for any strong partnership.

“How many kids does the person
have? What are this person’s hobbies?
You can talk about things that aren’t
just issues of the project,” says Mr.
Dinsmore. “;ose early friendly con-
versations build a rapport that makes
working together easier.”
Social media can shed a light on
possible conversation starters, says
Ms. James. “Look up your sponsor on
LinkedIn—;nd out what their inter-
ests are, where they went to school,
what jobs they’ve had,” she says. “Look
for areas of commonality. See if there’s
something you can glean that you can
build a relationship upon or at least ask
questions about.”
But keep in mind it’s not always per-
sonal. ;e project manager and sponsor
can become fast friends, but if a project
is going poorly, a sponsor still may have
to cancel it. “At the end of the day, the
sponsor is the one writing the checks
and the one with his or her head on the
chopping block with the board of direc-
tors,” says Ms. James. “;ey have the
right to overrule the project manager or
cancel a project, and it’s not necessarily a judgment
on the project manager’s abilities.”

“Look up your
sponsor on
LinkedIn—find
out what their
interests are,
where they went
to school, what
jobs they’ve had.
Look for areas
of commonality.
See if there’s
something you can
glean that you can
build a relationship
upon or at least ask
questions about.”

—Vicki James, PMP, Professional Project Services, Seattle, Washington, USA

ON ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

81%of organizations that are highly effective with organizational change report fre- quently using executive sponsors on their strategic initiatives, compared to only

25% of organizations minimally effective.

ON COMPLEXITY

When it comes to complexity in projects, a sponsor who actively supports the project is the second factor with the greatest impact on the success of projects—second only to effective communication.