The Project Book

CHAPTER 26 MANAGE UPWARDS

Almost every week I hear of senior management facing criticism for their lack of availability or interest, indifferent decision making or disengagement from a project or initiative. Indeed, according to the Standish Group’s Chaos Report, lack of executive sponsorship is still the number one reason for project failure. However, if I’m told you’re not getting the time or decisions you need from a sponsor, my response is always to ask what you’re doing about it. After all, why should it all be down to the senior manager? Why should you be right and they be wrong?

Don’t get me wrong. There are certainly cases where project managers exhaust every avenue and every trick to get airtime, using up all their powers of persuasion to get what they need — to find it still isn’t forthcoming. Sometimes, though, they need to do more than they’ve ever had to do before to secure the backing they need.

To get what you need from a sponsor, here are four things you must do:

1. Know who you’re dealing with

Conversations are so much easier when you know what kind of person you’re talking to. You have to fully understand the senior manager’s position and responsibilities, as well as their personality (detail, people, action or social?), their availability and the way they operate. Knowing the senior manager or project sponsor’s buttons will help you anticipate their moods, sensitivities and likely responses to your direct questions. Without knowing who you are dealing with, ...