Sponsorship is critical to the success of any training project with an in-built element of change management. To understand this better, let’s take the example of two training projects, A & B. The scope of project A is to create 8 e-learning courses that will be globally used to train 600 employees in their respective fields of work. The scope of project B is to complete a competency gap analysis for approx. 30 employees. Though project B is smaller in scope, it has the possibility of influencing a more critical mass of of change. Therefore, project sponsorship will be more critical for project B than it will be for project B.
It is important to differentiate between the project Sponsor and the project stakeholders. First, while there may be multiple stakeholders, there is usually only one project Sponsor. Second, each stakeholder will have a slightly different expectation from the project. For example, if the training project involves setting up a new LMS for the organization, the Sales stakeholder will want quick reporting data that shows the effect of training on sales figures. Marketing will want intuitive and aesthetic content creation tools. And Manufacturing/ Operations will want that GMP/ OSHA compliance rules be in-built into the LMS. It is up to the project Sponsor to envision the organizational goals for creation of the LMS and reconcile the needs of all project stakeholders with the organizational goals.
Why is Sponsorship so important? How can Sponsors affect change?
1. Sponsors have a BIG PICTURE overview of the possible effect the project can create: Sponsors, usually top management, can see the view from the top. Therefore, they can explain why the change is needed (usually to fight external or internal threats), and how the change will enable employee success.
2. Sponsors can EVANGELIZE the effect of the upcoming change: Sponsors can explain how change in one section of the organization can influence change in other sections of the organization.
3. Sponsors can EMPOWER project stakeholders and the project manager: At the onset of the project, the Sponsor will help the project team to tie the project objectives to the organization’s business needs, delineate project success criteria, and provide resources and timelines.
4. Sponsors create ACCOUNTABILITY by holding the the project team to success: Throughout the project, a good Sponsor will also help to unite all project stakeholders, and help create internal buzz for effective project roll-out and absorption. A Sponsor will help design the change process (marketing, communication, training, support, evaluation, etc) to engage people and then in implementing the change itself.
