Improving Executive Sponsorship Of Projects

This book addresses gaps in current project management literature. From a senior management perspective, the gap is the lack of resources explaining why and how to establish a program to improve executive sponsorship strategically across an organization. From a tactical perspective, the gap is a scarcity of actionable materials to clarify roles, responsibilities, expected behaviors, and identify support necessary for improving sponsor effectiveness. Improving Executive Sponsorship of Projects identifies key factors to consider before creating an executive sponsorship improvement program or enhancing an existing one. The authors explain why executive sponsorship is important to an organization, how an organization’s culture influences the effectiveness of the sponsor role, and why project management standards are critical to success. The book explores what roles, responsibilities, and behavior should be considered and how to determine whether the person in the sponsor role is the right person and prepared to do the job. Finally, it provides a process and tools to assess an organization’s readiness to implement an executive sponsorship program, develop a plan for improvement, and monitor the progress of a program once it has begun.

The second edition of Project Sponsorship—which includes an Appendix with new case studies, expanded assessment tools, and templates—shows how project sponsors and project managers can develop the skills they need to manage successful projects. Randall L. Englund and Alfonso Bucero—experts in the field of project management—have written the definitive guide for educating all stakeholders on the nature of project sponsorship. They describe in detail the responsibilities of the project sponsor, from communications and liaison, selection and training, problem solving, mentoring, and feedback, to the review of project execution. The project sponsor and manager learn how to negotiate effectively with each other and the project team to achieve their commitments.

Project success is a business management responsibility and project management is more than the work of a project manager: the project sponsor plays a key role, whatever their job title. As the owner of the business case, the project sponsor or project executive has the responsibility for communicating the aims of the project, staying in touch with the changing environment and ultimately using their leadership skills to realize the benefits that the project has set out to achieve. The project sponsor gives strategic direction to the project manager and empowers them to deliver the agreed result. However, as a busy business manager, balancing the role of project executive with other management responsibilities, the project sponsor wants more control for less effort. The four proven principles in Successful Project Sponsorship help them to achieve precisely that. This book leads the reader to success through the powerful and proven four principles of successful project sponsorship. These principles are all focused on giving strategic direction to projects effectively and efficiently. Instead of going into depth on project management theory and methodologies, this book answers the practical questions project sponsors have to tackle and provides targeted solutions to real-life issues, such as: How do I create a successful strategy? How do I keep a project under control when the requirements are changing? What can I do to keep the project on budget? How do I recognize a good project manager - and how do I deal with an out-of-control one? The final part of the book gives tried-and-tested practical guidance on how to improve project sponsorship knowledge within your organization. Written clearly and concisely for the busy executive, in line with the PMI's Lexicon of Project Management Terms and with special tips for Prince2 environments and agile projects, this highly practical guide is the essential toolkit all business managers need to make a success of their project sponsor role.

Optimize the Role of the Project Sponsor The project sponsor is critical to project success, yet it is a role that is often assigned to a member of the organization with little knowledge or training in project management practices. This creates challenges not only for the sponsor but for the project manager. The organization suffers too if key members of the project team are not fully utilized, as valuable resources are wasted. In Strategies for Project Sponsorship, the authors address this challenge from all three vantage points—that of the project manager, the project sponsor, and the organization. Based on their practical experience and solid research, they offer practical methods that project manager s can use to optimize the participation of the sponsor. They also offer clear and straightforward guidance for project sponsors on how to properly execute their duties and contribute to project success. Executives will gain valuable perspective on the organization's projects and key players. From defining the roles and responsibilities of the project sponsor to suggesting specific practices that maximize the working relationship between the sponsor and project manager, this book is the ultimate guide. Examples from real-world sponsor experiences, as well as tips, techniques, and tools, enhance its applicability and practicality. This book should be given to every newly assigned project sponsor, read and referred to by every project manager, and on the desk of every organizational executive as a reference.

As project management has evolved and matured, so has the executive's role in project management. To ensure the success of individual projects and the organization as a whole, today's executives are increasingly involved in activities such as capacity planning, portfolio management, prioritization, and strategic planning specifically for project management. In fact, more and more executives are becoming certified Project Management Professionals (PMPs). What Executives Need to Know About Project Management offers executives a guide to project management, focusing on what they need to know and what they need to do. It provides step-by-step guidance to help executives get effective, well-resourced project management teams in place and ensure the success of any individual project. The book begins with basic principles, including a detailed discussion of the three best practices that enable executives to ensure effective project management: Developing an environment where project management is viewed as a profession Securing key personnel for project management positions Creating opportunities for rewards and advancement through successful project management Next, the book explores how executives serve as executive sponsors in project management teams, setting forth solutions to the many problems and challenges they face in this role, including managing disagreements, delegating authority, and accelerating projects. The authors explain how the role of the executive sponsor changes depending upon the life-cycle phase of the project. For example, during the project initiation and planning phases, the sponsor may take on a very active role, ensuring that proper objectives are established and that the project plan satisfies the needs of the business as well as the needs of the client. During the execution phase, the sponsor may take on a less active role; however, the book shows how executive sponsors need to become involved when roadblocks appear, crises occur, and conflicts arise over priorities among projects. Throughout the book, helpful illustrations clarify complex concepts and processes.

The theme of Medinfo2007 is “Building Sustainable Health Systems”. Particular foci are health challenges for the developing and developed world, the social and political context of healthcare, safe and effective healthcare, and the difficult task of building and maintaining complex health information systems. Sustainable health information systems are those that can meet today’s needs without compromising the needs of future generations. To build a global knowledge society, there needs to be an increased cooperation between science and technology and access to high-quality knowledge and information. The papers presented are refereed and from all over the world. They reflect the breadth and depth of the field of biomedical and health informatics, covering topics such as; health information systems, knowledge and data management, education, standards, consumer health and human factors, emerging technologies, sustainability, organizational and economic issues, genomics, and image and signal processing. As this volume carries such a wide collection, it will be of great interest to anyone engaged in biomedical and health informatics research and application.

Project implementation aligned with strategic advancement is a challenging endeavor, particularly in an environment of increasing complexity and productivity issues. Your prime issue is to plan for right action in right time, in right manner, and for the right purpose. Your attention determines the experience you end up with, and the experience determines the outcomes you have reached. Therefore, you must control your attention to control arriving at your desired outcomes. William James, in his book The Principles of Psychology (Vol I, 1890), wrote a simple statement, “My experience is what I agree to attend to.” The statement is highly relevant even in the 21st century for managing high productivity through “attention management.” This third volume provides areas for attention management and focuses on diversity, team building, meaningfulness, and growing to leadership, all of which are essentially required for maximizing and cultivating the real benefits with application of project management approach in business and industry.

Managing large and complex organizations; balancing the needs of business-as-usual, new products and services and business change; assuring risk across everything the business does; these are all core requirements of modern business which are provided by the discipline of portfolio management. The Handbook of Project Portfolio Management is the definitive publication that introduces and describes in detail project portfolio management in today’s ever-changing world. The handbook contains the essential knowledge required for managing portfolios of business change with real-life examples that are being used by today’s organizations in various industries and environments. The team of expert contributors includes many of the most experienced and highly regarded international writers and practitioners from the global project portfolio management industry, selected to provide the reader with examples, knowledge and the skills required to manage portfolios in any organization. Dennis Lock and Reinhard Wagner’s definitive reference on project portfolio management explains: the context and role of the discipline; the practical processes, tools and techniques required for managing portfolios successfully; the capability required and how to develop it. The text also covers the recognized standards as well as emerging issues such as sustainability and environment. Collectively, this is a must-have guide from the leading commentators and practitioners on project portfolio management from across the world.