This document discusses different types of relationships between project managers and sponsors: absent, angelic, adversarial, and attentive. Absent sponsors are too busy or don't understand their role. Angelic sponsors are ignorant of other perspectives. Adversarial sponsors focus only on success. Attentive sponsors have a clear understanding of roles and work well with others. The ideal is an attentive relationship where both parties pull in the same direction with integrity, clarity, and a win-win approach. Behaviors, values, techniques and tools can help foster genuine partnerships crucial for success.

1. © CITI Limited, 2016
It takes two to Tango!
Nick Dobson

2. © CITI Limited, 2016
Agenda

3. © CITI Limited, 2016
State of the nation
Absent
Angelic
Adversarial
Attentive

4. © CITI Limited, 2016
Causes
Absent
• Too busy with day job
• Higher priorities elsewhere
• Don’t understand role
• Believe that absence is
‘empowerment’
• High degree of cost risk aversion
• Cultural drivers
• Experiential drivers
• JFDI attitudes
• Personality (‘iron filings for breakfast’)
• Ignorance of alternative perspectives
• High risk aversion
• Cost sensitivity
• Progress monitoring
• Personality (‘control freak’, maven)
• Ignorance of alternative
perspectives
• Focus on success
• Clear understanding of role
• Good upward management
• Effective teaming
• Success in past initiatives
• Supportive
Angelic
Adversarial
Attentive

5. © CITI Limited, 2016
Nirvana
Two people separated
by a common agenda
Two people pulling in
the same direction

6. © CITI Limited, 2016
Areas for attention
Behaviours
• Partnership and parity
• Honesty and candour
• Collaboration
• TA (adult to adult)
Values
• Integrity
• Clarity
• Rationality
• Win – win
• Humour
Techniques
• Upward management
• Influence
• Persuasion
• Negotiation
• Mediation (governance)
Tools
• Structuring models
• Business case
• CSFs and success definition
• RACI
• Governance structure

7. © CITI Limited, 2016
Conclusions
Whatever the problems the solutions lie as much in
the hands of the professional PM as ever they do
with the sponsor. Remember, this is a partnership!
A genuine partnership is crucial to success: the
situation is binary – both win or both lose
Appropriate acceptance of accountability and
discharge of responsibility of the respective roles is
equally vital
Shared clarity over objective and outcomes desired
throughout, and beyond, the project is crucial