Glossary · Change & people
Sponsor
The senior manager who gives a project backing and priority.
A sponsor is the senior manager who stands behind a project and gives it backing. They make sure the project gets the people, time and resources it needs, and they make the call when a decision goes beyond the project team.
Without that support from the top, a project often stalls. Other priorities push it aside, people are pulled away for more urgent work, and nobody with authority defends its importance. An active sponsor keeps the project on the agenda.
A sponsor is more than a name on paper. The role asks them to genuinely commit to the project, to be visible to the team and present at the key moments. A sponsor who only turns up at the start offers little of the support the role is meant to provide.
