Bad Sponsor

I would personally add to the list a Project Sponsor that does not understand modern efficient tools and approaches to manage project, and keep asking you to produce what he successfully used in the 90s.

I would also say that a Sponsor should from time to time visit the project team.  How can you really support the team when you only want to see thing from the Executive office, far away.

I guess that one connects to the sign #5: Project sponsor refuses to attend the project board.  But I bring it even more down to the reality of the project.

What Makes a Bad Project Sponsor?

All projects need a project sponsor, and getting a good one can make or break a project. The project manager who is saddled with a sponsor that doesn’t care about the outcome, has no power to make decisions and can’t give you any resources is in a very difficult situation. Many experienced project managers have had to put up with awful sponsors – ask someone with a few more years on the job than you and you’ll soon hear some horror stories about project sponsorship.

So what sort of sponsor should you avoid? First we should look at what a project sponsor is for.