The sponsor is a judge

That is their most obvious role. With programs requiring choices in terms of technologies, partnerships, business models, etc., the program manager will have to produce a solution document and provide recommendations supported by rational and unbiased evaluation criteria. The sponsor will add the strategic layer to these recommendations and validate the proposal or will suggest another choice that takes the recommendations into account as well as the organization's business requirements. A sponsor may not necessarily follow the recommendations issued by the program. Judge and arbitrator, the sponsor is first and foremost a DECISION MAKER, who is able to defend their choice to the management committee.

The sponsor is an escalation point

Again, the sponsor is a precious ally if the program stumbles over obstacles that need to be sorted out higher up. It is particularly true when dealing with political issues. Faced with resistence from management, information being withheld, organizational issues or simple budget issues, the sponsor will be on the program manager's side.

The sponsor is a reference point

While launching the program, it is the sponsor who will provide the information required to write the project charter: objectives, scope, deadlines and main deliverables. Therefore, they will be the program manager's counterpart to validate and defend the pogram budget, take part in the program's management committee meetings and validate the main phases of the project.

The sponsor is an advertisement agency

More effective than flyers left on people's desks, more to the point than emails, the sponsor is in the best position to promote the program and its deliverables to end users, other corporate departments and clients. That is why the program manager must make sure that they regularly give positive news to the sponsor. While the sponsor's role is usually restricted to managing escalations, it is extremely important to inform them of every success and achievement.

What to do if the sponsor does not do these jobs?

When the program manager forms the project teams, they use job descriptions, which is a standard technique. The point of job descriptions is to define the scope of each player's assignment, deliverables, roles and responsibilities, etc. Why not do the same with the sponsor? If the sponsor fails to make decisions or communicate on the program, the issue should be addressed and, more often than not, a written document turns out useful.

What to do if there is no sponsor?

The question is: who commissioned the program? That player must be ready to take on the role of the sponsor and be fully involved in the project. Of course, sponsors will spend less time on the project than program managers. However, the sponsor must be able to give an update on the program to anyone who may ask them casually, explain the ins and outs of the program, regularly spend time with the program manager in follow-up meetings. If whoever commissionned the program is not in a position to do all these things, they must suggest a sponsor high enough in the hierarchy to fulfill all the roles mentioned above. Without sponsor, the program will slow down, stumble and fail eventually.