HERMES
The role of the project sponsor in HERMES
When a project does not make progress, it is usually the project management that is asked what is going on. In my experience, however, the problem often lies one level higher, with the project sponsor. HERMES describes this role very precisely. It is therefore worth knowing it.
Three roles, three levels
HERMES distinguishes three levels in the project organisation: steering, management and execution. At least three roles must be filled in every project:
| Role | Level | Task according to HERMES |
|---|---|---|
| Project sponsor | Steering | steers the project, bears overall responsibility for the undertaking and for achieving the objectives |
| Project manager | Management | manages and coordinates the project, prepares the decisions of the steering level |
| User representative | Execution | is responsible for the business requirements and represents the interests of the users |
All three roles belong on the user side, that is, the organisation that will later use the outcome. According to HERMES, the project sponsor must also be a natural person, not a committee.
What the project sponsor actually does
The project sponsor commissions the project, provides the resources, steers it and closes it. The sponsor makes sure that the stakeholder groups important for success are represented in the project. And the sponsor takes the decisions at the milestones:
- Project initiation release: The sponsor releases the first phase, in which solution options are worked out and evaluated.
- Execution release: The sponsor decides whether and how the project is carried out. The basis is the execution order, a binding agreement between project sponsor and project manager.
- Phase releases: At the end of each phase, the sponsor releases money, staff and infrastructure for the next phase. With the agile approach, the sponsor can additionally approve each release.
- Project closure or project discontinuation: The sponsor closes the project or discontinues it if the prerequisites no longer hold.
All these decisions are recorded in a list of project decisions. This keeps it traceable who decided what and when.
Discontinuation is also a decision
At the end of initiation, HERMES explicitly names reasons not to continue a project: lack of economic viability, excessive risks, lack of feasibility, legal or political concerns, or lack of alignment with the objectives of the organisation. A project sponsor who stops at this point has done the job. It becomes more expensive when such a decision is not taken and the project carries on.
Steering by the benefits
In the foreword to the reference manual, the Swiss Federal Audit Office gives project sponsors clear advice: they should steer the undertaking by the expected benefits and align reporting with them. Using milestones, they should define when which benefit is to be achieved, and leave the execution to the project team.
In practice this means: the project sponsor does not primarily ask whether all tasks have been completed, but whether the project delivers the agreed benefit. The project management provides the basis for this.
Common problems
The following patterns are observations from practice. They have not been surveyed systematically.
- A project sponsor without time. The person is named in the project order but has no time or no authority. Decisions are postponed in meetings.
- A project sponsor who only listens. The sponsor is kept informed but does not decide. Problems only become visible late.
- A committee instead of a person. A commission or management board is supposed to decide jointly. In the end nobody feels responsible.
- The supplier steers. The external partner has the expertise and therefore in fact determines how the project runs. HERMES clearly places steering on the user side.
Clarify before the start
- Who is the project sponsor? By name, not by function or committee.
- Does this person have the time to decide at every milestone?
- Which benefit is to be achieved by when?
- What may the project management decide itself, and when must it involve the project sponsor?
- Who represents the users, and does this person have the necessary authority?
Clarifying these questions at the beginning avoids long waits for decisions. The answers belong in the project initiation order and later in the execution order.
Further reading: Why projects end in paralysis · HERMES project management for SMEs and municipalities
Sources: HERMES Reference Manual Project Management, 2022 edition (in German) · Federal Chancellery, presentation on HERMES 2022 at the BFH HERMES conference 2022 (in German)