Project Sponsorship and SRO Briefing
Executive and Senior Leadership Level – designed for those accountable for the success of projects, programmes, portfolios, and organisational transformation initiatives.
Senior Responsible Owners (SROs), Project Sponsors, Programme Sponsors, Directors, Executives, Board Members, Business Leaders, and senior stakeholders responsible for investment decisions, governance, and benefits realisation.
Typically delivered as a half-day or one-day briefing, either virtually or face-to-face, with optional organisational tailoring and follow-up support through the CITI Beyond Method.
Many organisations invest significant time and resources in developing project and programme delivery capability, yet the effectiveness of sponsorship remains one of the most influential factors in determining overall success. Strong sponsors provide strategic direction, maintain organisational alignment, champion change, and help delivery teams overcome barriers and challenges.
The Project Sponsorship and SRO Briefing provides a practical understanding of the sponsor and SRO role, helping leaders appreciate where they add value and how their decisions influence outcomes. Participants explore the responsibilities associated with governance, accountability, assurance, stakeholder engagement, and benefits ownership.
The briefing focuses on enabling sponsors to become active, informed, and effective leaders of change rather than passive recipients of project updates. By strengthening sponsorship capability, organisations can improve delivery confidence, increase strategic alignment, and maximise return on investment.
Effective sponsorship is a critical success factor in delivering projects, programmes, and strategic change. The CITI Project Sponsorship and SRO Briefing equips sponsors and Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) with the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools needed to provide effective leadership, governance, and strategic direction throughout the investment lifecycle.
The Executive Sponsor Briefing provides a practical and insightful exploration of the sponsor role, helping senior leaders understand where they add the greatest value throughout the lifecycle of an initiative. Participants gain clarity on governance responsibilities, accountability, stakeholder engagement, and their role in driving successful change.
Designed specifically for busy executives, the briefing focuses on practical application rather than methodology alone. Delegates will leave with a clear understanding of how to provide effective sponsorship, challenge constructively, make informed decisions, and create the conditions for delivery success.
Beyond Method is learning constructed using our own best practice created from our inception as a specialist university institute in 1983; fusing the expertise of Cranfield University with the interests of six major users of change management: British Aerospace, British Gas, British Petroleum, British Telecom, Cable & Wireless and Longman.
A significant amount of research and investment was made into Cranfield Information Technology Institute (shortened to CITI in 1988) to take change professionals beyond methodologies – and learn how to successfully implement change!
This course explores the responsibilities, accountabilities, and behaviours associated with successful project sponsorship and Senior Responsible Ownership. Delegates examine how sponsors create the conditions for success through effective governance, decision-making, leadership, stakeholder engagement, and organisational influence.
Participants will learn how to establish clear sponsorship arrangements, support project and programme teams effectively, challenge constructively, oversee risk and assurance activities, and maintain a focus on strategic objectives and benefits realisation. The course also clarifies the distinctions between sponsor, SRO, project management, programme management, and PMO responsibilities.
Through practical examples and real-world case studies, delegates gain valuable insight into common sponsorship challenges, governance pitfalls, and lessons learned from successful and unsuccessful change initiatives. The emphasis is on practical actions that sponsors can take to improve the likelihood of successful outcomes.
The Project Sponsorship and SRO Briefing is delivered using the CITI Beyond Method, an outcome-focused approach that helps leaders move beyond theory and governance models to understand how effective sponsorship creates measurable organisational value.
Through facilitated discussion, executive-level case studies, practical scenarios, and reflective learning exercises, participants explore how sponsorship responsibilities operate within their own organisational context. The focus is on developing the judgement, leadership behaviours, and decision-making capability required to lead confidently in complex business environments.
The CITI Beyond Method encourages sponsors and SROs to look beyond project outputs and concentrate on the outcomes, benefits, capabilities, and value that projects and programmes are intended to deliver. Participants leave with a practical framework and actionable insights that can be immediately applied to improve governance effectiveness and delivery success.
Ready to become a more effective sponsor?
Contact CITI today to discover how the Project Sponsorship and SRO Briefing can help your leaders provide stronger governance, clearer direction, and greater confidence in delivering successful outcomes.
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