Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- About the author -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- The challenge -- Is it actually a project? -- What is a project sponsor? -- Assumptions of this book -- International standards -- How to read this book -- Notes -- Part One Principles -- Introduction to Part 1: The four principles of successful project sponsorship -- 1 The first principle: share the business case -- It's the business result that counts -- Focus -- Basis for communication -- One-liner -- Business case categories -- The business case is not a document -- How does a business case come about? -- Stage transitions and changes -- How is the business case maintained? -- Yardstick for success -- Benefits realization -- Summary -- Note -- 2 The second principle: organize ownership -- Business management is accountable for project success -- Individual contribution -- Complementary principles -- Stakeholder interaction -- The project sponsor: business case owner -- The steering group -- The senior user -- The senior supplier -- Link to line management accountabilities -- Behaviour -- Teamwork -- The steering group: small is beautiful -- Individual responsibilities -- Summary -- Notes -- 3 The third principle: focus on deliverables -- Go for the result -- Clear scope -- Examples of deliverables -- Ambiguous deliverables -- Projects with an unclear end deliverable -- Ghost deliverables -- Users are interested in deliverables, not in projects -- Ensuring quality -- Getting a grip on progress -- Getting a grip on cost -- Consistency -- Summary -- Note -- 4 The fourth principle: empower the project manager -- Balanced relationship -- The project manager's responsibilities -- Commitment -- Management stages -- Management by exception -- Stage plan -- Reporting -- Fewer meetings? -- Check the business case -- Which management stages?.

Summary -- Note -- Summary of Part 1 -- Part Two Details -- Introduction to Part 2 -- 5 A closer look at the steering group -- Who has to fulfil the project sponsor role? -- Who represents the users? -- Who represents the suppliers? -- Should an external supplier be a member of the steering group? -- Other roles -- Summary -- 6 Directing the project manager -- Who provides the project manager? -- How do you recognize a good project manager? -- How do you empower the project manager? -- How do you keep the project manager under control? -- How do you keep an external supplier's project manager under control? -- Summary -- Notes -- 7 Realizing the benefits -- How do you create benefit ownership? -- How do you direct benefit realization? -- The motivating force of benefit management -- The advantages of benefit management -- Summary -- Notes -- 8 Achieving quality -- What is quality? -- What are key responsibilities regarding quality? -- What instruments does the steering group have to achieve quality? -- How do you engage users in realizing quality effectively and efficiently? -- Summary -- 9 Dealing with uncertainties -- How do you ensure that risks are properly managed? -- How do you deal with changes? -- Summary -- Note -- 10 Assessing documents -- How do you assess a business case document? -- How do you assess a plan? -- How do you assess a performance report? -- How do you assess a change request? -- Summary -- Note -- 11 Why do projects exceed their budget and what can you do about this? -- Optimism bias -- Increase in user insight -- Excessive specialist influence -- Changes in the project environment -- Insufficient project control -- Blind spots in the schedule -- Technical issues -- Parkinson's law -- Decision-making delays -- Suppliers forcing up prices -- Summary -- Note -- Summary of Part 2.

Part Three Advancing project sponsorship in organizations -- Introduction to Part 3 -- 12 The challenge -- Conflicting interests -- Lower status of project management -- Performance measurement -- 'The project manager is accountable' -- Business schools -- Project management literature -- Professional organizations -- Suppliers -- Project managers -- Summary -- 13 The approach -- Align with existing context -- Start where the momentum is -- Include all target groups -- Address several levels of personal change -- Improve benefit management -- Practise what you preach -- Work with authoritative trainers -- Continuous effort -- Summary -- Note -- 14 Tips for training courses and workshops -- Training the board of directors -- Training the project sponsors and steering group members -- Training the project managers -- Training the auditors -- Training the controllers -- Steering group start-up meetings -- Summary -- Notes -- Summary of Part 3 -- Epilogue -- Appendix 1: PMBOK overview -- What is the PMBOK? -- History and adoption -- Content -- Pros and cons -- Notes -- Appendix 2: PRINCE2 overview -- What is PRINCE2? -- History and adoption -- Content -- Pros and cons -- Notes -- Appendix 3: Agile overview -- What is agile? -- History and adoption -- Content -- Pros and cons -- Notes -- Appendix 4: Responsibilities and accountabilities -- Appendix 5: A note on the terminology used in this book -- Basic choice -- Alternative terms for other environments -- Exceptions -- Additional terms -- Glossary -- References -- Index.