Page 211 - Global Project Management Handbook

9-16 COMPETENCY FACTORS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

build and operate the project will generate flows of revenue early. Flexibility at this
stage usually will not make sense; full commitment is necessary.
Shaping the future rather than planning in detail. If the future could be predicted ade-
quately, contracts could be designed to lock in on the most rational options.
Unfortunately, the future is often unknowable in advance. The longer the development
time, the higher is the likelihood that projects will be affected by turbulence. If events
go unchecked by the timely actions of sponsors, degenerative processes may ensue.
Effective sponsors recognize explicitly that projects are not once-and-for-all decisions
but rather journeys characterized by multiple decision episodes. During the front-end
period, the role of the sponsor is first to foster multiple perspectives by enlarging the
boundaries of groups participating in the project and shaping moves to break indetermi-
nate situations. As uncertainty reveals itself, leverage can be applied to make desired
futures happen. Reasoned commitments thus are made in the face of uncertainty.

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