Introduction to 12 Questions for Sponsors

As the work year starts to ramp up and we turn our attention to delivering the projects and business changes that have been waiting for us, it felt like a good moment to try something a little different. 

Just before Christmas, I was talking with a friend about her transformation program and we kept coming back to the same issue – how to ask good questions as a sponsor.

She challenged me to come up with a simple set of questions to know if her program was setup to succeed. And not just questions that you can answer yes/no, but rather ones that you sit with and take a bit of time and reflection. 

The result is this list - 12 Questions for Sponsors.

It is designed for projects leaders to slow things down and take the time to reflect on their project setup. I’ve built each as a blog post with some commentary around the question, and also a voice recording in case you prefer to listen to it.

Think of this as a set of prompts or contemplations rather than a checklist. Some of the questions might feel obvious. One or two, I hope, will make you pause and reflect and bring forward an insight. 

You can jump to the last blog titled ‘Wrap Up’ if you want to see all the questions at once.

I hope 2026 is full of progress and learning for you.

I would love to hear any comments or suggestions. Just send a note kieran@kieranduck.com