Change Sponsor Roadmaps are important because employees are more likely to listen to senior executives when they discuss the importance of the change program, why change is needed as well as what the future vision for the organization is that the change seeks to accomplish. Further, after the change initiative has been implemented, having a Sponsor Roadmap will inform executives of what needs to be done to ensure sustained results for the change program. Generally, the sponsor of a change management initiative should be highly involved in the change process, develop good relationships with other sponsors or executive members, and communicate to organization employees the purpose and necessity of the change.

To create a Sponsor Roadmap, four steps should be taken:

Step 1: Identify Key Change Sponsors. Before your team determines what actions sponsors need to take to support the change program, the relevant sponsors need to first be identified. In addition to identifying sponsors, determine the order in which the team will approach each sponsor, as well as who on the team will speak with each person. During this step, the team should aim to get agreement from sponsors that they will support the change management program.

Step 2: Define Key Communications Channels. After identifying the sponsors, establish the primary mode of communication through which sponsors will offer their support (e.g., in person, over email etc.).

Step 3: Identify Key Sponsorship Needs. Determine what aspects of the change management program will require assistance and support from a particular sponsor. These tasks should be centered around the sponsor engaging with the change management project team, other senior leaders and employees directly affected by the change. Then, the tasks should be prioritized in order to minimize the demand placed on these executives. By coming to the sponsors with an organized list of tasks to assist with, they will get a better sense of how much support they will really need to give the program. Some factors that can be used to determine the priority of different tasks are the number of employees the task affects, how involved the sponsor needs to be with the task, and where in the change management program does the task appear.

Step 4: Create the Roadmap. Create a schedule of tasks for the sponsor. To ensure maximal sponsor effectiveness, the dates that are given to the sponsors for when their involvement is most needed should be in line with major change management program milestones.

Unlike most traditional Change Sponsor Roadmap techniques, Praxie’s online Change Sponsor Roadmap collaboration tools allow any team or organization to instantly begin working with our web templates and input forms.

Creating a Sponsor Roadmap usually requires a stakeholder analysis to identify key sponsors. Various tools and templates are typically used including documents and spreadsheets. A Sponsor Roadmap details the actions that organizational executives need to take to fulfill their role in the change management process. The roadmap is very important to making sure that your team gets the necessary support from senior leadership to ensure the successful implementation of the change management program. Get started with our Sponsor Roadmap template. 

How to use it: 

1. Insert key sponsor and ADKAR phase. 
2. Assign a level of priority and support. 
3. List a strategy with corresponding due date and status. 
4. use the template to track the overall engagement of all Sponsors. 

Our digital platform goes far beyond other software tools by including progress dashboards, data integration from existing documents or other SaaS software, elegant intuitive designs, and full access on any desktop or mobile device.