Two departments are funding the same initiative. Who owns the project?
Split sponsorshipSeparate funding contributions from accountability for the overall outcome. Agree a lead sponsor and a decision mechanism for conflicts rather than making the delivery team negotiate every disagreement.
What to do now
- Map funding and benefit ownership
- Nominate one lead sponsor
- Agree shared decision thresholds
- Record how unresolved disputes are escalated
When to escalate
Escalate when
The sponsors issue conflicting instructions that affect delivery.
Who decides
The accountable sponsor
Example
Finance funds controls and HR funds workflow improvements, while one sponsor owns the integrated implementation outcome.
Mistake to avoid
Assuming equal funding requires unanimous approval for every task.
Prevent a repeat
At each stage decision, check that the expected outcome, owner and justification remain valid.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Projects
- Documents
- Approvals
Keep the decision brief with the project and request a recorded sponsor decision before the next commitment. See the platform
Related cases
- Our project depends on a funding approval that is not confirmed. Can work begin?Unfunded commitment risk
- The proposed project duplicates work already underway. What should we do?Duplicate initiative intake
- Two departments use the same term differently. How do we prevent errors?Shared-language ambiguity
- Two projects claim the same resource savings. Who reconciles the portfolio?Portfolio benefit overlap