Sponsor's performance in governance project based on the visual management model Life cycle canvas®: evidence from a public educational institution

Abstract

The present work aims to examine how the Life Cycle Canvas® visual model influences the performance of the governance function performed by the project sponsor in the project life cycle of a public educational institution. A research with case study procedures was carried out, where the subjects of this research comprised the members of the institution's project office and the sponsors themselves. Data collection was carried out through individual semi-structured interviews and the analysis was carried out through content analysis. The previously defined data analysis categories represented the six dimensions of sponsor roles in the context of project governance pointed out by Crawford et al. (2008). As a result, it was identified that the Life Cycle Canvas® visual model can contribute to the performance of this role in the six dimensions suggested by Crawford et al. (2008), and taking into account the list of identified codes, it can be argued that it helps, mainly, in the dimensions “govern the project”, “guide and make decisions” and “critically review progress”. Relationships with the main governance theories linked to project management were also identified. In this way, the work suggests that the Life Cycle Canvas® visual model can be an important tool to improve the governance performance that the sponsor must have, allowing him to see his role throughout the life cycle of a project.