Introduction: why this action matters for adoption
Sponsor ABSUP scoring is a diagnostic assessment and planning activity. Its purpose is to help the change manager understand whether the sponsor system is strong enough to create adoption, remove barriers, and sustain attention through implementation. Active and visible sponsorship is consistently identified as a major contributor to change and project success, while weak executive support is a recurring obstacle [Prosci, 2025; PMI, 2014]. (prosci.com)
Because “ABSUP” is not a publicly standardized change-management acronym, use it as your organization’s sponsor scorecard. In this article, ABSUP means Alignment, Buy-in, Sponsorship behavior, Understanding, and Priority/Power. The specific labels matter less than the discipline: assess the current state, identify gaps, and convert findings into sponsor coaching and adoption actions.
What this action is and when to use it
Assessing sponsor ABSUP scores means reviewing available evidence, interviewing sponsors and key stakeholders, scoring each sponsor or sponsor group, and agreeing follow-up actions. It is not a performance review. It is a change-risk assessment.
Use it before launch, before major communications, at stage gates, when adoption is lagging, after leadership changes, when resistance increases, or before go-live. Readiness should be phase-specific because what sponsors must do during strategy alignment differs from what they must do during implementation and sustainment [BCG, 2020]. (bcg.com)
The action is especially useful when leaders say they support the change but impacted groups are receiving mixed signals. Readiness research suggests that successful implementation depends on both commitment and efficacy: people must value the change and believe they can implement it [Weiner, 2009]. (link.springer.com)
Preparation: inputs, stakeholders, materials, timing, and decisions needed
Prepare by gathering sponsor names, decision rights, stakeholder maps, adoption risks, communications data, change impact assessments, leader talking points, manager feedback, resistance logs, and recent pulse results. Include the primary sponsor, sponsor coalition members, project lead, change manager, HR or communications partners, and selected managers or change champions.
Allow 60 to 90 minutes for a working session, with 30-minute sponsor interviews beforehand. Use a simple 1–5 scale for each ABSUP dimension. Decide in advance who can approve sponsor actions, who will coach each sponsor, what risks must be escalated, and how findings will be reported. Because single-person proxy ratings can distort collective readiness, combine sponsor self-assessment with input from managers, change agents, and impacted groups where possible [Shea et al., 2014]. (link.springer.com)
Step-by-step facilitation guide
Clarify the sponsor role. Begin by reminding leaders that sponsors do more than approve funding. Effective sponsors visibly participate, build coalitions, and communicate support to impacted groups [Prosci, 2025]. (prosci.com)
Define the ABSUP scale. Explain each dimension in behavioral terms. For example, “Priority/Power” means the sponsor has time, authority, and willingness to remove barriers. PMI emphasizes that sponsors need authority, influence, resources, enthusiasm, and time to resolve conflicts that could impede the change [PMI, 2013]. (pmi.org)
Review evidence before opinions. Show what is known: attendance at sponsor meetings, decisions delayed, messages delivered, unresolved risks, employee questions, manager sentiment, and adoption indicators. This keeps the discussion grounded in observable behavior.
Score each dimension. Ask participants to rate each ABSUP element from 1 to 5. Treat 4–5 as strong, 3 as fragile, and 1–2 as at risk. If scores vary widely, capture the variance as a finding rather than averaging it away.
Diagnose root causes. A low Understanding score may mean the sponsor does not know the people impacts. A low Buy-in score may mean unresolved disagreement about value. A low Sponsorship behavior score may mean the sponsor agrees privately but is not visible publicly.
Prioritize gaps by adoption risk. Not every low score deserves equal attention. Prioritize gaps that affect high-impact groups, critical managers, regulatory deadlines, customer experience, or go-live readiness.
Agree follow-up actions. Convert each gap into a named action: sponsor briefing, coalition reset, leader message, decision escalation, resistance conversation, or resource request. PMI’s research identifies overextended sponsors, inefficient communication, and lack of sponsor development as barriers, so actions should address capacity and capability, not just willingness [PMI, 2014]. (pmi.org)
Close the loop. Reassess scores at the next stage gate. A readiness assessment is only useful if it produces action and a clear path forward [BCG, 2020]. (bcg.com)
Example: how this could be applied in a real change initiative
Imagine a finance transformation replacing manual forecasting with a new enterprise planning platform. The primary sponsor is the CFO, with regional finance directors as coalition sponsors. Initial ABSUP scores show strong Alignment and Buy-in, but weak Sponsorship behavior and Understanding. The CFO supports the business case but has not met with regional teams, and regional directors cannot explain how roles will change.
The change manager facilitates a sponsor assessment session. The team identifies three actions: a CFO video explaining the business reason and risks of not changing, regional sponsor briefings with tailored impact summaries, and a weekly sponsor barrier log. After four weeks, manager feedback shows fewer “why are we doing this?” questions, regional directors attend adoption reviews, and unresolved policy decisions drop.
Roles and responsibilities
Role | Responsibility |
Change manager | Designs the assessment, gathers evidence, facilitates scoring, documents findings, and coaches sponsors. |
Primary sponsor | Owns the change narrative, resolves escalated barriers, aligns senior leaders, and demonstrates visible commitment. |
Sponsor coalition members | Translate the change into local priorities, reinforce decisions, and address resistance in their areas. |
Project/change lead | Connects sponsor gaps to delivery risks, milestones, adoption measures, and resource needs. |
People managers/change champions | Provide field evidence on credibility, resistance, and message consistency. |
Sponsors are often the face of change and have authority over resources, while change leaders gather data, listen, inquire, and inform the change approach [PMI, 2013; University of Waterloo]. (pmi.org)
Common mistakes to avoid
Treating a senior title as proof of sponsorship readiness.
Scoring sponsors only through self-assessment.
Averaging scores when one business unit is clearly at risk.
Reporting red scores without offering coaching or actions.
Focusing only on communications while ignoring decision rights, resources, and coalition alignment.
Waiting until go-live to discover that sponsors are not visible.
Using the assessment to blame leaders rather than to reduce adoption risk.
Measures of success or adoption indicators
Track whether ABSUP scores improve and whether the improvement shows up in behavior. Useful indicators include sponsor attendance at key change events, number of barriers removed, timeliness of decisions, consistency of leader messages, manager confidence, employee understanding of the change, resistance themes, readiness pulse scores, training participation, adoption rates, and sustained use after go-live.
For qualitative evidence, listen for whether managers can explain the “why,” whether employees know what is changing for them, and whether sponsor messages are being repeated consistently. Gallup recommends that change vision and implementation expectations be communicated by senior leaders and reinforced by managers [Gallup, 2020]. (gallup.com)
Checklist for the change manager
Confirm how your organization defines ABSUP.
Identify the primary sponsor and coalition sponsors.
Gather evidence before the scoring session.
Include more than sponsor self-ratings.
Score each dimension using consistent criteria.
Note score variance across groups or regions.
Translate low scores into specific adoption risks.
Agree named follow-up actions and owners.
Coach sponsors on visible behaviors and resistance conversations.
Reassess at the next milestone or stage gate.
Optional reusable worksheet
ABSUP dimension | Score 1–5 | Evidence | Main gap | Adoption risk | Follow-up action | Owner | Due date |
Alignment | |||||||
Buy-in | |||||||
Sponsorship behavior | |||||||
Understanding | |||||||
Priority/Power |
Suggested opening script: “Today’s goal is not to grade leaders. It is to understand whether our sponsor system is ready to support adoption. We will look at evidence, score the current state, identify the gaps most likely to affect impacted groups, and agree practical sponsor actions for the next phase.”
References
Prosci. “Sponsor Checklist for Change Management.” Published April 19, 2021; updated October 31, 2025. https://www.prosci.com/blog/sponsor-checklist-for-change-management
Project Management Institute. “Executive Sponsor Engagement: Top Driver of Project and Program Success.” October 2014. https://www.pmi.org/learning/thought-leadership/pulse/top-driver-project-program-success
Project Management Institute. “The Sponsor as the Face of Organizational Change.” November 2013. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/sponsor-face-organizational-change-11131
Weiner, Bryan J. “A theory of organizational readiness for change.” Implementation Science, October 19, 2009. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1748-5908-4-67
Shea, Christopher M., Sara R. Jacobs, Denise A. Esserman, Kerry Bruce, and Bryan J. Weiner. “Organizational readiness for implementing change: a psychometric assessment of a new measure.” Implementation Science, January 10, 2014. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1748-5908-9-7
Boston Consulting Group. “Are You Ready to Transform?” January 6, 2020. https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/are-you-ready-to-transform
Gallup. “Proven Change Management Principles: How to Effectively Initiate It.” July 15, 2020. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/315602/proven-change-management-principles-effectively-initiate.aspx