The projects allow the implementation of changes in the firms in order to reach the organizational objectives and strategic alignment. However, resource constraints and budget require the prioritization of projects for development. Some methods are available to assist firms in this prioritization and the sponsor plays a central role in this process. This paper aims to describe the role of the sponsor in the projects prioritization. The research was done through a qualitative approach with the application of in-depth interviews. Analysis was performed using the coding technique and using Atlas.Ti software (version 7). Regarding the results, it was verified that there is a direct relationship between strategic alignment, project management and project prioritization methods. As a contribution, this research identified four attributes performed by the sponsor in the prioritization of projects: they are: political, management, relational and bargaining. Since political and bargaining attributes are more required when there is no transparent prioritization strategy.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is understand how the different styles of sponsor management influence the prioritization of projects.Design/methodology/approach: The empiric analysis used in-depth interviews with 11 executives as method for data collection and qualitative content analysis using theory and data driven categories for analysis is performed.Findings: This research points to the emergence of opportunistic management style, and to evidences of lack of strategic alignment in the project prioritization process.Research limitations/implications: The lack of prioritization methods evidences to compare with project management style. Also, the number of project managers to interview as experts.Practical implications: The analysis shows that committees and post-project evaluation be established to mitigate failures in the prioritization process impacted from sponsor’s management styles influence.Originality/value: The paper provides a critical perspective about sponsor’s management styles and project prioritization context; it is important to highlight how different management styles of the sponsor result in different behaviors in the companies.

This conceptual article has as main aim described the project management as a factor to improve the sustainability of society. To do so, it is necessary to understand the project attributes and the changes in perspectives when adopting project management as a practice to promote sustainability. The discussion proposed here uses a heuristic method searching for patterns in the academic literature and in organizations to build arguments that can aid in the dissemination of project management practices. It is worthy to notice that it is not our intention here to deal with these issues in depth, but to encourage a discussion so that issues can be raised and solutions can emerge. Then, in addition to the question of sustainability in project management, we also added a discussion about the incorporation or greater stimulus to the use of project management practices in the public segment. There is a risk of being superficial in the discussion presents here, but the reason to integrated several contents is because it is not possible to describe a more sustainable society without addressing all segments. Key words: Project management; Sustainability; Project; Sustainable society Resumo: Este artigo é mais e tem como objetivo principal descrever a gestão de projetos como um fator para promover a sustentabilidade na sociedade. Para isso, é necessário entender os atributos do projeto e as mudanças nas perspectivas ao adotar o gerenciamento de projetos como uma prática para promover a sustentabilidade. A discussão aqui proposta utiliza um método heurístico que busca padrões na literatura acadêmica e nas organizações para construir argumentos que possam auxiliar na disseminação de práticas de gerenciamento de projetos. Vale a pena notar que não é nossa intenção aqui lidar com essas questões em profundidade, mas sim encorajar uma discussão para que as questões possam ser levantadas e as soluções possam emergir. Em seguida, além da questão da sustentabilidade na gestão de projetos, também foi adicionada uma discussão sobre a incorporação ou maior estímulo ao uso de práticas de gerenciamento de projetos no segmento público. A razão para integrar vários conteúdos é porque não é possível descrever uma sociedade mais sustentável sem abordar todos os segmentos. Palavras-chave: Gestão de projetos; Sustentabilidade; Sociedade Sustentável