"Keep your business owner and sponsor up to date at all times."

 When I perform a project health check, one of the questions I ask the project manager is, how often do they meet with the sponsor or the business owner of the project? If the answer is weekly or bi-weekly, that is an indication that the PM is keeping the sponsor or business owner informed of the project status and progress. When I get answers such as, "The sponsor won't make time to meet with me", I begin to suspect that the sponsor is not fully in the loop. Having an actively involved sponsor or business owner is a critical element for a successful project. When issues arise or a critical decisions are needed, the sponsor or business owner may have to help resolve them. If they are not up to date on the project, they may not be able to react quickly enough to prevent schedule or budget problems from occurring.