Give the project access to a visible, high-level manager, who champions the cause of the project.  The patron can be the final arbiter for project decisions, which provides a driving force for the organization to make decisions quickly. The patron is accountable to remove project-level barriers that hinder progress, and is responsible for the organization's morale. 

From http://www.bell-labs.com/cgi-user/OrgPatterns/OrgPatterns?PatronRole