Robert is the business analyst for his organization and he's working with several stakeholders to identify the business need for an opportunity. Robert needs to identify the stakeholder that will be…

In the BABOK stakeholder framework, the sponsor is the individual or group that authorizes the work and resources required to meet the business need. The sponsor holds decision-making authority over the solution investment and champions the business case, making them the correct answer for who authorizes necessary actions.

A customer is the stakeholder who will receive or use the solution's output, not the one who authorizes actions and resources.

An Implementation Subject Matter Expert provides technical knowledge and supports delivery but does not hold authorization authority over business decisions.

A regulator enforces external compliance requirements and constraints but does not authorize the internal actions needed to meet a business need.