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The Doctor of Project Management (DPM) @ RMIT
University, Melbourne, Australia |
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The Doctor Project Management will take you on
fascinating journey that will flow through your work and social life. Projects and programs of projects can be highly
tangible, such as building the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) stadium or
creating the “fish” that represented each participating country in the 2006
Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The entire 2006 Games event and its
accompanying cultural festival is an excellent example of a program of highly
complex “soft projects” delivered by project managers. Links: To School of Property, Construction and Project
Management (PCPM) |
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The
DPM Philosophy: What is this program
anyway? DPM
and PhD Comparison: what is
the difference between a DPM and traditional PhD? Typical
DPM Candidate Profile: Who enrols in a DPM? Your
Value Proposition: What is in it for me? Your
Organisation’s Value Proposition: How can I sell this
idea? |
How
does the DPM Work?: What credibility does
the DPM have? What
is it like enrolled on the DPM?: What am I in for? A
Brief History: The DPM experience DPM
Program Management: How is the DPM managed? Further Information: What more should I know about this? |
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This world first professional doctorate degree in
project management is specifically designed for PM professionals to consolidate
and better understand their existing advanced skills and knowledge on how to
manage projects, programs or portfolios of projects (Accreditation
proof). It is offered in distance learning mode via the Internet and is truly
global in its reach and delivery. To
be eligible to apply for entry you must have a Masters Degree from an
educational provider, recognised by RMIT University, plus you must have
gained 8-10 years of relevant project management (PM) experience. You may
have gained this PM experience through managing projects, being a PM
specialist team member or through performing PM support functions so that you
have gained a thorough knowledge of and skills in applying PM techniques,
processes and tools. You will have excellent English language communication
skills. The DPM assumes that these skill sets are present in candidates and
so we do not focus on entry level PM skills. For students who have studied
their Masters degree in a language other than English they will need to
satisfy the following requirement: English
Language One of the following:
Click HERE for information on RMIT’s standing
with USA accreditation for USA applications.
The US Department of Education FAFSA code for RMIT is 03095000. Also
for the Centre for Applied Research, evaluation and education Inc International
evaluation service for authenticating qualifications link HERE.
Click HERE to download a DPM application
form. email derek.walker@rmit.edu.au For more information. There are no
scholarships for the DPM but Australian residents may access
government-provided student loans – see the FEE-HELP
information for details.
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The following detailed information about the DPM is provided below.
The DPM philosophy is that the most valuable research in a discipline,
such as PM, is undertaken through reflection upon practice and by merging PM knowledge
with appropriate relevant knowledge from a range of disciplines. This is best
achieved by candidates who are motivated
to make sense of their observation of PM practice in their organisations and
have a desire to find ways of adding value through fixing systems
rather than being satisfied with merely fixing problems. This requires of
candidates that they expand their horizons and knowledge through exposure to theory that is already ‘out there’ in
a variety of disciplines—management, social sciences, the arts, or ‘hard’
science/engineering. This knowledge needs to be then applied and tested through a thoughtful, reflective and rigorous
approach involving a research thesis completed using a variety of potential
research approaches.
The DPM Program Delivery Approach
In line with the DPM philosophy, the learning mode combines work with
study so this program is undertaken while you work, wherever that may be
located. This professional doctorate program channels 1 year of Internet based
learning courses into 2 years of doctoral applied work-based research. It is
undertaken on-line while you work and can be undertaken at a pace that suits
your different work-life balance. The minimum time format is 3 years of
devoting about 16-20 hours per week to study and research. There will be
varying degrees of overlap between study/research and your work as this is an
applied research doctorate that combines study and research using data gained
from your work activities.
The most likely completion time is 4 to 4½ years. This is simply because
‘life gets in the way’ at this stage of your life. Added career responsibility,
social and family pressures all impact the 3 year full time model. For this
reason a flexible delivery model, which may be adjusted to suit each candidate,
is used. Most candidates take a combination of full and part time study over
their candidature and many take at least one semester’s leave of absence (LOA)
to catch their breath or take time to reflect on their research during their
enrolment on the DPM program.
The program is offered on-line using the RMIT University Learning hub as
well as using standard groupware technologies and VOIP. There is one mandatory,
once-only short (one week) residential component. It is usually taken in year 1
of the program during the last few days of October/ first few days of November
each year (candidates have to meet their travel and accommodation costs). This
is our springtime and is held in the week before the Spring Horse Racing
Carnival which is a very exciting time, leading up to the Melbourne Cup on the
first Tuesday in November—one of the best times to be in Melbourne.
This is a challenging and highly rigorous program. The cost in 2008 is
AUD$19,680 per year (AUD$9,840 part time) for
each of the 3 years of full-time enrolment or proportional fees for part-time
enrolment (AUD$205.00 per credit point) for 2009. The cost is
approximately AUD$59,040 for the entire program, you can expect fees in 2010
etc to rise by about 4-5% in line with inflation here. RMIT
reserves the right to adjust fees on an annual basis but no fee increase will
exceed the annual increase cap of 7.5%. Payment is made each semester based on the
number of credit point enrolment. There are no scholarships for the DPM but Australian
residents may access government-provided student loans – see the FEE-HELP
information for details.
DPM and Traditional PhD
Comparison
What is the difference between a DPM and PhD? The DPM is different from a PhD in 2 subtle ways.
- It provides a
guided learning experience where candidates undertake 4 on-line coursework
courses (the equivalent of
taking a one semester 3 hours contact per week traditional graduate
studies course) that are anchored into PM theory and practice: Knowledge
management and innovation (because PM offers organisational learning and
knowledge transfer opportunities), project management leadership (centred
around business strategy as a program/project driver, stakeholder engagement,
organisational forms, impact of national/organisational culture, and
leading versus managing); project procurement (creating value through
project delivery, value chains, project delivery forms, benefits
management); and a third elective course (to provide candidates with the
chance to explore areas of PM theory beyond their Masters Degree or other
DPM core courses). This guided experience is further enhanced with three
accompanying reflective learning courses taken on a one-to-one basis with
a DPM academic supervisor who provides a bespoke planned and designed sets
of literature readings and assignment work to allow candidates to expand
their knowledge in core course areas. There is also a PM Reflective Practice
Research Approaches and reflective course that prepares
candidates in research with an emphasis on qualitative research methods.
That coursework component comprising the first third of the DPM is often
taken part time over two years but may be taken full time depending upon
the candidate’s work-life balance circumstances. It leads candidates into
refining their choice of research focus for the remainder of the DPM
research preparation studies.
- The DPM
research thesis, while being essentially the same as a PhD in terms of
depth and rigour, is highly practice oriented. The candidate chooses a
focus for their thesis which may be centred upon one or more case studies
or from an action learning approach that rigorously reflects upon a change
management intervention in a PM context. Some DPM candidates may choose to
develop and/or extend innovative PM tools and test these tools. While the
focus is upon PM or program practice, and will generally use mainly
qualitative research approaches, it is by no means an ‘easy option’ and is
totally consistent with a PhD thesis using similar methodologies.
The DPM and Phd are of equivalent academic standard
and is recognised and designed as a classified research degree. It is similar
in many ways to North American PhDs where the course of study combines both coursework
with high level research.
With one, probably two Masters degrees and
8-10 years minimum experience of working in or leading PM teams, you may be one
of three typical profile groups of people undertaking the DPM.
- A rising star
and an ambitious achiever. You are keen to demonstrate not only your
mastery of new ideas, concepts and techniques but you also what to know
how, where and when these may be best applied. Your motivation centres on
exploring the boundaries of PM knowledge of how it may be practically
applied.
- A seasoned
middle career professional contemplating a change in your career path. You may be
preparing for a future niche position, perhaps moving from project to portfolio
management, or you could want to develop an idea for a useful new PM tool.
Your motivation centres upon you developing a pathway to a new opportunity
with a qualification that provides the credibility and thought-leadership
to place you in a better position to choose your remaining career
prospects.
- A late career
reflective practitioner seeking to mentor, coach and support others. You already
have a wealth of experience and you feel that your Master degree studies
lack the level of depth and substance that you need to satisfactorily
complete a number of currently fuzzy pictures that you would like to more
clearly understand. Your motivation is to find a better way to enable for
you to reflect, re-frame, re-think and challenge your assumptions so that
you can make better sense of your experience. You would like the DPM study
to help you to be recognised as a mentor, coach and thought leader. You
may be contemplating mixing your PM business career with an
academic/research one.
The DPM is a pathway that many of our
candidates use to enhance and advance their careers. The cost of the program
fees, while not insubstantial, is small compared with the opportunity cost of
focussing your time on study, research and writing. The outcome must be worth
the investment in time and money.
The value that we have observed others gain from the DPM is both tangible and intangible. In tangible (output terms) having a doctorate based upon practical research opens doors to a career that otherwise would be closed. It adds credibility. Some DPM candidates have developed new ideas and PM products that they have been able to commercialise.
The sheer effort required of a successfully completing a doctorate, DPM or PhD, provides proof that the individual possesses ‘stickability’ to rigorously pursue a topic and traverse superficial surface issues to dig deeply to reveal fundamental implications. Few people can remain focussed long enough to complete this level of work without the challenge of completing this level of study and rising to the challenge of its ‘brand’ requirements of rigour. Having a DPM, or PhD, provides recognition of having a substantial intellect, focus and personal conscientiousness.
DPM graduates claim that it improves their choice of assignments and business activities from a different and more interesting pool of possibilities than they had prior to achieving the doctorate. Those currently in the program feel that it boosts their confidence through their exploration and reflection on PM knowledge so that promotion opportunities seem more attainable. Thus the DPM experience delivers a confidence boost for them through their DPM achievements and the new perspectives that they have been able to see PM from.
Intangible benefits include the fun of meeting a challenge or puzzle, of gaining new skills and getting more satisfactory recognition of the value of learning than attending a series of professional development units. Achieving at this level stretches the mind and opens up new ways of seeing things so a number of DPM candidates have said that they feel liberated by their studies, even if it is very hard work.
Your
Organisation’s Value Proposition
You may need your organisation to partially sponsor your DPM studies. If so, they will naturally seek a business plan that justifies supporting you. The DPM is a practice-based research doctorate and, as such, demands a high level of understanding of how your organisation’s PM practices function. Your research, if undertaken as expected within your organisation, is about examining and improving the studied practices. This is a highly valuable knowledge management process in codifying and making clear the situational context of that tacit knowledge. Many organisations wish to gain access to this level of organisational learning but fail to achieve that result because they tend to use external consultants to undertake the studies and reviews. Most of the knowledge leaves with the consultants when they leave. Your participation and feedback on your research work the potential to be more deeply anchored into your organisation’s learning about how it works. This of itself is a high value proposition.
Intangible value that can be gained by your organisation is complemented by your being anchored into the organisation, fully engaged and motivated to remain with them contributing feedback and knowledge to your colleagues. You become a mentor and thought leader, you probably challenge current processes and practices and you enhance the organisation’s access to the learning materials that are available to you. DPM candidates may access RMIT library’s e-resources, with thousands of journals and books. This is a substantial benefit to both you and your organisation.
The DPM model is a three year program undertaken in a combination of full time or part time study.
Candidates undertake 3 core 12 credit point coursework units in year one of the program. A 12 credit point course is the equivalent of undertaking a 3 hour class with another 9 hours of private study comprising reading, assignment writing and discussion in groups as well as private reflection and thinking time.
The first 3 core courses are: PM Knowledge Management; PM Leadership; and PM Ethics and Procurement. Candidates also undertake a fourth core course PM Practice 2. This may be: customised to the candidate; undertaken as a general post graduate elective course within RMIT; undertaken as an approved elective course elsewhere; or it may be exempted if the candidate has undertaken an approved postgraduate course in addition to the Masters Degree entry qualification. Many candidates have for example, two master’s degrees or a PMP qualification as well as their masters degree.
The second part of year 1 full-time study (or year 2 part-time study) are three 12 credit reflective learning courses that link to the first 3 core courses. These are undertaken by individuals using recommended readings to deepen or broaden knowledge in a particular area. The chosen area depends on the individual’s interests and is negotiated between the course director and candidate. The aim of this approach is that the candidate works out what additional knowledge helps them to best reflect on the core topic area (KM, leadership etc) and how that has applied to the candidate’s workplace. The candidate will prepare and present a major assignment of about 5-6000 words in length to satisfy the academic requirements and this may be shaped between the candidate and the assigned academic supervisor into a paper that could be presented at a conference. In 2003, for example, four of the DPM students presented papers at a PM conference in Moscow, in 2004 and in 2005 others presented conference papers in New Zealand and Australia, in 2005 in Lisbon, Trinidad, and Toronto, and in 2006 in Italy, Brazil, Australia and Montreal. The fourth reflective learning course is a research methods course taken on-line to help candidates prepare themselves for their research investigation which forms the main part of the DPM.
In year 2 of the DPM full time program structure, candidates will be further developing their research topic through 4 stages of research preparation. They will be working independently under the supervision of their academic supervisor who will act as their mentor and coach. They will focus on developing a research topic that generally encompasses parts of the core courses that have been explored further through the reflective learning courses and those areas that show the most promise, are of most interest, and are practically ‘doable’. These four research preparation courses may be extensions of case studies developed through the previous courses or they may be more finely focussed on an area of interest. Often these are action learning research exercises where an improvement in PM practice is identified and its theoretical links explored with an improvement strategy to be tested in a real life setting. In this way the candidate moves towards the goal of the final dissertation with papers presented to form draft of thesis chapters or stand alone case study reports of suitable standard that fits the DPM academic requirements.
In the final phase, the case studies and research exercises are pulled together into a thesis. The expected scope of this is between 60,000 and 100,000 words in length which is the ‘normal’ PhD scope expectation. Content of the DPM will be as rigorous as a PhD and a full exploration of the relevant literature and knowledge of available and suitable research methods will be expected. The defining difference between a PhD thesis and a professional doctorate, such as the DPM, is that the DPM will have a finer focus and more detailed content upon the work’s implication on PM practice. The first acceptable draft of the thesis will be presented for the 48 credit point semester course in year 3 and the remaining 48 credit point course is split into a 36 credit point and 12 credit point course. The 36 credit point course represents the completion of the accepted final thesis and when this is ready the candidate enrols in the final 12 credit point course to have it examined and to make any necessary modifications to successfully complete the thesis. The DPM like all PhDs and many other professional doctorates in Australia are examined externally by an independent qualified doctoral thesis examiner—an academic or PM practitioner who holds a doctorate themselves and has the required in-depth knowledge of the thesis content to examine it.
The following indicates how the thesis fits in with making a significant research contribution to the practice of PM.
Figure 2 – DPM Contribution to PM Practice or Theory
Generally, DPM candidates move through a path throughout the program from Quadrant 1 to Quadrant 4 in one of two ways. They may be taking observed and reflected upon PM practice or tools and either improving that through an innovative application or radical re-framing so that they take the Q1, Q2 to Q4 route. The other path is by extending the use of that concept, tool or process in some new geographical area or new way of applying it using the Q1, Q3 to Q4 route. Either way, the thesis and the research work will demonstrate not only excellence in the depth of understanding fundamental knowledge and application of research tools but also developing improved PM tools and practices. Thus far, successful DPM graduates have developed tools for: stakeholder management; investigated improved approaches and practices to be used by PM organisations (such as improved cross-cultural leadership); or performance measurement of intangible outcomes and converting these into a fuller range of demonstrated project management outcomes.
Once the thesis supervisor is satisfied that the thesis meets the DPM requirements it may be submitted for examination. The completed DPM thesis is externally examined, unlike many of the North American universities where an internal examination committee examines the thesis with a need for a viva—where a live presentation and defence of the thesis by the candidate is required. Under the RMIT DPM approach, three external examiners are appointed to provide reports on the thesis. Their recommendation the thesis may be for it to be passed without need for further clarification of issues. The most common outcome is for minor changes and modifications to be made responding to questions raised by examiners. These are usually completed within a week. Follow THIS LINK to access to download examples of completed DPM theses.
The DPM provides full access to the RMIT e-library as well as its extensive physical library. Its electronic library provides access free to DPM candidates to tens of thousand of e-journals from across the globe including well known business journals such as Harvard Business Review and California Management Review. For organisations supporting DPM candidates this kind of access to pdfs of such a store of journals to enhance knowledge transfer and diffusion of leading ideas is invaluable to the candidates and their colleagues that they mentor and share ideas with.
Being a DPM candidate is highly demanding so you should think carefully about what you will be committing yourself to. The DPM will consume about 20% of your time in its many forms of studying, thinking and reflecting and writing.
Undertaking a DPM is a radically different experience to studying for your Masters Degree. The difference can be summarised in at least three ways:
- While the DPM core courses (See Figure 1) refer to and include general PM concepts, tools, techniques and processes, the focus is on extending knowledge that can be found at the boundaries of the conventional PMBOK. Also, the DPM is primarily research based;
- You will become more interested in how knowledge from other disciplines and other areas can be seconded to serve PM needs so you will find yourself moving towards being a boundary spanner and that may at times take you out of your comfort zone as it can challenge your core beliefs about PM problems and solutions; and
- By undertaking the DPM you become part of a global learning community.
First, your masters degree study was most likely about following ‘best practice’. Coursework may have largely about fixing problems and to a larger extent fixing faulty systems. The DPM is about challenging existing systems by observing how they operate and then improving them, often using unconventional thinking or ways at looking at these systems. You move towards this at the first year coursework stage but your experience in taking the reflective learning courses and then later moving into the research phase of the DPM takes you in an independent direction that is not feasible at the masters degree level. If the Masters Degree is about knowledge, then the DPM is about wisdom. You will be reading the PM and other literature at an entirely different level as you pass through the DPM process so that you will appreciate the distinction between ‘spin’ and ‘substance’ in claims about tools, techniques, processes and ideas. Also, the DPM is mostly research based either through reflection, extending your appreciation of a wider literature, or actively through your research project. You will experience an increased confidence in your understanding about how good research is undertaken. Much of this research can be ‘action research’—you are part of the research process as an observer and participant—so you will learn through this experience to better judge what is valid, what is useful and what is needed when undertaking projects that involves any form of change management.
Second, the DPM forces you to mingle with project managers from a range of disciplines and geographical areas so it purposefully throws you at the edge of your comfort zone. Be prepared to listen to and consider ideas that may appear at first quite irrelevant to the ‘hard project’ types because PM is moving increasingly into ‘soft projects’. Most IT projects for example are as much about change management and innovation diffusion as about developing ‘boxes’ or ‘software solutions’. The experience of undertaking the DPM opens doors for you because it challenges you to think differently. In this way you are aware of these doors that can be opened by you.
Third, the DPM is a global learning community. Not only are DPM candidates currently living or working in each of the habitable continents but they bring with them their various national cultures as well as a wide variety of workplace and/or professional cultures. This exposure will help you to better understand PM from a global perspective but also help you to better understand the multicultural teams that you most likely currently work within. You will work during the first year on small teams workshops held on-line using a variety of groupware and internet communication technologies. As you move towards the research part of the DPM program in year 2 and year 3 you will be working independently but the global cultural links you have made in the initial DPM phase will allow you to continue to share ideas, check alternative perspectives and experience being a part of a high-level global learning community. DPM candidates choose for example, to collaborate on writing papers. We also work on writing books together and we find colleagues that we can bounce ideas off that may not feel ‘safe’ within your work environment.
The DPM was introduced in 2001 as the first
Doctor of Project Management in the world. Its structure is similar to that of
many North American PhDs; it combines about 33% coursework with 67% research
delivered on-line in distance learning mode. A very small number of similar
programs have been established since the DPM’s introduction. RMIT and its
sister institutions that offer these programs remain in contact and we share
experiences of our doctoral programs. Since 2001 we have had 10 completions
of the DPM and the first doctor of project management graduate in the world was
among that elite group (see PMI Today extract). We currently have
around 20+ candidates undertaking the DPM. The candidates reflect the global nature
of the program and they come from Europe, Africa, the Middle-East Region, North
America, South America, The Pacific Islands, Asia and Australia. The PM
disciplinary backgrounds of these candidates are as diverse as their
geographical home-base – IT, change management, construction and heavy
engineering, research, NGOs, public sector management, business strategy and
military support.
The DPM course director Professor Derek Walker has been program director since its inception having designed and developed it during 1999 and in 2000 he navigated the program proposal through the RMIT University program approval process. Professor Derek Walker came to project management via the construction industry after spending 16 years serving in a number of challenging roles on large construction projects in the UK, Canada and Australia. He has been an academic for 20 years and completed a Master of Science in Construction Management and Economics as well as a PhD. His work has been extensively published. He has co-authored 37 book chapters and in excess of 140 peer reviewed papers with a wide network of colleagues and successfully supervised 2 research Master Degree, 4 PhD and 7 DPM candidates. This combined academic and practice experience informed the DPM philosophy to have academic rigor and focus as well as being highly connected to industry practice. Professor Derek Walker takes overall responsibility for DPM candidates in their first year of the program and also supervises many and co-supervises others. More details of his CV can be found on URL http://dhtw.tce.rmit.edu.au/ .
The DPM supervision team provides a depth of academic and PM experience across a number of disciplines. The DPM host school currently provides at least 5 in-house supervisors and 5 additional adjunct staff with experiencing ranging from engineering and construction, IT, innovation management, cost management, small and medium sized business and public sector management, quality management, business system development and human resource development. Our global academic network and close linkages with industry partners through research and consulting provides us with a wide range of potential external examiners for the DPM thesis.
Several of our supervisory staff serve on the editorial board of a number of prestigious peer reviewed journals. Professor Derek Walker will be editor of the new International Journal of Project Management in Business (IJPMB) to be launched in January 2008 by the Emerald Insight Group who publish 100s of peer reviewed on-line journal and available on paper-based media.
A small and focussed school committee provides an immediate reference point for program governance, for assessing the merit of DPM applications and general program administration. The RMIT University has a mature and well established program governance system consistent with Australian Government accredited universities.
The DPM is offered from the School of Property, Construction and Project Management (PCPM) and draws academic supervisors from with that school who have both doctorates and PM experience as well drawing from adjunct staff elsewhere within RMIT University. This school also offers a face-to-face mode Master of Project Management degree that has been successfully operating for almost 20 years.
RMIT is a large well established university with campuses in Australia, Vietnam and global links through partnered institutions in Singapore and China to name but a few. Our university website provide current information about RMIT.
The DPM represents a significant innovation in project management
knowledge development. It provides a structure and framework that assists high
quality research in project management practice to be undertaken.
Contact Person: Professor Derek H.T. Walker derek.walker@rmit.edu.au
phone +(61) 3 9925 3908
Interested applicants should contact Professor Derek Walker with details of
their qualifications and experience. Faxed information may be sent to + (61)
3-9925-1939
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