Project management training at South African universities - are we missing the plot?

In March 2004, the British Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) commissioned a study that focused on the “rethinking” of project management. The objective of the EPSRC study, commonly known as the EPSRC Network, was firstly to create a multidisciplinary network of academics, researchers and practitioners interested in developing project management and the practice thereof in industry; and secondly, to define and identify a new interdisciplinary research agenda that would allow the field of project management to develop beyond the conceptual foundations that existed at the time – a conceptual base that attracted criticism for its lack of relevance to practice. The core philosophy behind the Network was to link theory and practice through an organised process of interaction between academics and practitioners.

As part of the process leading up to the final report of the EPSRC Network, a distinction was made between mainstream thinking of knowledge relevant to project management and non-mainstream thinking of knowledge relevant to project management.

An important component of what was identified as non-mainstream thinking of knowledge relevant to project management is “craft knowledge” or “soft” skills, which can be defined as knowledge and skills that relate to matters such as the development of high-performance teams, change management, motivation, talent management, the effective management of client relationships and organisational politics, handling complexity and ambiguity, and intuition.

There seemed to be conflict between the knowledge requirements of the current bodies of knowledge and the broader areas of knowledge required by project managers, which would include craft knowledge.

The interim report of the Network, published in May 2005, presented five directions of new thought for extending and enriching mainstream project management theory.

Of relevance here was direction five (from trained technicians toward reflective practitioners), which would allow project management practitioners the flexibility to move from being able to follow detailed procedures and techniques, prescribed by project management methods and tools, to being able to learn, operate and adapt effectively in complex project environments through experience, intuition and the pragmatic application of theory in practice.

The final report of the Network recognises the importance of developing craft capability as part of the education, training and development of project managers.

Are the findings of the EPSRC study a lone voice in the desert?

The final report of the Network opened the floodgates of research into the non-traditional skills required of successful project managers and value-
adding projects.

International and local researchers continue to confirm – at various levels, from different angles and in various regards – that training based purely on the content of a body of knowledge such as the PMBOK®, with the objective of only ensuring mastery of such body of knowledge, will not equip project managers for the task at hand, namely successful conclusion of projects.

They confirmed that the key competencies required of project managers are much broader than adherence to the triple constraints of time, cost and quality within narrowly defined knowledge areas.

Where are South African universities?

Research was conducted to determine the extent to which South African universities have extended or adapted their project management curricula to accommodate the issues identified in the findings of the EPSRC study and other relevant research.

It is the norm for universities to review their curricula in a three- to five-year cycle, which means universities will have had sufficient time to incorporate these research findings.

To determine whether there is a sufficient balance between codified knowledge and craft knowledge in the project management curricula of the various types of South African universities, the project management curriculums of one university of each of the three university types in South Africa (a comprehensive institution, an ‘ivy league’ institution, and a distance education institution) was studied. This ensured the research did not focus exclusively on a particular type of institution or institutions in a particular region.

In applying the five-question litmus test developed by Professor PD Rwelamila of the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership in 2007, to determine whether the respective curriculums could be considered as appropriate and fully fledged, the curricula of two of the three universities achieved high scores – indicating that these universities have established a balance between codified knowledge and craft knowledge in their curricula, and that the curricula studied will produce graduates with a knowledge base appropriate for the modern project management environment.

This was done differently by the respective universities, for example by including modules that teach students soft skills in their core curriculum or by means of a simulation exercise in the curriculum that is programmed in artificial intelligence and is a core component of the curriculum.

The curricula of the third university achieved a very low score, which indicates that the curricula of this university are still far from being regarded as either appropriate or fully fledged.

The entry-level certificate programmes are particularly lacking as far as imparting craft knowledge is concerned and fairly consistently dragged down the scores on the test items that speak to these aspects.

So, are South African universities missing the plot?

The fact that the curricula of two of the three universities achieved such high scores indicates that South African universities have started to move away from regarding the content of the respective bodies of knowledge as an all-encompassing prerequisite for project management training.

However, the low score of the third university is cause for concern.

The influence of the bodies of knowledge on project management training at all levels remains overwhelming.

In some instances, particularly at certificate level, training still revolves exclusively around the bodies of knowledge.

Entry-level project managers and project managers in organisations with a low project management maturity level require skills that will allow them to grow professionally and to improve the project management maturity of their working environment – which requires significantly more than a rigid implementation of narrowly defined knowledge areas.

The introductory courses in project management should therefore create an awareness of the critical role of soft skills in ensuring project success.

In advanced or postgraduate project management courses, the emphasis of curricula should be nearly exclusively on aspects such as soft skills, project management career paths and ensuring a successful project management office.

What are the universities to do?

• South African universities should be bolder in ensuring their project management curricula are appropriate and fully fledged in the African and international context rather than slavishly following a specific body of knowledge. Africanised curricula will provide the skills and knowledge required to deliver projects successfully in a multicultural environment.
• The flexibility created by means of elective modules should not make it possible for students to opt out of modules that empower them with craft skills and business skills. This should form part of what is taught in the core modules.
• The mandate of comprehensive institutions is to make it possible for students to progress at the same institution from an entry-level qualification such as a certificate, to postgraduate qualifications. This progression should be evidenced in the articulation of the qualifications offered and the acquisition of higher level skills by students as they progress.
• The curricula of the postgraduate qualifications in project management should equip students with the knowledge and skills required for establishing a project management centre of excellence, corporate project management office or project management office.

The research was conducted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the awarding of the Master of Business Leadership degree. 

Thelma Louw