PMWJ Peer Review Editorial Advisor
Roger Atkinson, PhD, MPhil, FAPM, FHEA
Poole, UK
Before moving to academia, Roger had 23years practical experience of information systems (IS) and project management (PM). Starting with an early computerised police crime and criminal IS, he then moved to project manage several logistics, finance, audit and safety projects in the Ministry Of Defence (MoD). For one project, he was awarded a sabbatical to research at Cranfield (now University) for a MPhil with the aim of identifying the requirements for a replacement Tri-Service Traffic Accident Analysis System, the outcome of which, he later project managed to completion.
Roger then moved to Bournemouth University where he completed a further 25years as Senior Academic, initially introducing PM into several courses including the MBA, culminating in the development of a PM master’s programme. He undertook consultancy for such as the MoD, Police, Aerospace and Major Banks. His PhD produced an interim paper IJPM 17(6) 1999 which considered the criteria used to measure the success of IS projects, while the final thesis identified the issues of trust in PM as a key factor to project and PM success.
It was the fusion of using practice to inform theory and theory to improve practice that developed into a key interest for him. As such he organised and ran five international conferences, resulting in a special issue of IJPM 26(3) 2008, and led a team to run 10 workshops at UK universities, all having a focus on Excellence in Teaching and Learning PM while each had a unique theme.
He has advised successful PhD students and examined others in England, France and Canada. As a Fellow of APM he volunteered for 10years as a member of a regional APM committee with duties as lead for Higher Education.
He held External Examiner posts at Lancaster, Leeds and the Open University and was an Adjunct Professor at ESC and SKEMA Business School at Lille supporting their PhD program. As an active member of the 2004-06 ESRC funded Rethinking Project Management meetings he co/authored a paper in IJPM 24(8) 2006. Roger is now retired while still providing guest talks and reviewing journal papers.