First-year doctoral students and research candidates
Initial PhD planning and candidature confirmation preparation
Use cases
About
The PhD WBS mind map template provides a comprehensive Work Breakdown Structure for doctoral candidates, organizing the complex journey into 40 distinct nodes across academic and investigative tracks. This PhD template serves as a strategic PhD cheat sheet, balancing formal coursework under GC-RESIM with the core Research milestones. It covers essential academic units like INF60016 and ENT60010, while detailing the critical path from the Literature review to the final Thesis submission. By visualizing the PhD mind map, researchers can track progress through mandatory reviews such as the CoC (Confirmation of Candidature) and Mid-candidature review, ensuring all work packages are aligned with graduation requirements. This structured overview is designed for students who need to manage learning materials, assignments, and stakeholder meetings within a single, unified framework.
Terms and ConditionsWhen to use this template
PhD candidates and academic supervisors
Quarterly progress reporting and supervisor alignment meetings
Dual-enrolled research students and academic coordinators
Organizing coursework requirements alongside independent research tasks
How to use this template
Step 1
Import and customize units
Open the .xmind file and replace the GC-RESIM unit codes with your specific university course requirements.
Step 2
Define your work packages
Expand the Research components branch to detail the specific methodology and data collection steps for each work package.
Step 3
Track milestone progress
Use Xmind task markers or checkboxes to tick off progress components like the CoC and Mid-candidature review as you complete them.
Frequently asked questions
This template includes a dual-track structure covering both the Graduate Certificate of Research and Innovation Management (GC-RESIM) and the core research journey. It features 40 nodes detailing coursework, research work packages, and formal progress reviews like the CoC.
You can use this template to set deadlines for specific Research components. By expanding the Work package nodes, you can add sub-tasks, start dates, and priority markers in Xmind to turn the WBS into a functional project timeline.
Yes, the template is fully editable in Xmind. You can easily rename the elective subjects, modify the specific unit codes like INF60016, or adjust the progress milestones to match your specific institution's doctoral requirements.
Utilize the 'Regular meetings with supervisors and other stakeholders' node by attaching notes or sub-topics for each meeting date. This keeps a centralized log of feedback directly alongside your research work packages.
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