DB8640 marks the transition from coursework to the capstone project — the shift from learning established knowledge to generating original applied scholarship. The seminar is a high-stakes development experience: students must produce a capstone project proposal that receives approval from multiple reviewers before they can advance to the literature review phase. The approval requirement is not a bureaucratic hurdle but a quality gate that protects students from investing major effort in directions that are unlikely to produce strong capstone projects — and the seminar's structured development process is designed to get every student's project concept to approval-ready quality.
Problem of practice identification and framing
From leadership challenge to researchable problem of practice
- What is a problem of practice: The DBA capstone is organized around a "problem of practice" — a specific, consequential leadership problem in a real organizational context that the student can investigate through applied research methods. DB8640 develops the capacity to identify and frame a problem of practice with sufficient specificity to be researchable and sufficient significance to warrant doctoral-level investigation. Problems of practice for leadership capstones typically include: leadership development gaps (the organization lacks the leadership capacity needed for its strategic goals); leadership effectiveness gaps (leaders at a particular level or function are not producing the performance outcomes expected); leadership culture problems (leadership behaviors across the organization undermine psychological safety, innovation, or employee engagement); succession and pipeline gaps (the organization cannot identify or develop leaders for critical roles); and leadership in change contexts (the organization's leaders lack the change management capabilities needed for ongoing transformation). The course develops the analytical skill to move from a general sense that "leadership is a problem in my organization" to a specific, bounded, researchable problem statement
- Capstone template and problem statement construction: DB8640 uses Capella's capstone template as the structural framework for proposal development. The problem statement section — typically 2-4 pages in the initial proposal — must establish three things clearly: the nature of the problem (what is happening that should not be happening, or what is not happening that should be); the evidence of the problem (quantitative performance data, survey results, observation reports, or documented outcomes that demonstrate the problem is real rather than perceived); and the significance of the problem (why this problem matters, what it costs the organization, why it deserves doctoral-level investigation rather than a quick consulting engagement). The course examines common problem statement weaknesses that prevent approval: statements that are too broad (leadership is always a challenge at big companies), too vague (our leaders need to be more effective), unsupported by evidence (assertions without data), or not grounded in organizational reality (theoretical problems rather than observed phenomena)
Applied framework and theoretical grounding
DB8640 develops the capacity to identify and justify the applied theoretical framework that will ground the capstone project. The applied framework is the theoretical lens through which the problem will be examined and through which the intervention will be designed — not a comprehensive review of all relevant theory, but the specific theoretical framework most appropriate to the problem at hand. For leadership capstone projects, potential frameworks include: transformational leadership theory (when the problem involves leadership style and follower motivation); change management theory (when the problem involves leading organizational transformation); high performance team theory (when the problem involves team effectiveness); strategic leadership theory (when the problem involves leadership at the executive and strategic level); servant leadership or authentic leadership theory (when the problem involves leadership culture and values alignment); and leadership development theory (when the problem involves developing leadership capacity in others). The course develops the criteria for framework selection (theoretical relevance to the specific problem; empirical support in the literature; practical applicability to the organizational context; and alignment with the student's research method choices) and the capacity to justify the selected framework against alternatives.
Project justification and dissemination planning
DB8640 requires students to develop a clear project justification — the argument for why this specific project, using this specific approach, in this specific organizational context, is worth the investment of doctoral-level research effort. The project justification addresses: the gap between the current state (documented problem) and the desired state (specified leadership outcomes the intervention aims to achieve); why existing solutions are insufficient (what has already been tried and why it has not produced the desired outcomes); why the proposed approach is expected to produce better results (what theoretical and empirical support exists for the planned intervention or investigation); and what the broader contribution of the project is (beyond solving the immediate organizational problem, what does this project contribute to the knowledge of leadership practice that could be useful to other organizations or to the scholarly community). The course also covers research dissemination — how the capstone findings will be shared with professional communities through practitioner publications, conference presentations, or organizational reports — recognizing that DBA capstones should contribute to practice beyond the specific organization in which they are conducted.
Preliminary project plan and timeline
DB8640 requires a preliminary project plan that maps the major phases of the capstone from current position through final approval — identifying key deliverables, realistic timelines, potential bottlenecks (IRB approval timelines, data access negotiations, participant recruitment), and contingency plans for predictable risks. The project plan is not a rigid commitment but a realistic assessment of what the project requires — demonstrating to approvers that the student has thought carefully about feasibility rather than selecting an aspirational project concept without a realistic path to completion. Common feasibility concerns that arise in the approval process: organizational access (does the student have access to the data, participants, and context the project requires?); scope (can the project be completed within the DBA timeline?); methodology (does the student have the skills to execute the planned research approach, or does the plan assume methodological capabilities that need to be developed?); and approver availability (can the student secure appropriate faculty mentorship and committee support for the planned project?).
DB8640 deliverables include problem of practice statements, applied framework justifications, project justifications, and preliminary project plans
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Problem of practice statements, framework justifications, project justifications, preliminary project plans.
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Frequently asked questions
The multi-approver topic approval requirement in DB8640 is designed to protect students from wasting time and effort developing a capstone in a direction that won't work — but not receiving approval on the first submission is a common experience rather than a failure, and DB8640 is structured to support iterative development toward approval. When reviewers do not approve a topic proposal, they provide specific feedback about what must be addressed before the proposal can receive approval: the problem statement may need to be more specific and evidence-based; the theoretical framework may need to be better justified or better matched to the problem; the scope may need to be adjusted (narrowed if too ambitious, broadened if too narrow to make a meaningful contribution); the organizational access arrangements may need to be clarified; or the preliminary project plan may need to be revised to address feasibility concerns. The course's structured development process — with instructor feedback at multiple stages before the formal approval submission — is intended to identify and address these issues before the formal approval submission. Students who engage seriously with the development process, seek feedback actively, and revise their proposals responsively should reach approval-ready quality within the course timeframe. Students who struggle to reach approval may need additional mentorship from their faculty mentor to identify a capstone direction that is both personally meaningful and feasibly researchable within their organizational context and program timeline.