Revolutionizing Project Management: The Power of AI
The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) means that project management, as a field, will be changed significantly. AI will augment all of project management—from the most mundane tasks to deep and strategic thinking. And, in so doing, it raises significant ethical and human-societal questions as well. But one issue comes up first for most: Will AI will do to the project management job market. Artificial intelligence has revolutionized the way we approach the work of selecting and prioritizing.
AI and Improved Selection and Prioritization
When AI is integrated into project management, it has the potential to revolutionize how projects are selected and prioritized. Introducing AI means offering better and more accurate predictions on which projects will generate significant value. Unlike many current human biases that tend to be socially or heuristically based, AI, based on complex and large-scale ML models, is notionally at least less biased than humans in making such judgments.
Enhancing Project Management Office with AI
The use of AI can bring a huge benefit to the project management office. Project management offices (PMOs) can benefit greatly from AI. The technology can improve the monitoring of both project progress and multiple smaller issues. For example, PMOs still spend countless hours prepping and distributing reports, often making the whole cycle longer than it should be. And despite the effort, not everyone can read these PMO reports to a meaningful level. AI can automate the preparation and distribution of PMO reports and make the enforcement of PMO policies much more consistent.
Accelerating Project Definition, Planning, and Reporting with AI
AI speeds up project definition, planning, and reporting. AI has the potential to vastly cut down on the amount of time spent on project definition, planning, and reporting. Not only can it help automate these mostly manual tasks, but it can also assist with some of the less direct (and less appreciated) aspects of project management, such as risk reduction. That should come as welcome news to anyone involved in managing projects or paying the cost of doing so, not to mention to sponsors who have to hold everyone accountable when (not if) things go wrong. Add to it the promise of improved scoping and fatter detail and resource requirements, and AI’s value proposition begins to look more and more interesting.
The Role of AI-Powered Virtual Assistants in Project Management
AI-powered virtual assistants are playing an increasingly prominent role in project management. AI virtual assistants offer many benefits for project management professionals. For instance, these assistants can make it easier for project managers to do their jobs well by helping them remain organized and focused. AI virtual assistants also serve as powerful project team members, enabling those teams to work together more effectively. Finally, AI virtual assistants offer the potential for significant time savings, as they can take over many of the administrative tasks that consume so much of a project manager’s workday.
AI-enabled virtual project assistants are a cutting-edge integration of technology and personnel. Like their human counterparts, these timesaving tools—powered by artificial intelligence—provide instant answers to questions about how to use a project management platform’s many features, set project and task schedules, and juggle resource allocation. Some even work across language barriers. They can be your always-on, 24/7 help desk.
Artificial intelligence is forecast to change testing systems and software dramatically, too. The arduous work of conducting software projects’ system tests might become largely automated and, therefore, more efficient. That could lead to better, more reliable, and more secure software released in shorter amounts of time.
The Evolving Role of Project Managers in an AI-Dominated Landscape
In a landscape dominated by artificial intelligence, the role of project managers is evolving. The tasks of project managers will change in the future. They will learn to use artificial intelligence and other high-tech tools and software. That, in turn, will allow the managers to stop spending so much time on the administrative tasks of using software to keep track of the work being done and to get more involved in the what, why, and how questions of the team’s work. AI’s effect on project management is projected to be huge. Organizations that take advantage of the opportunities offered by AI can transform their project management, giving them a leg up on the competition and creating outcomes that are more efficient, effective, and even inspirational.
Read the full article, a more comprehensive guide at Harvard Business Review.