AI and Project Management: Thriving in the New Era 

Introduction

For the past couple of years, AI has been making waves across various sectors, and project management is not an exception.  

AI tools and integrations revolutionise how projects are planned, executed, and monitored while risks are identified. So, let us dive deep into the AI and Project management world and discover how project managers can leverage AI tools and practices. It is not too late to start, as AI has only started being used by professionals in both the corporate and start-up worlds.  

What Exactly Impact Does AI Have on Project Management?

Maximising Efficiency with AI in Project Management

AI algorithms process a lot of data and can provide insights and predictive analysis in seconds. For project managers, this means less time spent on monotonous work. AI can be used as a tool to make informed decisions, manage and predict risks, and check on opportunities early in the project. Also, it is not how much we use AI at our work; it is how efficiently we can use it to make our work more productive. 

I am a believer in using our full capacity work with our soft-people skills, so AI can help us not to spend time on endless reports and plans but use that time to communicate with the team effectively and help them reach their work goals on time, on budget and with sanity.  

Automation of Routine Work

Finally, our dream came true, and every PM can have an assistant who is always available to perform our routine tasks. The only thing is that we stay accountable for every result it produces, so quality checks will stay on Project Managers until AI algorithms are improved. However, scheduling, progress tracking, and report generation can all be delegated to AI tools and resources so that we can save that time.  

Enhancing Usage of Resources and Reducing Costs

The beauty of AI is that it can analyse past data (it is so good at it) and can predict what resources we would need to use in the next projects compared to previous or similar ones. It leads to resource optimisation and reduces costs for the usage of added resources. 
 

Risk Management

Using the previous data and seeing patterns. AI can help us to mitigate risks before they become issues and therefore can help with smoother project execution. Again, the quality check stays after the PM.  

What Tools Can Project Managers Start Using Now to Be Competitive in the Market?

• Existing Software: Tools like Asana, Jira, and Monday have integrated their AI features and add-ons into the software. It is the best way to start using it, not changing the current software for the whole company. As it can track progress and provide intelligent recommendations.  
• AI Assistants: ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini -can automate communication, generate reports, provide recommendations, and assist with any questions related to the tech part of the project or cover unknown areas.  
• Analytics Tools That Can Predict: Tools like MS Project and Smartsheet use AI to predict project outcomes, assist and alert with delays and suggest some actions for you as a PM to review.  

Practical Ways to Use AI

• Drafting emails and messaging 
• Prioritising tasks 
• Converting meeting notes and project briefs into project plans 
• Simplifying complex or industry-specific communications 
• Breaking down large tasks into smaller, manageable pieces 
• Optimising existing processes without affecting the budget 
• Analysing long documents and summarising key points 
• Using AI as a subject matter expert 

Will AI Replace Project Managers?

AI is to help you, facilitate your work, enable the resources you use, predict, and assist with some insights, but it is not here to replace you. Some reasons why: 
 

1. Lack of Emotional Intelligence and Human Factors: At the end of the day, we work with humans who work on projects and not vice versa. Project management involves lots of human interaction, negotiation, and conflict resolution. All these thing's AI cannot perform instead of us PMs.  
2. Creativity and Strategic Thinking: AI is great with analytics, compiling reports, and data search, but not with creative thinking that requires a personal approach. It cannot replicate the strategic thinking that project managers bring to the table.  
3. Adaptability: Project Managers often do not act using some instructions or playbooks but rather focus on the current situation and challenges that arise unexpectedly.  

In the next decade, AI will enhance the work of project managers, allowing us to focus on more creative, strategic work and, of course, more human connections, EI, and personal interactions.  

How to Stay in Demand and What to Do in This AI Era?

• Enhance and Work on Soft Skills: To stay competitive, people skills will be needed and appreciated more than ever. Some of them are communication, leadership, and empathy. AI cannot replace them.  
• Integrate and Use AI Daily: Review your routine work and see where you can implement AI tools or some automation into your work routine. This way you save lots of time for some strategic work and learn where AI can be used.  
• Advocate for AI: Promote it, talk about it, share updates on it, and help your team to integrate it into their work, too, so they have more time for creative work in their part of the project. Be open to AI.  
• Stay Updated and Test New Tools: What I recommend is to connect with companies and founders who launch new AI tools that companies and project managers can use at their work. Then, test it, talk to them, ask questions, and see the trends and some patterns where AI is being used. This way, you will be irreplaceable, as AI is your friend, not the enemy. It should not be, as we live in a new reality of the fast-paced world, where you need to move, test, stay updated and teach others to succeed.  

Conclusion

AI is transforming project management by automating routine tasks, enhancing decision-making, and improving resource management. While AI will not replace project managers, it will redefine their roles, allowing them to focus on strategic and human-centric aspects of project management. By embracing AI tools, continuously learning, and enhancing soft skills, project managers can thrive in the AI era and remain indispensable in their field.