Category: Succeed as a consultant, Projects & Implementation
The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked discussions across various industries about its potential impact on traditional roles and responsibilities. The field of project management is not exempt from these considerations, and as a project manager, it is only natural to ask yourself: How will AI affect my work?
With 30 years of project experience, senior project manager, Henrik Timm, has seen the field undergo many changes and augmentations: from Y2K and new digital tools to the agile manifesto and hybrid project models and now AI as a new condition for the modern workplace.
He sees AI as a frutiful new addition to the project manager’s reality – but not without precautions!
The short answer is no. The role of the project manager will not be put in jeopardy by AI. On the contrary, Timm expects the need for project managers to rise in the coming years.
“Over recent decades, organizations have shifted from being operationally driven to increasingly project-oriented. There’s an overall growing need for agility, innovation, and responsiveness to market changes, that can only be found in a project-driven approach.”
Timm says, while emphasizing the emerging tendency of project constipation – the sheer risk of initiating so many projects that the overall strategy might stagnate and the organization with it.
To avoid this, organizations will need more competent project managers to deliver succesful projects on time. And in this quest, AI will undoubtedly play an important role in how the project managers optimize their time and resources in the projects at play.
The shift from operation driven to project driven organizations through a century.
When we talk about project management, there’s generally speaking two types of management at play: The managing of the project (planning, reporting, estimating and documenting) and the leadership of the project (communicating, motivating and and leading people).
Anyone having experience with project management knows the extensive and repetitive work that goes into the former. According to Timm, this is where AI will be a significant game changer.
“For the foreseeable future, AI's biggest impact on project management lies in its ability to alleviate the administrative burdens that often consume a project manager's time.”
This automation frees up project managers to concentrate on leadership and critical decision-making, enhancing their overall effectiveness. Thus, AI will not replace project managers but rather augment their capabilities, enabling them to handle greater complexity and volume in their work.
An overview of which tasks and how AI can help alleviate the project manager’s work.
“Think of AI as the perfect project management intern,” Timm explains, “In the beginning, you’ll have to train them and guide them through their tasks. But pretty soon they’ll be able to solve it themselves at an incredible speed and accuracy – even making qualified predictions and estimations to further your decision making.” Henrik Timm, Senior Project Manager
Before diving head first into recruiting AI as your project assistant, however, some healthy reservations are advised. There must be an agreement on the basic processes and tools used for project management in the organization.
“Without standardization of risk assessments, resource management and reporting methods, AI can create inconsistencies and inefficient outcomes.”
Timm warns. “Project manager’s could risk ending up comparing apples to oranges across the project portfolio, all because different managers use AI in different ways.”
You need to have the same codes and standards of configurations. Eg. when you estimate, do you use 7 or 8 hours as figure for the day? And when you say the project status is green, do you then have any risks in red?
Another pitfall is the ever present one when introducing new tools and possibilities: The overuse and sometimes abuse of the tool.
“Sometimes we get seduced by the possibilities of technology.” Timm says, “So much so, that we might end up doing a task just because we can, rather than because we must. This can lead to uneccesarily heavy projects. Don’t let AI set the agenda for your projects. Use AI only in the context that makes sense for your project.”
Last but not least, the need for seasoned project managers to draw on previous experiences and common sense is ever present. While some AI project management tools are based on best practices and textbooks, others are based on open source and others again are based solely on previous projects within the organization that developed it.
And they can all work wonders – as long as you, the project manager, are aware of their strengths, limitations and potential biases. This means listening to your gut feeling and always having the context of your specific project in mind. Know when to use what tool and why.
“It’s an old tune, but remember: AI is only as good as the data it has been fed” Timm concludes.
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