How Artificial Intelligence is Making Project Management More Productive
The initial fear that artificial intelligence (AI) would replace project management jobs has thankfully been put to rest. The massive increase in use of AI technologies across industries has instead proven the value of the human touch in project management.
More than 80% of respondents in a 2019 Project Management Institute report said their business had been significantly impacted by AI, making project managers a key ingredient of business success for the foreseeable future. Although project managers’ roles are shifting and adapting to AI technology, the efficiency and usefulness of that technology is reliant on the project managers who leverage it. Rather than removing the need for a project manager, AI is becoming something of an “assistant to the PM,” allowing managers to spend more of their time focused on their people and less time on logistics.
AI helps project managers in three key areas: organization, automation of tedious tasks and forecasting.
Organizing for More Efficient Allocation
Project managers juggle every facet of a project, balancing competing priorities and deadline. With multiple stakeholders and teams involved, keeping everything organized can be a daunting task. This is especially true for complex projects in the construction and government industries. If a project manager doesn’t have a strong handle on the status of every team and every piece, it’s difficult to allocate resources appropriately and adjust as needed.
AI tools can track and compile important updates for project managers in one place, giving a real-time picture. There’s no need to track down missing information or spend time putting everything in a digestible format. With all the right details in place and readily available, project managers can make informed, efficient decisions about resources and scheduling.
Automating to Focus on What Matter
While each project is different, portions of the process remain the same across industries. Some items must be completed monthly, weekly or daily, and reporting must happen on a certain schedule. These tasks, while important, can eat up large chunks of time, leaving less room for project managers to troubleshoot and dig in to solve the human needs of their team.
Gartner predicts that by 2022, one in five workers will rely on AI to do a job. Those repetitive, menial tasks – the “boring” stuff – will be automated, leaving more room for creativity and growth. For project managers, this means space to resolve team conflicts, experiment with new processes and creatively lead.
Forecasting to Solve Issues Before They Arise
Regardless of how success is measured, every project should include a post-mortem to uncover key learnings for the next round. Anecdotal evidence has a place in project management, but it can’t address everything. Even the most experienced project managers can find themselves blindsided by issues that threaten to run a project off course. AI can enhance forecasting based on historical data and previous projects to spotlight potential issues before they come up. Machine learning capabilities allow these tools to improve over time, taking the guesswork out of project success.
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