Will AI end the career of Project Managers?

Artificial intelligence is a hot and recurring topic of all gatherings. After all, AI is something from which people are happy and raise concerns simultaneously. Some believe AI will finish their careers and project managers are one of them. The impacts of AI are already visible. Tools like Chat GPT, BRAD and Clickup AI are the obvious examples. 

I am not talking about follow-ups or sending reminders. AI has reached beyond the normal administrative tasks of project management. For instance, task management is now super efficient through AI. Decisions are now being made through data-driven AI.

How AI can benefit Project Management

To leverage AI, we first must understand the role of AI in project management. AI at its core, is the simulation of human intelligence processing by machines, especially computer systems. In project management it can be used to automate the time-consuming tasks, allowing project managers to focus on the strategic part of the project. For instance, AI can create meeting minutes by just listening to the participants, allowing project managers to focus on the agenda of the meeting and get desired outcomes instead of making notes and remembering who told what. Besides capturing minutes, AI can perform repetitive tasks with unparalleled accuracy, reducing the burden on project managers and their teams.

On the other end, AI can also help in analysing the data to provide valuable insights, ultimately improving decision-making. For example, a constant issue in quality from a particular resource can easily be highlighted by AI and allow decision makers to make possible decisions such as replacing the resource or activating the training plan for him. For this kind of data, before AI; a project manager used to do lots of effort. Furthermore, AI can analyze historical project data and predict potential issues or opportunities, helping project managers make informed decisions.

Where exactly organizations can implement AI in their project management practices?

In my opinion, PMIS (project management information system) would be the best bet to have AI. Just imagine, a project manager opening the PMIS, entering the brief scope including some details like constraints, strategic importance etc. PMIS goes into processing and comes up with the draft schedule, resource allocations, and task prioritisation. The project manager will only need to make minor changes and save the plan to present.

Other than PMIS, organizations can use chatbots or VA to provide immediate support to team members, answering questions and offering guidance. For instance, a team member looking for the design specifications can go to the chatbot instead of the project manager or a new team member can learn everything about the project through VA without engaging other people.

I hope your fear of AI has reduced after reading this post. For further actions, you may explore AI solutions available in the market. There will be two kinds of AI people. One uses AI to create value and the other uses AI to complete their work. AI will be there for a long time, you need to choose which kind you want to be.

Thank you / JazakAllah