Artificial Intelligence: ally or threat for Project Managers?#

If you read the previous parts of this blog series (check them here), you know that soon most of the routine tasks Project Managers (PMs) do will be done by computers. I know what you are thinking but no, PMs will not disappear.

As much as Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grown in the last few years, we are still far from Autonomous Project Management. The reason is simple: teams are formed by humans. And while computers excel at automating tasks, they fail at interpersonal communication, they lack feelings and emotions. So, as long as work is done by people, Project Managers will be safe.

We will have to transform and reshape our role, though. For starters, PMs will need to have a closer and healthier relationship with AI systems. Sooner rather than later, implementing AI will be imperative instead of “nice to have”, so it will be essential for Project Managers to learn how intelligent tools work and how to interact with them.

As technology progresses, PMs are abandoning routine tasks and focusing more on higher-level activities. They are having less to do with administrative duties and more with strategic planning, relationship building and decision making. No matter how intelligent a tool can be, final decisions will always lie in the hands of humans.

PMs will also need to develop even stronger soft and social skills. Empathy, kindness and leadership are vital skills in a digitalized and automated world like the one we are living in nowadays. These are also abilities that only humans have, and without them, managing projects is unimaginable.

In the end, top Project Managers will be those capable of building a partnership with AI tools. Those that, rather than seeing it as a threat, embrace AI as an ally and lead their projects to new levels of success.

Conclusion#

AI can revolutionize and improve the way we are used to managing IT projects. How much we can benefit from it will depend on the nature of our work, how well we plan the implementation of intelligent systems and how much of our resources we are willing to invest in the process.

Although we don't know what the future holds, two things are certain. One, adopting AI in Project Management is not an easy task. It involves a lot of tough decisions around several areas. But, if done wisely, it could entirely transform and optimize your company. Two, Project Managers will not disappear anytime soon. Nonetheless, they will need to reshape their role. The PMs of the AI era will face the huge challenge of getting as close as possible to intelligent technologies, while at the same time embracing what sets us apart from them: our humanity.