How AI Can Help Project Management Efficiency

We live in an era where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ever-present but rarely credited for its helpfulness. Once the subject of sci-fi movies like Transcendence (2014) and I, Robot (2004), AI is now very much the norm for everyday life.

Amongst other initiatives, it is thanks to AI that our Gmail inboxes are filtered to Primary, Social, and Promotions, that websites can offer 24 hour customer service in the form of Chabot’s, and that we know that our Uber will arrive in 3 minutes.

AI is becoming the norm in life and business at a startling rate of adoption.

With DataProt reporting that 37% of businesses and organizations already employ AI.

Improve remote collaboration with Orangescrum

Try it free

Project management is an area set to benefit massively with AI promising to solve problems, improve efficiency and predict risks. As a Project Manager, you can expect to start thinking of AI as your right-hand robot.

So just how can AI assist Project Managers?

AI Can Manage Routine Administration

It is no secret that every level of business, even those at the highest levels of the C-Suite team, believe that administrative tasks are a drain on their time and energy.

It is no different for Project managers who routinely need to prepare reports, schedule meetings, request research, and manage team members.

Help is at hand. Project Managers will benefit hugely from the efficiency created by less admin. Imagine having more time to focus on the bigger picture.

AI Assistants require little to no human management and can organize your diary and manage your task lists for you.

In fact, your AI Assistant can monitor your emails and convert them into tasks and reminders so there’s no need any more for that sinking feeling you get when you open your inbox to find 101 unread messages, again!

Not only can AI Assistants manage diaries but there are versions, AI Schedulers that can negotiate suitable meeting times on your behalf.

Emailing to and fro with your contact whilst you focus on other areas of the project.

AI Assistants can be helpful for the entire project team with automation solutions available for business, similar to the virtual assistants many of us have at home, that are activated using voice command to book meeting rooms, make calls, and order supplies.

AI Can Predict Project Risks

The phrase ‘Hindsight is 20/20’ has never been more apt than in the year 2020 when AI can assist project managers in predicting the future.

By incorporating AI machine learning into your business you will be able to centralize project data from past and present.

Enabling AI to analyze all the factors of the project, from the timeline and resources to budget and skill, and to identify areas of risk that could delay project completion.

Using AI to identify risk allows you and your team to work smarter and mitigate potential issues before they happen.

AI Can Help Manage Project Budgets

Possibly one of the top three stressors of any project (along with meeting deadline and completing the project) budget management is another area that AI can support.

Incorporate AI to help you accurately plan project budgets and to track spend in real-time whilst also adjusting spend as requirements change.

AI budget management support can assist businesses in the planning of future projects by analyzing completed projects and speculating on new project costs.

AI Can Help You Manage Project Teams

Possibly one of the most unpredictable and complicated elements of any project are the people on the team.

With limited time to check in on each person and to avoid micromanaging your team, how do you keep track of who is doing they should be? Step in, AI.  To help manage your team, consider an AI solution designed for just that.

There are advanced AI solutions to suit all industries which can help you and your team plan and manage your joint workload.

AI tools for teams proactively encourage collaboration by offering transparency across the whole team. Letting team mates know who is working on what.

This transparent way of working can have a positive side effect of fostering a culture of cooperation and initiative.

By understanding each other’s roles and ways of working. AI opens up opportunities for new project ideas and team generated ideas of how to streamline particular parts of the work.

A true example of humans and AI working together for progress.

How to Choose an AI Solution for Project Management

Advancements in technology can make it feel like there are new must have applications and solutions nearly daily.

So how do you decide which AI solution suits your project management needs and style best?

Start by thinking about what your perfect solution to your biggest problems would be and start backward from there.

Breaking down your big picture to what you think gets in the way of running more efficient projects and the tasks that you personally believe drain your time unnecessarily.

Get your team involved in brainstorming what could be automated and what would be a game changer if you could only have more time, analysis, budget, and skills.

Then start with the research and trials. Many of the more advanced and popular AI products available on the market offer two week to one-month trials.

You might be impatient to get going with your new AI team mate but it is advisable to really understand and trial which ones meet your and your team’s needs and which ones do not.

Try not to get distracted by all the amazing features marketed to you by the different AI agencies. Stick to your plan to be sure you invest in the right solution.

Another factor to consider is of course budget. AI solutions should be looked upon as an investment.

Consider how you will manage the return on investment and the overall success of employing AI before investing. Whichever solution you choose must be able to prove its self a worthwhile investment as well as being a much-needed team member.