AI for project management: time to team up with robots

Are you ready to delegate more of your tasks to robots? Well, you’d better be if you want to stay on top of your market! One of the perks of the rise of Artificial Intelligence systems is the use of AI for project management. Without mentioning the gain of time, allying with these smart virtual assistants to handle your projects reshuffle your job and take it to a new level. 

How many projects don’t reach the “100% completed” goal? How much money have you already spent on these “never-completed” projects? Thanks to AI project management tools, your chances of finishing a mission successfully are much higher, 25% to be exact¹! But this represents trillions of dollars of value and benefits for businesses integrating AI into project management. 

The role of IT departments is crucial in the transition into this new technological era. The use of artificial intelligence implies cleaning up data and reviewing cybersecurity management and strategy, among other tasks. Let’s see how to approach and make the most of this technological earthquake.

Where should the IT team's attention be when using AI for project management? 

Make your data machine-learning-friendly

IT professionals have an essential role   in making this technological transition successful. First and foremost, all the company’s raw and unstructured data must be collected and cleaned up. IT teams need to make all this data digestible and readable for robots. This step is crucial to use AI project management tools efficiently. 

Set up your AI project management tools smartly and safely

Project managers and IT experts also need to set up these AI-driven solutions. Installing integrations appropriately on other digital tools is fundamental, for example. Moreover, they must establish clear expectations toward these technologies and set up the systems accordingly. How is it supposed to react when this or that happens? How often shall it analyze and report the current status of the project? Can it self-adjust automatically, or shall it notify the project manager of any required modification? Etc. 

Cybersecurity to protect confidential information and avoid data leaks

Data protection is one of the main concerns for businesses when   introducing AI in the workplace. Analyzing the potential risks of data leaks and cybersecurity issues is an essential task both project and IT managers need to tackle. AI represents a new threat in cyber risk management. Any digital tool does, but the risk is so far higher with AI. Therefore, staying up-to-date about these threats and adapting your data security protocols accordingly is a must.

Training employees on how to use it properly

The job responsibilities of your team members are going to change, and you need to prepare them for this transition. The good thing is that most Millennials and Gen Z are demanding to learn new skills and widen their skill set. The arrival of AI in the workplace and   project management will give them this opportunity! For IT teams: this is your time to shine by making the work environment AI-friendly and supporting your colleagues in this essential technological shift.

What are the best AI tools for project management on the market?

Notion AI

Notion is one of the top project management resources. It enables teams to optimize their work while boosting efficiency and productivity. As any leader in the tech industry, Notion has been working actively to make AI a core feature of its product. 

They created Notion AI  to help managers and employees work better and faster by automating tasks. It also provides a performant AI-powered writing system   ideal for summarizing notes, composing reports, or handling first drafts.

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👉 Discover more about Notion AI. 

Asana Intelligence

Asana is also a well-known project management tool that recently introduced its own data-powered intelligence.  This AI project management tool enables leaders to handle resources based on goals, get automatic recommendations, and identify roadblocks (among other features). For team members, Asana Intelligence is a key support for  optimizing workflow and improving productivity.

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👉 Check out more about Asana Intelligence. 

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Trello Strategy-AI Power-Up

Most project managers know Trello has it is one of the first project management solutions and a strong leader in this industry. They’ve introduced the Strategy-AI Power-Up. This system is a fully embedded and immersive experience. Professionals can visualize prioritization based on strategic factors alongside their  lists and boards, while also dynamically anticipating the impact of tactical priority changes.

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👉 Find more details about the Trello Strategy-AI Power-Up.

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Wrike

Wrike is another project management tools market leader and has recently updated its offers with multiple AI-assisted task management features. It supports users by enhancing seamless collaborations, streamlining work scheduling, simplifying resource allocation, and providing data visualization. 

Its main strength is its flexibility, making it a user-friendly solution for start-ups as much as for big companies.

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👉 Get to know more about Wrike AI features.

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ClickUp AI

ClickUp AI is an AI-powered assistant that helps managers with project data prediction, decision-making, project cost estimations, real-time risk and team management, etc. This AI project management tool has been named the No. 1 Project Management Product and the No. 1 Collaboration and Productivity Product by the largest software marketplace G2.

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👉 Learn more about ClickUp AI. 

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HiveMind

Hive has added an AI feature to its cloud-based project management platform to automate tasks and streamline workflows. Among other benefits, HiveMind supports project managers in allocating resources, scheduling, prioritizing, and identifying risks. The cherry on top is that HiveMind offers multiple integrations with tools like Slack or Google Drive.

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👉 Get a deeper insight into HiveMind.

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How does Artificial Intelligence help (and not replace) project managers?

Decision-making and prioritization

Project management tools based on artificial intelligence and automation provide key information to managers about every aspect of a project. One of the most crucial but also challenging parts of a project is prediction. 

Because these digital tools analyze real-time data and information, they pinpoint projects with  the most value that need to be prioritized.

Using AI for project management has a significant role in prediction, as it enables leaders in decision-making and prioritization.

Risk mitigation

AI project management platforms also give a clear insight into a project’s potential risks and obstacles. Teaming up with robots removes human bias and allows managers to anticipate any blocker  that could compromise the project.  As soon as a risk is detected, managers get a notification. Together with their team, they can respond quickly, adapt their risk mitigation strategy, and avoid escalating situations. 

Progress monitoring

The best part about robots is that they don’t sleep and can do many things simultaneously 🤖. We, humans, can do several tasks at the same time, but it is proven that we are less efficient and that it increases human error. But these ever-awake team members can successfully keep an eye on your projects’ progress during your days off or when you are busy with other important tasks. This is the beauty of automation! So, what if something goes wrong or needs your attention? Your virtual assistant sends you a clear notification about the issue and how to solve it potentially.

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Speed up reporting

Thanks to the ability of AI and automation to support you in project management, data analysis and reporting are no longer manually done. Automated solutions treat a massive amount of data in a record and real-time. This is key to having a regular and relevant idea of a situation to discuss the next steps accordingly. 

Project testing

Testing is a fundamental step in project management and needs to be done often. Thanks to AI project management tools, some advanced testing systems that used to be only available for big projects are about to be accessible to a broader scope. With more frequent tests, these tools detect defects and bugs early, allowing teams to solve the issue before it impacts other aspects. This new ability gives managers the opportunity to deliver more reliable and safer results.

Time and cost-efficient managing

The reasons why using AI for project management is time and cost-efficient are endless. All the benefits mentioned above already give you a clear idea of it. These machines analyze complex data and provide you with solutions in no time. Early detection of issues allows teams to act on them before it gets out of hand and cost money and time. Focusing on executive tasks instead of operational responsibilities makes leaders and employees more productive and efficient. And the list goes on.

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The reasons AI project management tools don’t replace human project managers (yet)

Robots mainly handle administrative and manual tasks

Project managers can now delegate tasks to robots instead of asking people to handle repetitive and time-consuming operations. These machines powered by Big Data, Machine Learning (ML), and natural language processing are precisely  made for this. Writing reports, sending e-mails, analyzing data, allocating resources… These are all hard skills-based tasks that often do not make people thrive. With AI, managers and team members focus more on the soft skills part of their positions and the aspects that make them flourish at work.

Project managers fulfill the role of intermediary between the machines and the people

Even when using virtual assistants to gain time and efficiency, the central function of a project manager is still irreplaceable. They play the role of intermediaries between robots and people. Being responsible for a project means supporting the team, exchanging with stakeholders, boosting motivation, adjusting your requests toward AI-driven tools, and so on. These are all responsibilities based on soft skills that machines can’t do yet or not as well as a person.

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Robots are only a solution to extend and strengthen your team

If you have tried ChatGPT, you know the importance of writing a good prompt. This is the same for any type of AI project management tools: they only do what you tell them to.  You have to be specific in your expectations, like you should do with your coworkers. In the end, your role as a manager is “same same but different”. Yes, you need to learn how to work with these new technologies to make the most of them. Yet they require clear guidelines to perform successfully, as do your team members. When you know what AI-driven solutions need to work effectively and efficiently, you have all the cards   to make them thrive. This is as important as understanding your employees’ expectations.

AI tools are only efficient if they have a good manager

Although robots help you considerably reduce errors and risks often resulting from human bias, they are not always right either. Here are a few key aspects explaining why. First, this technology evolves quickly but has yet to reach 100% of its capabilities.  Second, the way you set it up influences its abilities. Third, external and internal events can happen, requiring leaders to update the instructions given to their virtual assistants. Lastly, it learns with time (still quicker than people) how to deliver the best outcomes for your business.

Consequently, the intervention of the human brain is essential. AI technology is a significant support for companies to rely on. However, it can only partially replace the role of a project manager. Remember that we are only at the beginning of this new technological era. The development of AI solutions is evolving at an extremely rapid path. The first version of ChatGPT is only a few months old and has already nothing to do with the latest version. 

‍IT teams need to stay updated about what’s happening in this field to make the most of AI because there is no going back. Yet, other professionals are also concerned about this transformation in our ways of working, as it can benefit every aspect of your organization. Learning to use and collaborate with these virtual assistants is critical for leaders and their teams when using AI for project management. 

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How is deskbird responding to this rapid shift in the world of work? 

As experts in modern work, we try our best to be always on point with the new trends of the future of work. The deskbird app uses AI technology to provide room and desk booking smart notifications or recommendations to enhance your hybrid work experience! Check our main products page or request a free deskbird app demo! 

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¹ How AI Will Transform Project Management, HBR.

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Sources: 

‍How AI Will Transform Project Management, HBR;

12 Best AI Project Management Software Tools for 2023, ayanza;

Revolutionizing Project Management: The Disruptive Power of AI and Automation, Projectmanagement.com.