AI in business

7 minute read

How Can AI Enhance Project Management?

Caitlin Brown

Caitlin Brown

The recent progress in AI and AI-powered systems has generated a wide range of feedback and responses. The reactions have been quite extreme, from those who are almost fearful of AI-based technologies to those who swear by them. The reality, though, is that AI can help you in various areas of your business – if used correctly and always combined with human agents, of course.

Let’s take project management, for example. You already know that project management can be fraught with potential hurdles. Multiple collaborators, often working in different locations, and reliance on separate tasks may hold up the project if just one is delayed. So, how can we use artificial intelligence to improve project management? Let’s find it out in this article.

How can AI enhance project management?

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When you look to enhance your project management process using AI, there are several areas where it can be helpful. Of course, how you use AI project management software will depend on the sector you operate in and the type of project you are managing. 

However, there are some common areas where artificial intelligence can be quite useful. It can be a case of auditing your current project management process, identifying where AI can be most valuable to you, and then implementing it within that specific process. 

1. Automates routine administrative tasks

From a management perspective, you can use AI to monitor the progress of individual tasks and projects as a whole, alerting you to any potential issues. It may also be the case that you – and your C-suite – will want to see regular progress reports. Using AI means that reports and presentations can be regularly generated. 

It can also help with scheduling needs, assigning appropriate workers to relevant tasks, and identifying when part of your project might be short-staffed. AI can also help keep you, team members, and senior management updated in real-time on how tasks are progressing. 

It should be noted that AI will continue to develop and assist in managing more complex tasks. You will already find it used in areas such as coding, software development, and A/B testing. For now, however, you can use it to carry out those repetitive tasks that are prone to high levels of human error. 

2. Analyzes insights from large data sets

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As a digital project manager, you’ll often need to deal with large data sets and the necessary analysis of that data. Many projects can be incredibly complex, and each portion of a task might generate a lot of data, data that is crucial to the overall success of your project. Speedy collection, analysis, and reporting of that data can cut project timeframes significantly. 

Manual analysis, however, can be time-consuming and prone to error. Using AI project management software, on the other hand, allows you to eliminate human error and make informed decisions in a quicker time frame. 

3. Aids in predictive analysis for project planning

Technology project management may not only rely on analytics for task progression. Using AI in the workplace means that you can tap into AI’s predictive analytics capabilities. By analyzing your historical data, you will have access to predictions of possible future outcomes if something is done differently.

One of the major benefits of predictive analysis is that it can allow your team to look at things that went wrong in previous projects and then attempt to find ways to bypass the circumstances that led to those errors or problems. 

4. Improves resource management and optimization

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Another advantage of using Al project management tools is that you can more carefully manage the resources you need to complete the project. This refers both to human resources (task allocation and scheduling) and any physical and cash resources that you need. 

You may have a limited budget to complete your project, and going over that budget could be frowned upon. There may also be a limit on how many physical resources you can use for other project types. AI project management can help track the use of any kind of resource.

5. Identifies potential risks and vulnerabilities 

Let’s say you are developing a VoIP phone system for small businesses. You will want that system to be as secure as possible, as the business may be transmitting sensitive data via that system. Al project management software can help you identify any potential vulnerabilities in the system as well as potential risks. 

Without this ability, your process could involve constant testing and retesting. It could even mean that vulnerabilities are not identified before launching to market, leading to disgruntled customers and damaging your brand reputation. 

6. Streamlines team collaboration and communication

AI is a type of technology that uses various other tech tools, such as chatbots. Given that there is a strong possibility that your team members may be in different locations and that some may even be working remotely, artificial intelligence could provide a conduit that streamlines your communication and collaboration needs. 

This is not just about people talking to each other using tools such as dial by name; it’s about giving every team member access to the information they need. This can include viewing schedules, individual task progress, and a calendar that covers anything from deadlines to project management meetings.  

7. Tracks progress and creates reports in real-time

Projects can often be complicated creatures. Quite often, completing a single task may be the pivotal moment for other tasks to start (or progress). This means that you need an overview of how individual tasks – and the project as a whole – are moving forward, which can be difficult to achieve manually. 

With AI project management tools, you can get an accurate real-time overview. It can let you see where individual tasks are and if any set deadlines will be met. It can also generate reports of those events so you can feed back to senior management. AI can closely monitor performance across any domains you use if you’re testing how new tools might integrate with your websites. 

Conclusion

While we can’t tell what the future may bring, we can be sure that the use of AI in various areas of business will increase. In parallel, the various AI management tools that are available today will become more complex. 

As we have discussed in this article, getting familiar with specific AI solutions can help you greatly in managing your project portfolio. It can allow you to bring a project from start to finish much more smoothly, quickly, and safely than ever before.

From real-time tracking to in-depth data analysis and streamlined collaboration, the potential for AI in project management is huge. Are you going to try out any of these tools? 

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Caitlin Brown

Caitlin Brown

Caitlin is an editor at GoSkills, lending a keen eye and strategy to all related content. Her work includes product reviews, employee development platforms, and press releases. In addition to her Bachelor's in Public Relations from the University of Cincinnati, she also studied Theater at the Baltimore School for the Arts. When she's away from her computer, you'll likely find her roaming around her campervan in New Zealand, perusing cookbooks, or planning imaginary trips to Europe. Learn more on Linkedin here.