I, Project: A Peek Into a Machine-Powered Future

From the Voices on Project Management Blog
by Cameron McGaughy, Lynda Bourne, Kevin Korterud, Peter Tarhanidis, Conrado Morlan, Jen Skrabak, Mario Trentim, Christian Bisson, Yasmina Khelifi, Sree Rao, Soma Bhattacharya, Emily Luijbregts, David Wakeman, Ramiro Rodrigues, Wanda Curlee, Lenka Pincot, cyndee miller, Jorge Martin Valdes Garciatorres, Marat Oyvetsky

Voices on Project Management offers insights, tips, advice and personal stories from project managers in different regions and industries. The goal is to get you thinking, and spark a discussion. So, if you read something that you agree with--or even disagree with--leave a comment.

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Cameron McGaughy
Lynda Bourne
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Soma Bhattacharya
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cyndee miller
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Taralyn Frasqueri-Molina
Alfonso Bucero Torres
Marian Haus
Shobhna Raghupathy
Peter Taylor
Joanna Newman
Saira Karim
Jess Tayel
Lung-Hung Chou
Rebecca Braglio
Roberto Toledo
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Date

Simon Moores hosts the salon Tuesday in Barcelona, Spain.

By Cyndee Miller

Had I been around in 17^th century France, I would’ve been a big fan of the salon. Hanging out in ultra-posh dresses, talking about politics and books — it sounds lovely. (And I’m thinking there was champagne and macaroons involved?)

On Tuesday at congress, PMI put a 21^st century spin on the notion with a salon dedicated to “game changers for the project, program and portfolio management professional.” With the audience firing off questions via Twitter, it was a free-ranging discussion on artificial intelligence (AI), big data, machine learning and all sorts of tech buzzwords that could define the future of business.

Some big questions come to mind — like will the machines take over? Or, on a more optimistic note, can technology actually improve our lives?

The project, program and portfolio community has plenty to gain, said salon panelist Luis Miguel Munoz of Thomson Reuters in Madrid, Spain. “In project management, I see AI helping us in activities with planning—predictions and forecasts.”

Fellow salon participant Joanna Newman of Vodafone in Swindon, England, has a dream that all project managers can get behind. She imagined a world where teams could plug in a deliverable and a few key criteria, and software would spit out cost and schedule details. Sighs were heard around the conference hall.

It’s not about replacing people with machines—it’s about allowing project managers to focus on higher-value work, she said.

“We need to move away from a focus on the how—work breakdown structures and project plans—and move to leading and delivering solutions, which is what each and every one of us does, every day,” said Ms. Newman.

Think of it as a symbiotic relationship. “It’s all about collaboration between what machines can do and humans can do,” said salonnier Anael Ndosa, with PwC in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. But fear not, my project management friends: “Projects are always going to be about people.”

And people are always going to be, well, people. That, in part, means inevitable conflict. Everyone on stage seemed to agree that big data can support decision-making and AI could help automate mundane tasks. But when it comes to problems with stakeholders, sponsors or team members, there’s no substitute for humanity.

Take that, Siri.

Still, a machine-powered future is on the horizon, and “we have to be imaginative and forward-thinking in the way that we deal with technologies,” said tech futurist and salon host Simon Moores.

And with that, the salon broke up — and I went off to discuss AI over a nice glass of cava. But the conversation will continue on 8 June in a webinar with Mr. Moores.