Testing ChatGPT!
From the The Money Files Blog
by Elizabeth Harrin
A blog that looks at all aspects of project and program finances from budgets, estimating and accounting to getting a pay rise and managing contracts.
Written by Elizabeth Harrin from RebelsGuideToPM.com.
Recent Posts
How to learn AI the sensible way
Making sense of project cost reports
How real PM mentoring actually works
The Accidental Product Manager: What project managers need to know
How healthy are your project finances?
Categories
accounting,
agile,
ai,
appraisals,
Artificial Intelligence,
audit,
Backlog,
Benchmarking,
benefits,
Benefits Management,
Benefits Realization,
Bias,
books,
budget,
Business Case,
business case,
business case,
Career Development,
Career Development,
carnival,
case study,
Change Management,
checklist,
collaboration tools,
communication,
Communications Management,
competition,
complex projects,
Conferences,
config management,
consultancy,
contingency,
contracts,
corporate finance,
corporate finance,
cost,
Cost Management,
cost management,
credit crunch,
CRM,
data,
data security,
debate,
Decision Making,
delegating,
digite,
earned value,
Education,
Energy and Utilities,
Estimating,
events,
FAQ,
financial management,
financial management,
forecasting,
future,
GDPR,
general,
Goals,
Governance,
green,
Information Technology,
Innovation,
insurance,
interviews,
it,
Knowledge Management,
Leadership,
Lessons Learned,
measuring performance,
Mentoring,
merger,
methods,
metrics,
multiple projects,
negotiating,
Networking,
news,
Olympics,
organization,
Organizational Culture,
outsourcing,
personal finance,
Planning,
pmi,
PMO,
PMO,
Portfolio Management,
portfolio management,
presentations,
privacy policy,
process,
procurement,
product management,
productivity,
Program Management,
project closure,
project data,
project delivery,
Project Success,
project testing,
prototyping,
qualifications,
Quality,
quality,
Quarterly Review,
records,
recruitment,
reports,
requirements,
research,
resilience,
Resource Management,
resources,
risk,
Risk Management,
ROI,
salaries,
Schedule Management,
Scheduling,
scope,
Scope Management,
security,
small projects,
Social Impact,
social impact,
social media,
software,
software,
software,
Stakeholder Management,
stakeholders,
Strategy,
success factors,
supplier management,
team,
Teams,
testing,
testing,
timesheets,
tips,
training,
transparency,
trends,
value management,
vendors,
video,
virtual teams,
workflow
Date
I was inspired to do the Generative AI for Project Managers course (which is currently free, and definitely worth looking at on the PMI website) and from there, to sign up for a ChatGPT account. In parallel to that, I was asked to deliver a webinar on AI-proofing your career (spoiler alert: AI takes away the parts of the job that I didn’t like so much anyway, and frees up more time for you to shine in human relationships), so I seem to have embedded myself in the world of AI recently!
I thought I would put ChatGPT to the test by asking it a question I get asked frequently:
What are the top 5 challenges affecting project managers in the world today?
This is an edited version of what it said. It gave me 246 words, and I’ve added my own thoughts after each point to add a human-in-loop spin on the feedback. The GenAI course explains human-in-loop if you have not come across this term before.
(Sidenote: I feel weird calling it ‘it’ when you can have a conversation with it. I think I would like to give my ChatGPT bot a name, I just don’t know what!)
As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, the following were some of the top challenges affecting project managers worldwide:
- Resource Constraints:
- Limited availability of skilled resources, both in terms of human capital and specialized tools or technologies, can significantly impact project timelines and deliverables.
Elizabeth says: So far so good. This seems to be a perennial problem across the ages. It’s not particularly new, but I’m sure it is true. Every project manager I speak to seems to have issues with resourcing and capacity planning.
- Scope Creep and Change Management:
- Managing changes to project scope and requirements can be a major challenge.
Elizabeth says: Again, this is not new news. It’s not the modern, fresh take I was hoping for. Perhaps there isn’t one: we’re stuck with the challenge we’ve always had, which is reassuring and disappointing at the same time!
- Remote and Distributed Teams:
- The shift to remote work, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has posed challenges in team collaboration, communication, and ensuring productivity across geographically dispersed team members.
Elizabeth says: I’m sensing a theme here. These are all true, but as project managers, we’ve been overcoming the challenge of remote and distributed teams for years, even before the pandemic.
- Risk Management and Uncertainty:
- Identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks is critical to project success.
Elizabeth says: I agree that risk management and working in uncertainty is a challenge, but we have whole project approaches designed to minimise the impact of that and maximise user engagement through short deliverable sprints. Yes, the world is an uncertain place, but again, project managers have been looking out for the things that will bite us in the backside for years. That’s the job!
- Stakeholder Management:
- Balancing the needs and expectations of various stakeholders, including clients, sponsors, team members, and end-users, is crucial.
Elizabeth says: I would not have put stakeholder management as one of the challenges for project managers. In fact, it’s one of the fun parts! I do understand that it is challenging to manage competing priorities, but again, our processes are set up to identify those and work through them.
Then ChatGPT goes on to add:
Please note that the landscape of project management may have evolved since my last knowledge update. Factors like emerging technologies, evolving business models, and global events (such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic) can introduce new challenges or shift the emphasis on existing ones. It's recommended to stay updated with current industry reports, trends, and insights to understand the most pressing challenges faced by project managers in 2023.
Elizabeth says: I agree that it is important to stay up to date with the pressing challenges, and the best way to do that is to stay connected to the industry. Conferences like the PMI Summit and publications like project management magazines provide timely insights into what is important. For example, sustainability isn’t on the ChatGPT list and I would have thought that would have been a concern back in 2021.
I haven’t yet paid for an upgraded account, so perhaps a paid account would have better outcomes and give me a different take on what the current challenges are, so there’s that to consider.
Meanwhile, I’m curious! Do you agree with these challenges? Do you think there are others more pressing for us as project managers? And what do you think of the output of ChatGPT if you’ve used it? Let me know in the comments below!
Posted on: November 14, 2023 08:00 AM |
Permalink
Comments (5)
Please login or join to subscribe to this item
Kate Fursova
Senior Project Manager| Enlighten Designs
Hamilton, New Zealand
Thanks for posting, Elizabeth! The cool thing about AI is its evolving nature, so today, when I asked the same question, the answer included:
uncertain economic environment, remote work and collaboration, technological advancements, talent management and skill shortages, complexity and scale of projects.
I'm not a big fan of generalisation and tend to believe that challenges are pretty subjective and depend on the industry, nature of projects, the experience of a PM, etc. etc... but, overall, I would agree with technological advancements and volatile economic (and geopolitical) environment as being relevant to most of us. I also agree with Change Management ChatGPT advised in its response to you. Nothing new, but it is a challenge and often a project within a project on its own.
In terms of a new challenge, I'd add data management and validation, especially in digital space. With the pool of data sourcing ever-expanding, the challenge is to put mechanisms in place not just to collect and process but validate and interpret. Humanize data, perhaps?
Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong
Community Champion
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace Corps
Yaounde, Centre, Cameroon
Markus Kopko
AI Enabler for Project & Program Mgmt | Founder PMotion.ai / The PM
AI Coach| PMotion.ai
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Dear Elizabeth;
dear Members,
As we delve deeper into the integration of AI in project management, it’s intriguing to discuss the challenges we, as project managers, face in today's dynamic environment. Based on my recent engagement with AI-focused learning and upcoming webinar on AI-proofing careers, I’d like to share some thoughts on the challenges mentioned and consider additional ones:
Resource Constraints: This is indeed an age-old challenge in project management. In today's context, the emphasis might be more on balancing the need for specialized skills within our projects, especially those related to emerging technologies.
Scope Creep and Change Management: While managing scope and changes is a perennial issue, its constancy reminds us of the importance of robust change management strategies in any project scenario.
Remote and Distributed Teams: Pre-pandemic experiences with remote teams have laid a foundation, but the recent global shift has brought this challenge to the forefront, making effective remote team management more essential than ever.
Risk Management and Uncertainty: Agreeably, risk management has always been a key part of our role. However, the accelerating pace of change, especially in technology and business models, demands more agile and responsive strategies.
Stakeholder Management: It’s interesting to view this as one of the more enjoyable aspects of the job. The complexity of balancing diverse expectations is a nuanced task, especially in projects with diverse or conflicting interests.
Additional Areas of Focus:
Sustainability and Environmental Impact: The growing emphasis on sustainability in project management calls for integrating environmental considerations into our project planning and execution.
Technological Adaptation: Staying abreast with and integrating emerging technologies, like AI, into our project methodologies is becoming increasingly vital.
Cybersecurity and Data Privacy: As we rely more on digital tools, managing cybersecurity risks and ensuring data privacy compliance has emerged as a critical challenge.
Cultural and Social Sensitivity: Navigating cultural differences within global teams and stakeholder groups is an increasingly relevant skill in our interconnected world.
While tools like ChatGPT provide valuable insights, they might not always capture the latest trends or specific industry nuances. Continuous engagement with industry updates, conferences, and publications remains key to staying informed.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on these challenges and the role of AI in addressing them, especially considering the rapid integration of AI in our field.
Best Regards,
Markus
Ritesh Shinde
Principal Analyst| FIS Solutions (India) Private Limited
Pune, Mh, India
Zohaib Qadir
System Administrator Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS)| Peshawar Institute of Cardiology
Peshawar, Kpk, Pakistan
Thanks a million for sharing this simple amazing.
Please Login/Register to leave a comment.
|
"No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public."
- Henry Lewis Mencken
|
