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Viewing Posts by Richard Maltzman
The Clumsy AI-ssistant, Part 2
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In Part 1 of this blog post, I introduced the idea of, and demonstrated the capabilties of ChatGPT (and by extension Generative AI) at the intersection of PM and Sustainability. ChatGPT did well – not perfect, but well - in that exercise.
In Part 2 of “the Clumsy AI-ssistant”, I am going to get right into a dialogue with ChatGPT in which we see it applied to the construction project: build a birdhouse.
Rich: I am building a birdhouse for local chickadees. Acting as a project manager, can you create a network diagram for this initiative? ChatGPT: Certainly, I can help you create a simplified network diagram for your birdhouse-building project. A network diagram is a visual representation of the project's tasks and their interdependencies. Here's a basic network diagram for your chickadee birdhouse project: Project: Building a Chickadee Birdhouse
This is a simplified network diagram for your chickadee birdhouse project, outlining the sequence of tasks and their dependencies. Each task should be completed before the next one begins. Keep in mind that this is a relatively straightforward project, and the tasks listed are quite high-level. You can further break down these tasks into more detailed subtasks or include additional tasks as needed.
Rich: But, can't some of those tasks be done in parallel?
ChatGPT: Certainly, some of the tasks in your birdhouse project can be performed in parallel to save time and improve project efficiency. Parallel tasks are those that don't have strict dependencies on each other and can be executed simultaneously without one task blocking the other. Here's a revised network diagram that takes parallel execution into account: Project: Building a Chickadee Birdhouse
In this revised network diagram, Task 2 (Gather Materials) can begin as soon as Task 1 (Design Birdhouse) starts. Similarly, Task 5 (Paint or Stain) can begin once Task 4 (Assemble Birdhouse) is in progress. This approach allows for better time management and can potentially shorten the overall project duration by overlapping tasks where possible.
Rich: But you didn't include any safety items. We will be cutting wood. How about safety glasses, gloves, maybe even having a first-aid kit nearby? ChatGPT: You are absolutely correct; safety measures are critical when working on a project that involves cutting and working with materials like wood. Safety equipment and precautions should always be included in any project plan. Here's the updated network diagram for your birdhouse project, including safety measures: Project: Building a Chickadee Birdhouse
Including a safety preparations task at the beginning of the project is a crucial step to ensure that all necessary safety measures and equipment are in place. Safety should always be a top priority when working on any project, especially when it involves potentially hazardous activities like cutting wood.
Rich: For Step 2, wouldn't a predecessor to Design be some research as to what are some best examples and trends in birdhouse construction? ChatGPT: You're absolutely right; conducting research and gathering information about best practices and trends in birdhouse construction is an essential step before proceeding with the design. Research serves as a precursor to the design phase, as it informs the design decisions and ensures that the birdhouse meets the needs of the intended occupants (in this case, the chickadees). Here's the updated network diagram for your birdhouse project: Project: Building a Chickadee Birdhouse
Incorporating a research task as the precursor to the design phase will help ensure that the birdhouse design aligns with the best practices and trends in birdhouse construction, and it takes into consideration the specific needs and preferences of chickadees. This approach will lead to a more effective and bird-friendly design. Rich: Why didn't you think of the safety and research tasks? Why did I have to prompt you for this? It seems you left out some important considerations, and without them, I have incomplete scope for the project! ChatGPT: I appreciate your feedback and understand your concern. You are absolutely correct that safety and research are essential considerations in any project, and they should have been included in the initial network diagram. I apologize for any oversight in the initial response. Your input has helped to identify these important aspects of the project. Creating a comprehensive project plan is vital for the successful execution of any project. I'm here to provide guidance and information, and your feedback is valuable in ensuring that all crucial elements are considered. In building a birdhouse or any other project, safety and research are key components that should be integrated from the beginning to ensure that the project is carried out effectively and safely. Thank you for highlighting these important aspects, and I'm here to assist with any further questions or project planning needs you may have. What do you think of this exchange? I’m really interested in your human feedback here. Do you notice a couple of things, as I did?
This reinforces my point – and actually ChatGPT literally made it for me by saying “I’m here to assist”. It’s an assistant, alright, and can indeed be very helpful, even invaluable. But it is clumsy. So, work with it knowing that it’s a clumsy assistant! |
The Clumsy AI-ssistant, Part 1 of 2
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I’m smack in the middle of the center of gravity of our discipline of project management. At this moment, although Boston is, of course,The Hub of the Universe, the center of the project management profession is right here in downtown Atlanta, Georgia in the US, thanks to the PMI Global Summit 2023. The theme – and the very atmosphere – at the PMI Global Summit is AI. It’s in the Exhibit Hall, it’s in the sessions, it’s in gigantic letters and imagery on the signage. It is LITERALLY a hot-button. Conventioneers are wearing buttons that say “PMI x AI”.
So I thought I would look at the intersection of AI, PM, and Sustainability by running a little experiment. I asked ChatGPT, which, like all Generative AI systems, I call a “clumsy assistant ™”, to help me as the director of a GPMO, how can I shift the mindset of my PM population to a more holistic, long-term project perspective. And now, I let the experiment unfold before your very “A Eyes”. Rich (the human) enters: I am a director in a global project management office for a large company with over 3000 project managers. I am trying to shift the mindset of our project managers from only thinking of scope, time, and cost, to thinking past the end of their project - thinking about the project's outcome in the steady state. What do you suggest?
CHATGPT SAYS: Shifting the mindset of project managers from a narrow focus on scope, time, and cost to a more holistic perspective that considers the project's outcomes in the steady state is a crucial step for ensuring long-term success and value delivery. Here are some strategies you can employ to help your project managers make this shift:
By implementing these strategies, you can help project managers develop a more comprehensive view of their projects and drive a mindset shift towards achieving and sustaining positive outcomes in the steady state. Then, I told ChatGPT that a “self-proclaimed expert” had given me some advice, and gave ChatGPT its own advice back, asking it to validate it and give its opinion as to how good an answer the self-proclaimed expert (i.e. ChatGPT!) gave me. Here is what I got back: CHATGPT SAYS The advice provided by the self-proclaimed expert is well-rounded and aligns with best practices for shifting project managers' mindsets towards considering long-term outcomes in the steady state. It emphasizes a holistic perspective and offers a comprehensive set of strategies to achieve this shift. Overall, the strategies provided in the expert's response align with best practices for making this important mindset shift within your organization. It's a comprehensive approach that addresses various aspects of the transformation, from communication and education to measurement and culture development. Implementing these strategies should contribute to your goal of ensuring long-term success and value delivery in your projects.
It did make some slight tweaks, but mostly cosmetic and of little impact. But it did make some adjustments. In Part 2, I will share another conversation where we can see that ChatGPT is helpful, but clumsy. This is why I think the best way to work with it is to imagine a brilliant intern helping you in the lab. They think of chemical reactions you would NEVER imagine. They are creative and seem to have tons of chemistry knowledge at their fingertips. However, sometimes they knock over a whole rack of test tubes, and inadvertently create explosive reactions that release toxic fumes (see the blog's main photo above). What is AI? It's a Clumsy Assistant™. In Part 2, I'll continue with a theme that is emerging here at the conference. To stay relevant as AI becomes more 'atmospheric', you, (yes, you, the very person reading this), must be more human.
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What Wood $1B do? (Part 2)
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In Part 1, I opened the topic of this $1B tree-planting scheme and focused on the terminology surrounding this effort – whether it was a project, a program, an initiative or some other term. Here I jump back to the topic itself. Referring back to the announcement from the US Forest Service, the breadth of the Program (I’ve decided it is a Program) is amazing. Communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. Territories and Tribal Nations are receiving funding – and the funding is expanded greatly from 2022 – by 27 times, in fact. For those interested in the specifics, I found this tremendous resource from SmartCitiesDive. This resource has an interactive map in which you can click on your own state to find how much funding it received for the Program. It also states that “The grant awardees announced Thursday, which include municipal governments and community-based organizations, were selected from a pool of 842 applicants requesting a total of $6.4 billion”. So you can see a project selection process going on in this program. Although large, it could not fund all 842 projects – it settled on 385 of that total. And speaking of project selection, in researching this Program, I found this US Government resource - a tool for project selection called the Climate and Economic Justice Screening tool, loaded with data that shows which communities in which states are underserved. The mapping tool identifies disadvantaged communities that face burdens in the categories of climate, energy, health, housing including nature deprivation, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, workforce development, and other socioeconomic thresholds. The idea is to make sure that the Program’s benefits flow to the communities with the greatest need. So – what are the projects? This graphic from the US Forest Service shows the way the projects in the program break down amongst the major project types:
I invite you to explore this Program – maybe to see if it opens up opportunities in your part of the US. I also invite those outside the US to compare and comment what your government is doing along these lines. |
What wood $1B do? (Part 1)
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Author’s Note: That’s not a typo, it’s a Dad Joke. Wood, not would, because this is about trees, and a very lofty sum of over one BILLION dollars. A recent article in The Guardian got my attention for two reasons. Reason 1 – and this may seem trivial, but maybe it is kind of important – was the terminology we use in project management. Reason 2 – this is an example of what we called in our book, Green Project Management a 'Green by Nature' project, one in which the objectives of the project are laser-focused on an improved sustainability outcome. In this post I will talk a bit about the terminology and will follow up with more details on some of the individual projects under the umbrella of a program, in a follow-up post. Let’s start with PMI’s definition of a project. From the PMI 7th Edition PMBOK® Guide, a project is: “A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result”. A program is “Related projects, subsidiary programs, and program activities that are managed in a coordinated manner to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually.” Yet, the announcement, and the coverage in the press, is sloppy with the use of these terms, and throws a bunch of other terms, like initiative, effort, endeavor, in the mix. It’s not just the press. In my experience as a practitioner and a consultant and lecturer, I have come across major confusion and mishegoss (look it up) with respect to (or perhaps because of lack of respect for) project management titles and job descriptions. Again, words are important. When it comes to organizations, sometimes the way project managers are titled is a “tell” regarding the maturity level of the organization. Those which respect the discipline of project management (or even project leadership!) follow through with appropriate titles for the people and the names of the initiatives on which they are working. Note: I use the word “initiative” – a positive word – as the overarching term for projects, programs, and portfolios. If you follow this blog, you know that I’m not happy with the title Project Manager, because I assert that we are project LEADERS. That’s covered as a theme in many posts, so I won’t repeat it here, but words do matter. So, what about the words thrown around, like endeavor, project, initiative, effort, work, scheme, gambit, stratagem…? I think this one is clearly a program and should be called such. Here are some snippets form the US Department of Agriculture’s announcement: “The Urban and Community Forestry Program is the only program in the federal government dedicated to enhancing and expanding the nation's urban forest resources. This is the largest single USDA Inflation Reduction Act investment to date in urban and community forests.” “Studies show that trees in communities are associated with improved physical and mental health, lower average temperatures during extreme heat, and increased food security, and create new economic opportunities. This historic funding will help the Forest Service support projects that increase tree cover in disadvantaged communities, provide equitable access to the benefits of nature, and deliver tangible economic and ecological benefits to urban and Tribal communities across the country.” To their credit, the USDA did use “Program” for the most part when referring to this initiative. To (excuse the pun) plant a seed for the next blog post, have a look at this video which talks about the rationale for launching the program. In the follow-up post (Part 2), I will talk much more about this Program, and leave the terminology behind. See what I did there…? |
Doc Brown Would Be Proud (Part 2 of 2)
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In Part 1 of this post, I introduced you to (probably re-introduced you) to Dr. Emmett Brown, that slightly wacky scientist of Back To The Future fame. I referenced several articles, and in this one I’ll continue with those and others, like this one from Clean Technica, which opens like this: "Researchers at MIT, led by professors Franz-Josef Ulm, Admir Masic, and Yang-Shao Horn, have discovered that mixing cement, carbon black, and water in certain proportions results in concrete that doubles as a supercapacitor that is able to store electrical energy. I like how Professor Masic wraps it up. “You have these at least two millennia old materials (carbon black and cement) that, when you combine them in a specific manner, you come up with a conductive nanocomposite, and that’s when things get really interesting.”, he says." So, great. We have our ‘conductive nano composite’ – our own ‘flux capacitor’. Now what? Well, the best place to start is to remember that we’re literally talking about something foundational. The foundation of a home, the foundation of a wind turbine, the foundation of a highway. If all of these things which were formerly structural are now sources of energy storage, well, that changes things. Charging your car just by driving on the road Doc Brown may have famously said, “Roads, where we going we don’t need roads”. But we still do, and we need electric cars to be easily charged. How about if that was done by … just driving? This has been attempted in the past (see this article about Sweden’s first swipe at it), but these required installing electrical rails in the road. Forget that – with supercapacitors, the job can be much easier. From an article in New Zealand’s DrivenCar Guide magazine: The researchers propose an intriguing concept: integrating this technology within a concrete road could potentially facilitate on-the-go charging for electric vehicles, akin to the principles employed in wireless phone chargers. With this application, the road surface would become a battery while solar panels or windmills provide continuous power.
Don’t get too excited yet, though. There is more project work (development projects!) needed to get this to scale. The scientists have only produced a button-sized version of the material. Can’t drive too far on a button. Also adding more carbon black does increase the power storage capacity of the material, it also decreases concrete strength. There will be research needed to find the ‘sweet spot’ – probably between 3 and 10 percent carbon black that retains enough of the strength of the material while providing the supercapacitor properties. No good having your car charged but falling through a carbon black hole. Same deal for home foundations. It’s great if your home can store energy down there, but not so good if it falls over. There are skeptics (and that’s always a good thing especially when it comes to safety). Witness this article from Eric Worrall, in Waats Up With That: Eric says: My concern is the application. When capacitors fail they go with a bang. Old style televisions were notorious for this kind of failure, the loud bang which preceded the magic smoke was usually caused by capacitors suffering catastrophic dielectric failure, and releasing all their stored energy in a fraction of a second. What concerns me is, if a TV capacitor explodes, abruptly releasing a few joules of energy, you spill your beer and curse a bit. But if a 10KWh household super capacitor goes, that’s 36 million joules of energy – equivalent to 8.6Kg of TNT, enough to turn your house into a sizeable crater. 10KW (10,000 watt hours) x 3600 seconds in an hour = 36,000,000 joules of energy Even more interesting, brittle materials like concrete are vulnerable to mechanical shock. So that 8.6Kg of TNT equivalent, enough to utterly destroy a normal house, could trigger a chain reaction of adjacent dielectric failures, resulting in thousands or even millions of houses abruptly releasing their stored energy. And that’s not even considering the energy storage requirements of even greater concentrations of energy, like high-rise apartments and office buildings. The failure of 115 adjacent household storage super capacitors holding 10KWh could release a kiloton of force – think the Beirut explosion in 2020. Worse, each additional household energy storage system recruited into the chain reaction and explosion would increase the risk to the next house. I’m thinking, that would not be a good day to visit town. Of course, all this risk could be mitigated by using expensive spring or rubber loaded mounts and shock resistant supports, to minimise the risk of the house foundation capacitor detonating because of an adjacent explosion. I’m sure no building contractor would be tempted to cut corners and use cheap, substandard shock protection components, right? See an example of a capacitor blowing up in slow motion here (and imagine this scaled up by Doc Brown levels of magnitude). This type of advocacy for ‘what could go wrong’ is so needed, and it’s best to consider this NOW, not after the first 10,000 kM of roadway and 300,000 homes are built. So: more project work to do, but this is quite certainly a breakthrough that will lead us Back to a green Future. |