With AI making big disruptions in the way business is done, what do you think are the 5 top skills to have for Project Managers which would keep them relevant in the future?
Saurabh BapatSenior Project Manager| Medline IndustriesPune, Maharashtra, India
With the insurge of AI, a lot of routine admin activities are bound to be automated. Please share your thoughts on the Key skills to have for Project Managers which would keep them relevant in future. You may also share more broadly on how you see the role of project program managers evolving lets say 5 years down the line? Saving Changes...
As the administrative role of PMs gets automated, their focus will increase on the so-called Power Skills as the ability to effectively engage with stakeholders and build a high performing team will NOT be performed anytime soon by AI.
- what sources are used?
- is it complete?
- is it accurate?
- is it biased? How?
This is a little bit of an exaggeration, but too much reliance on or trust in AI will lead to a reduction of critical thinking ability and good research skills.
Yesterday, our CEO presented a response from ChatGPT, providing a list of points almost instantly after asking the question. It was a similar list to something that several people had been working on for a couple of weeks. There were even a couple of ideas the team hadn't considered.
While it seems like an instant win for ChatGPT, what was missing from the AI generated list was evaluation of the ideas to determine if they were good ideas. Yes, there are processes it can speed up, but it does not eliminate the need for critical thinking. Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Soft skills especially Emotional Intelligence will make all the difference.
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1 reply by BAGNIH Yves GBATI
Jul 29, 2023 12:09 PM
BAGNIH Yves GBATI
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Yes Yes Yes
Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Saurabh
instead of thinking what keeps PM relevant I prefer to think will there be projects at all and how will they be run in the future.
Having a human in charge is already challenged today, not by AI but the agile movement and other models looking at team managed work (which I think works in certain situations but not in general).
Certainly the role of PMs will change. In the medium term, someone has to lead teams and guide customers, and if they are composed of humans social skills are core.
2nd it is more important to use and embed technology, represented by AI but also other technologies (ubiquitous network, nano devices, drones, cyber security ..). Being technology loving and savvy is a key. Imagine a team where 80% of capacity are AI.
In his book of why, Judea Pearl presents the ladder of causation with 3 levels: association, intervention and counterfactuals. Today's AI is on level 1, just big statistics on bigger data volumes. Humans can do up to level 3 (and critical thinking is part of that).
Level 2 is asking questions like what if, how does it work, and it is the next step for AI to reach.
Level 3 asks why and counterfactuals are needed to come to conclusions that are not observable. Why is needed to contemplate projects (because we want the result and not the way).
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1 reply by Latha Thamma reddi
May 18, 2023 3:10 PM
Latha Thamma reddi
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I do agree, thank you All for sharing input and clarifications.
I agree with Kiron. Soft skills have high value and are hard to be replaced by IA. Leadership, team building, self-awareness, interpersonal - relationships, and problem solving are some of these skills. For example, using your interpersonal-relationship skills, and knowing very well the personality of a member of your team, you know the best modality or tone to write a message for this specific stakeholder. IA, on the other part, maybe doesn't know the stakeholder personality, and can't modify the message accordingly. These human aspects are hard to replace by IA.
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1 reply by BAGNIH Yves GBATI
Jul 29, 2023 12:08 PM
BAGNIH Yves GBATI
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Hello Kiron,
I would actually love to debate this with you. Machine Learning have come a long way through cognitive science. AI is now able to analyze data and infer sentiments, emotions and personality traits. There are some research papers (using combinations of Fuzzy logic and Deep Neural networks) we can consider for it. As of today, there is no wide application but due to the large number of research being conducted on this field, I can forecast that AI could actually do a better job than humans in stakeholders management when there are a lot of of digital collaboration and a huge number of stakeholders.
Think about it: Imagine that AI can systematically analyze all emails, texts, communications as well as speed, productivity, and other variables to infer sentiments and emotions...AI could then use Expert systems and Neural networks to suggest tone changes in the PM communications toward the stakeholders. This is futurism, but it is not a long stretch of the mind since each building block has already been demonstrated.
Saving Changes...
Craig PerueSenior Consultant & Research Fellow| Mona School of Business & Management, The University of the West IndiesJamaica
I agree with Aaron, Thomas, and those who have mentioned emotional skills. Even as Large Language Models such as Chat-GPT get better at answering factual questions, knowing how to hunt down assumptions (one aspect of critical thinking) and get humans to engage productively through leadership and other power skills, will become more valuable for project managers. Saving Changes...
Latha Thamma reddiSr Product and Portfolio Management (Automation Innovation)| DXC TechnologyMckinney, Tx, United States
Apr 14, 2023 3:54 AM
Replying to Thomas Walenta
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Saurabh
instead of thinking what keeps PM relevant I prefer to think will there be projects at all and how will they be run in the future.
Having a human in charge is already challenged today, not by AI but the agile movement and other models looking at team managed work (which I think works in certain situations but not in general).
Certainly the role of PMs will change. In the medium term, someone has to lead teams and guide customers, and if they are composed of humans social skills are core.
2nd it is more important to use and embed technology, represented by AI but also other technologies (ubiquitous network, nano devices, drones, cyber security ..). Being technology loving and savvy is a key. Imagine a team where 80% of capacity are AI.
In his book of why, Judea Pearl presents the ladder of causation with 3 levels: association, intervention and counterfactuals. Today's AI is on level 1, just big statistics on bigger data volumes. Humans can do up to level 3 (and critical thinking is part of that).
Level 2 is asking questions like what if, how does it work, and it is the next step for AI to reach.
Level 3 asks why and counterfactuals are needed to come to conclusions that are not observable. Why is needed to contemplate projects (because we want the result and not the way).
I do agree, thank you All for sharing input and clarifications. Saving Changes...
BAGNIH Yves GBATIProgram Manager| AptivWest Bloomfield, Mi, United States
Great question !
Very good answers!
In the short term, 0-5years, the business world is looking for PMs that know how to shop for AI, implement AI and collaborate with AI. PMs that will be able to create the conditions for AI success will have an edge above others.
In the long term 10-15years, PMs will do less executional tasks and more coaching and leadership activities which require high Emotional Intelligence. AI will be as common as the internet, and the typical project manager as we know today will have a totally different profil with a high emphasis on cognitive science and strategic thinking. Saving Changes...
BAGNIH Yves GBATIProgram Manager| AptivWest Bloomfield, Mi, United States
Apr 14, 2023 6:47 PM
Replying to Verónica Elizabeth Pozo Ruiz
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I agree with Kiron. Soft skills have high value and are hard to be replaced by IA. Leadership, team building, self-awareness, interpersonal - relationships, and problem solving are some of these skills. For example, using your interpersonal-relationship skills, and knowing very well the personality of a member of your team, you know the best modality or tone to write a message for this specific stakeholder. IA, on the other part, maybe doesn't know the stakeholder personality, and can't modify the message accordingly. These human aspects are hard to replace by IA.
Hello Kiron,
I would actually love to debate this with you. Machine Learning have come a long way through cognitive science. AI is now able to analyze data and infer sentiments, emotions and personality traits. There are some research papers (using combinations of Fuzzy logic and Deep Neural networks) we can consider for it. As of today, there is no wide application but due to the large number of research being conducted on this field, I can forecast that AI could actually do a better job than humans in stakeholders management when there are a lot of of digital collaboration and a huge number of stakeholders.
Think about it: Imagine that AI can systematically analyze all emails, texts, communications as well as speed, productivity, and other variables to infer sentiments and emotions...AI could then use Expert systems and Neural networks to suggest tone changes in the PM communications toward the stakeholders. This is futurism, but it is not a long stretch of the mind since each building block has already been demonstrated. Saving Changes...
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