Will the widespread adoption of prompt engineering commoditize project management skills, or can it help PMs differentiate themselves and command higher value?
Director, Learning Design & Development| PMIAsheville, NC, United States
Hi PMI Community! I’m Sarah Philbrick, and I work as a Product Manager at PMI with a focus on our learning offerings. As we go on this skill-building journey together, I’m excited to engage in meaningful conversations, explore trending topics, and learn from each other.
Reflecting on one such topic, GenAI and prompt engineering, I am interested to hear your perspective on commoditization vs. differentiation.
Will the widespread adoption of prompt engineering commoditize project management skills, or can it help PMs differentiate themselves and command higher value?
I'm of the opinion that the widespread adoption of prompt engineering will help PMs differentiate themselves and command higher value. Knowing fully well that learning something new like Prompt Engineering in AI will not generally be embraced in the first instance. Saving Changes...
That is a great question. In my point of view, the widespread adoption of prompt engineering could commoditize project management skills.
In the short term, it can help PMs differentiate themselves and command higher value. But in the medium and long term, if AI can handle 80% of a PM's tasks, I believe that companies might start replacing PMs to increase profit.
PMs would have to either get deeply technical or seek to apply PM skill set in industries where processes are fundamentally human-connection centered. While the PM role may still be vital to organizational needs, there would be a significant reduction in demand. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
GenAI at this moment in my experience is not going to replace a PM. I believe it brings efficiencies, can provide better structure and templates for our PMO and can deliver better quality work. However, we still need the soft skills and the person in the organization who has the network and relationships and can influence to truly get the job done. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
GenAI at this moment in my experience is not going to replace a PM. I believe it brings efficiencies, can provide better structure and templates for our PMO and can deliver better quality work. However, we still need the soft skills and the person in the organization who has the network and relationships and can influence to truly get the job done. Saving Changes...
Efrain AylasProject Manager| INGETEC C&EMagdalena Del Mar, Lima, Peru
The widespread adoption of prompt engineering is unlikely to commoditize project management skills—but it will certainly reshape the value profile expected from Project Managers (PMs). Rather than replacing core competencies, generative AI and prompt engineering can become strategic tools that set apart PMs who know how to integrate them with sound judgment and ethical awareness.
In my case, I currently use AI to perform electrical calculations, and it has significantly helped me save time and improve efficiency. It provides a much faster response to technical requirements that would otherwise take considerably longer through traditional methods.
Those who successfully leverage these technologies won't just automate routine tasks—like drafting reports, building schedules, or conducting risk assessments—but will free up time to focus on what truly adds value: complex decision-making, stakeholder management, and foresight into systemic risks.
In this evolving landscape, the PMs who stand out may not be the most technically skilled at writing prompts, but rather those who can ask the right questions, translate business objectives into coordinated action, and use AI as an amplifier of critical thinking and leadership.
In short, prompt engineering should not be seen as a threat, but as an opportunity for PMs to evolve their role, position themselves as digital leaders, and strengthen their differentiation in a more demanding market.
With advancements in AI technology, project managers have more tools to refine their thought processes and work efficiently. Using different prompt techniques not only helps generate new ideas for problem-solving but also provides examples from a wide range of projects, helping assess whether an idea is realistic.
While prompt engineering may streamline certain aspects of project management, skilled project managers who combine technical knowledge, soft skills, and strategic thinking could be continue to command higher value.
Prompt engineering won’t commoditize project management skills— it’ll highlight the PMs who know how to use it well. AI can help generate plans, risk logs, and comms quickly, but it can’t replace the judgment, people skills, and situational awareness that a great PM brings. Prompt engineering is a tool — the value still lies in how we use it. PMs who embrace it can move faster, think more strategically, and stand out. Those who ignore it? They risk becoming less relevant. In short: AI won’t replace project managers — but project managers who use AI will definitely have the edge.
Thanks for initiating a discussion on this matter, Sarah!
not all human are the same
some of them will use it for improve themselves and they team work
others will use it as a chinses for changing they designation's
end of the day may be this day come AI's will control all of them Saving Changes...
Peg HartProject Advancement Specialist| University of Arkansas - Institute for Integrative and Innovative ResearchFayetteville, Arkansas, United States
I learned to always ask AI for references. Even some of them can be hallucinations, so I always check the sources. But these references sometimes lead to me gaining even more information from which to pull. Saving Changes...
JUAN FRANCISCO SAN MARTINOIngeniero Electricista Electrónico| Universidad catolica del norteArica, Arica Y Parinacota, Chile
Las IA's llegaron para quedarse. Imaginemos a los artesanos del 1780 viendo cómo, con una máquina a vapor se podían hacer telas mucho más rápido y baratas que las que hacían ellos. El artesano aún vive, pero está allí, en donde se busca la "arte" (sanía). Mas, la economía y rapidez de resultados entre los escenarios de la revolución industrial comparados con los resultados del artesano, modificaron la forma de ver el mundo. Hoy, yo ya hice varias pruebas, las IA's, no son para nada confiables. Tienen un tiempo de respuesta determinado, lo que hace que a mayor complejidad se detengan antes del objetivo y entreguen un resultado aproximado (en base a probabilidades), pero muchas veces errado. Es una ayuda, pero no se la puede dejar sola. Más adelante... creo que aprenderá a no cometer esos errores, pero no creo estar aún vivo para cuando eso suceda. Saving Changes...
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