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?
As AI becomes more prevalent, it’s possible some PM functions will be commoditized. But it will allow PMs to better focus on more important tasks and there are soft skills that likely can’t be replaced by AI (at least anytime soon)! Saving Changes...
Robert LoyDean; College of Engineering and Technology| Grand Canyon UniversityScottsdale, Az, United States
May 24, 2024 5:41 AM
Replying to Sergio Luis Conte
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With the new generation of generative AI portfolio/program/project manager and business analyst role "are dead" at least in the way they were originally defined. I think a good source to understand that are the two courses on generative AI delivered for free by the PMI, mainly if you see the 3 layer model.
Generative AI disrupts traditional Portfolio, Program, and Project Management and Business Analyst roles. particularly the parts that are documentation-heavy, status-driven, or process-policing. Saving Changes...
Robert LoyDean; College of Engineering and Technology| Grand Canyon UniversityScottsdale, Az, United States
Improving prompts significantly enhances AI output by adding clarity, audience targeting, structure, and constraints. When prompts specify the intended audience, required format, tone, and desired outcomes, the results shift from generic responses to strategic, actionable deliverables. Adding real-world context, performance expectations, and guardrails (such as avoiding unsupported assumptions) further increases relevance and accuracy. Strong prompts move beyond asking for content and instead define how success should look in the response. Saving Changes...
To me, it feels like prompt engineering is something that should be basic for us, but at the same time, it’s still quite complicated. Sometimes it feels like you just want AI to do everything, but that’s where your input is crucial to make it work well.
So far, this information has been a good reminder and a helpful guide on which tools to use and how to approach them. From my experience working with AI, I had already discovered some of these things, but the course highlights specific elements of different types of prompts that I hadn’t fully considered. It provides a bigger picture and helps me understand when and how to apply different approaches, which was missing from my previous understanding.
Overall, it’s very useful, even for things I was already doing, because it gives clarity and context to my process.
Prompt engineering will certainly facilitate and improve efficiency for project managers. However skilled project managers who combine technical knowledge, soft skills, and strategic thinking could be continue to command higher value. Saving Changes...
Richard HughesProgram Manager| Not ProvidedWarwick RI, United States
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Thembelane MoyoPM Consultant| n/aMossel Bay, Wc, South Africa
I personally think that the widespread adoption of prompt engineering will improve the quality of work of the project mangers. It will make the traditional approaches easily understandable and usable where as improving the speed of delivery for seasoned project managers and reducing the delivery timeline for tasks if correct prompts are used. Saving Changes...
Samiran DasManaged Service Leader| Ernst & YoungKolkata, West Bengal, India
Hi Sarah,
Interesting! sparking such a thought-provoking discussion
To my view, prompt engineering and GenAI won’t necessarily commoditize project management skills, it will reshape the value equation.
Tools that automate routine tasks (status reporting, risk logs, stakeholder updates) may indeed level the playing field, but that doesn’t diminish the role of PMs. Instead, it shifts the emphasis toward higher-order skills. PMs who can frame the right problems, ask the right questions, and interpret AI outputs critically will stand out. Prompt engineering isn’t just about syntax—it’s about context, domain expertise, and strategic thinking.. Thanks
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Anonymous
Hi Sarah, I am looking forward to using AI to support my daily activities. I definitely believe, when used appropriately, that it will help the PM differentiate herself in the work place.
I strongly believe that the advent of Gen AI will not outrightly replaced the informed Project Managers but rather empower them to function optimally. Just keep up the pace of the technological evolutions and as Project Managers, we will always be relevant and adding value to our respective domains.
I agree. PMs who can use AI tools to adapt to ever evolving environments and needs will have an advantage. Applications may include using AI tools: 1) to facilitate PM processes so time can be spent on higher value activities requiring critical thinking; and 2) to investigate and analyze data and information to predict problems, identify opportunities and design solutions. Saving Changes...
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