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?
Piyush AgrawalMr. | sip2wealthBangalore, Karnataka, India
AI is revolutionizing the way Project Managers work. I believe Gen AI is to be used as an essential tool to deliver differentiated outcomes in a Project to customers. Why not leverage plethora of information available on the Earth to take informed decision. Well, GenAI replacing PMs or human beings is still far away (~ 40 years). So, use Gen AI as an effective tool like a PM would use several other tools to effectively and efficiently manage a Project. Gen AI is an enabler and PMs ignoring the power of GenAI would likely be outpaced by ones using it. Saving Changes...
Luis VargasProject Manager| SLBHouston, United States
The AI tools have come as a way to help us to simplify or accelerate some aspects of our professional lives. However, it will not replace a human being. Saving Changes...
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.
As AI tools become more user-friendly, the ability to create and use prompts could become a baseline skill, making it harder for PMs to stand out solely on their technical know-how. Saving Changes...
Tracy BlumenDeputy Director Projects| Emergent BioSolutionsSharon, Ma, United States
Use of effective tools and techniques is a value add for PMs and allows PMs to use higher level thinking to better manage their projects and communicate with stakeholders. Faster turnaround, less rework, less busy work is a win for PMs. Lesson learned surveys and gap assessments which would take a week to analyze and think about can be done in hours! Saving Changes...
I believe adopting prompt engineering will be a competitive advantage in the near future for any role across any type of organizations. Saving Changes...
Jose DelgadoGlobal R&D PMO Manager| Hitachi EnergyBad Honnef, Germany
I think AI will support PMs saving time and efforts in doing some "routine" tasks specially those administrative as reporting, analyzing...I think it will became an important source of information so we can take better decisions easier and allocate more time on other more strategic activities, mainly those related to the project team and stakeholders. Saving Changes...
Christopher FunkAssociate Director, Program Management| Raytheon TechnologiesHudson, Nh, United States
Will the widespread adoption of prompt engineering commoditize project management skills, or can it help PMs differentiate themselves and command higher value?
Hi Sarah,
I think AI will do both commoditize the PM and allow for differentiation. There will be an inflection point in a PM's career where greater skill will be needed that AI cannot substitute for.
However, for Program Managers working fairly straightforward projects with few stakeholder AI may be good enough to provide the products they need to "get by". At this level, PMs will be a commodity that is easily replaced with little change in value.
As project complexity increases, however, AI does not and can not provide all the answers necessary to run a successful project. Professional Program Managers can differentiate by realizing AI is just another tool. The PMs who properly leverage that tool in the appropriate situations will differentiate themselves.
The trap for early career PMs is to lean on AI to provide you the answer and not build the skills yourself so you can be successful long term when the complexity ramps up. Saving Changes...
In future, there may be cases of commoditizing the project management skills, but mostly it will be latter. The Project Managers also need to evolve with technology and understand that this is not something to ignore. These tools can be a perfect gift to strengthen the weaknesses one might have seen in different projects managed in the past, be prepared for challenges that have impacted the projects in the past. At the end of the day, we still have to remember that an oversight is always needed by a human to ensure ethical practices are being followed. Saving Changes...
Samantha SmithProgram Manager| AmazonKoto-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
Prompt engineering will allow PMs to complete their work in a more efficient manner. Ultimately, everything run through AI will have to be reviewed and that would be best done by an already experienced PM. Saving Changes...
Ritu ChopraProject Manager| GenpactNew Delhi, Dl, India
The extensive adoption of prompt engineering has the potential to both commoditize and enhance project management (PM) skills. On one hand, AI can automate routine tasks, which will impact the uniqueness of basic PM skills. However, that is only one side of the story.
Prompt engineering also offers an opportunity for project managers to differentiate themselves. For example, mastering prompt engineering allows PMs to create digital assistants that support repetitive tasks. This enables them to focus on strategic decision-making and complex problem-solving.
Every time a new technology enters the market, there is a similar debate about its impact. However, it often results in globalization creating more opportunities and benefiting those who upskill at the right time.
PMI Team Member
