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?
The AI will help if Properly used Saving Changes...
ABDULAZEEM FADULcivil engineer| Dar Al Riyadh CompanyAbha - Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
Prompt engineering does not replace the human elements of project management, such as leadership, emotional intelligence, and decision-making under uncertainty. Instead, it offers a toolset for PMs to amplify their capabilities. Those who combine technical expertise in prompt engineering with strong interpersonal and strategic skills will likely command higher value and remain highly sought after in the evolving landscape. Saving Changes...
The term "commoditize" refers to the project management as a service, becoming relatively indistinguishable. I would consider that the adoption of prompt engineering will assist project managers differentiate themselves by delivering a higher or a lower value, very depending on their prompt engineering skills level, Saving Changes...
I think that it will help command higher value, for a time anyway. While AI is vastly growing in popularity, not everyone is utilizing its potential. For those of us who incorporate these tools into our tasks, it will help us stand out amongst the crowd. Once AI becomes more common practice, the playing fields will be more even again. Saving Changes...
Mikaella DarumOperations Effectiveness Manager and Change Manager| RELX Reed Elsevier (Philippines)Quezon City, Philippines
I will use the quote used by one of our executives pertaining to lawyers' usage of our products: "Lawyers who do not use AI will be replaced by those who use AI." I see this working even in the project management world, where the bar will be raised for us. AI will never replace us in the realm of social skills, because we still need the human connection in projects when we communicate and collaborate with our stakeholders and the project team. However, we are at a stage wherein we need to be more efficient. I just took PMI's module on GenAI and I agree that as PMs, we need to use AI to automate, assist, and augment various PM tasks so we can be more effective and efficient in our jobs. Overall, AI will not replace us, but if we don't upskill ourselves and begin harness the power of AI, we ourselves will be beaten by PMs who adapt it early. Saving Changes...
Commoditize project management skills is a useful starter as it provides another element in training and mentoring new PM resources (as any good template or methodology would).
It is the human element, gained through experience and know how, to Evaluate and constantly refine, that differentiates effectiveness, skill and therefore performance. Saving Changes...
Mohamed Ben SlimanSenior Project Manager| SNCF ConnectPUTEAUX, IDF, France
As a project manager, I believe the adoption of prompt engineering holds both opportunities and challenges. It could commoditize certain repetitive tasks, but the true differentiator lies in how PMs creatively apply these tools to solve complex problems and drive strategic decisions. By mastering these technologies, PMs can elevate their role, delivering greater value and positioning themselves as indispensable leaders in an evolving landscape. 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.
I am just taking a course and have found that AI will help make us project managers more efficient but not replace us all together for now. We still have to provide the information. Our styles and templates that we plug into AIs will definitely differentiate us. It's all about how create we can be in our prompt engineering. I had no idea we could do these kind of things with AI. It's really amazing. Saving Changes...
Thanks for initiating a discussion on this matter, Sarah! Indeed, prompt engineering could have an effect on both, depending on perspective. Regardless, the widespread adoption of generative AI gives rise to the need to reinvent the role of a project manager. As with adoption of computers in executing tasks, generative AI tools will need to be deployed in a way that redefines how we work, nevertheless, with great oversight. As we see, despite exponential development, generative AI struggles to give us definitive results. I would argue that the project manager has an increasingly important role in making sure that project results are delivered efficiently - and correctly!
AI tools are definitely away to enhance a project manager's governance, oversight and ensuring your project is on schedule, cost and performance. We still need input and oversight to ensure accuracy, efficiency and deliverance of product or service. Saving Changes...
Robert LondonProject & Risk Consultant, and Career Coach (PMP, RMP, CSM, CSP,CCC, MSIE| CoffeeCat Solutions, LLCDC/VA/MD Area, United States
Great conversation all. I believe we need to take a "timeline" view of AI. That is, the technology is evolving rapidly, and while it is still in its early stages from a project management standpoint, eventually it will morph into a significant tool for project managers. We have seen technology go through this cycle time and time again with miniaturization of servers cpus, new software architectures, the cloud, cell phones, the internet etc. The important consideration is to get involved early and grow you skills as the technology grows so you don't get left behind. Foward Ho! Saving Changes...
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