Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing project management with its potential to automate numerous tasks, enhance decision-making, and significantly boost overall project success and efficiency. The application of AI in project management varies from helping with basic administrative activities to more sophisticated tasks.
Keep reading to learn how AI can be used in project management to write emails, create documents, identify project risks, and select candidates, using three free common AI tools; OpenAI ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.
AI Prompts
The quality of the results generated by AI tools depends on and is greatly impacted by the prompts you use. Therefore, in order to get accurate, relevant, and useful results for your needs, make sure your prompt is:
- Clear: Be specific and clear about what you need. Avoid vague or overly broad questions or prompts.
- Has context: Provide relevant context or background information that can help narrow down the focus.
- Specific: If you are looking for detailed information, specify the aspect you are interested in.
- Includes the required format: Indicate if you need the information in a specific format, such as a list, summary, or explanation.
AI for Writing Emails
Effective email writing is important, but it may be time-consuming. AI generative tools can streamline this process by drafting and personalizing emails, freeing up your time to concentrate on strategic responsibilities.
The following is an example of the prompts I use to get brief right-to-the-point emails: “Write a formal email to X to inform them that ..” The prompt should contain the main details you have to address to get an accurate straightforward email. You should try the same prompt using different tools and compare the generated results to pick the best. For instance, using the above prompt I got the following results:
- ChatGPT generated a lengthy email with unimportant information.
- Copilot delivered a more brief email.
- Gemini provided the best result with a concise email and a follow-up question. Gemini also suggested different writing styles; professional, casual, or normal. It also allows you to use Gmail to draft the email, creating a time-efficient shortcut.
For this purpose, Gemini provided me with the best outcome after testing various AI tools. Remember, if you’re good at writing emails, you may not need to use AI as it might waste more time than you often take to craft your emails.
AI for Creating Project Documents
AI can also be used to streamline the document creation process. Type your prompt with a detailed description of the document you wish to generate and don’t forget to include the document type (plan, charter, report, etc.). Add any additional features you would like your AI tool to include. For instance, I use the following prompt: “Create a project charter of a 3-story residential building.”
Certain tools will recommend suitable styles. Select your preferred option based on the subject and nature of your document, then let AI generate your document. Of course, you can update, regenerate, or preview the created document to adjust it to your needs and preferences.
You can also provide a template as input for the AI tool to generate documents based on it. You can alter the previous prompt as follows: “Create a project charter of a 3-story residential building based on the uploaded template.”.
For Gemini, you can use Google Workspace to allow the tool to read your Google Drive files, using this prompt for instance: “Use the file ‘Project X’ to Create a project charter of a 3-story residential building based on it”. Gemini should be able to use the indicated file to generate the required document.
If you are using Co-pilot, I recommend using the Notebook which is dedicated to creating lengthy materials like articles and documents. Remember that you can always use and combine different parts of the results generated by multiple AI tools to create your final piece.
AI for Identifying Project Risks
Risk identification is a critical component of successful project management. AI can analyze large datasets to identify potential project risks, assess their likelihood and impact, estimate their possible repercussions, and even suggest mitigation techniques. This enables project managers to handle issues proactively before they escalate, increasing the likelihood of project success.
AI can be directed to identify as many risks as you want and even organize the risks in a table format based on different categories to make it more practical for reading and modification. With Gemini and Copilot, you can export the generated document to sheet, Word, or PDF format.
However, AI can sometimes produce general, superficial information. rtheless, with some adjustments, your prompt can help you get good results. I used this prompt for example: “Perform a detailed risk analysis for a construction project of a 20-story building in Ohio.” Gemini generated a list of potential risks in a text format and classified the risks into categories. The structure didn’t seem particularly useful, so I added “Please convert to table format.” and I got a table that includes the identified risks, their classifications and categories, as well as potential impact and mitigation strategies.
Gemini identified 15 risks while Chatgpt generated 10 risks and included two additional sections in the table: likelihood and risk level. Copilot provided limited data, with only 6 risks in a 3-column table. Unsatisfied with the results, I specified in my prompt that I wanted the AI tool to identify 30 risks and I got better results. Keep in mind that you can always add more details to your prompt to achieve the desired outcome.
AI for Selecting Candidates
Receiving hundreds and thousands of CVs and applications for a specific role can make the selection process exhausting. AI can help to speed up the candidate selection process by evaluating resumes, assessing skills, and predicting candidate performance. AI-powered recruitment solutions can rapidly and accurately assess massive quantities of applications, identifying the best-fit applicants based on established criteria and project specifications.
AI tools can also filter out unqualified candidates and present a summary of the most relevant information in the different applications, or simply extract the criteria you need, such as years of experience in a specific field.
I asked Gemini to list all candidates in the file ‘PM Applications’ in a table format for easier comparison. It added categories like graduation year, university, etc to classify the candidates’ data. Since you can’t upload files to Copilot, I used this prompt: “List these candidates in a table format” and pasted the relevant information in their applications. Copilot delivered a better result compared to Gemini, providing me with a more organized table.
As AI continues to evolve, its integration into project management continues to increase. Leveraging these advanced AI-powered tools allows us to enhance agility, precision, and overall project success. Whether writing emails, creating project documents, identifying risks, or selecting candidates, AI is transforming project management, making it a valuable asset for our day-to-day work.