AI & Automation in Project Management: What Will Change (And What Won’t)
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AI and automation are hot topics in the project management world, often painted as a cure-all for efficiency issues, data overload, and labor-intensive tasks. There are an abundance of AI project management tools already on the market and Gartner has even predicted that by 2030, AI will handle 80% of project management tasks.
But will these technologies truly transform the role of the project manager? And if so, what parts of the PM role will be affected (and which will not)? We asked one of the project manager influencers we love to follow on LinkedIn, Elizabeth Harrin, for her take.
In this interview, Elizabeth Harrin, a project management expert and owner of Rebel’s Guide to Project Management, shares her thoughts on how AI and automation are reshaping the landscape—and where human intuition and leadership will still be irreplaceable.
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AI and Automation in Project Management: Full Interview with Elizabeth Harrin
Visor’s founder and CEO, Michael “Yaro” Yaroshefsky, sat down with Elizabeth recently for our podcast, On the Roadmap. Each episode provides actionable advice for PMs in 30 minutes or less.
This week, Mike sat down with Elizabeth Harrin, author many project management books, including Managing Multiple Projects: How PMs Can Balance Priorities, Manage Expectations and Increase Productivity. Together, they chatted about many topics, including AI and automation’s place in project management.
You can watch the full interview below. In addition, we have summaries of key talking points below.
Project Managers Can’t Automate or Outsource Strategy to AI
Elizabeth starts the conversation by creating a clear framework through which PMs can look at their jobs; they are not here to simply “get tasks done.” She encourages project managers to be much more strategic than that. Later, she and Mike discuss how this type of strategy work (along with relationship building) in project management cannot be outsourced by AI or automated.
In order for project managers to position themselves for success, she recommends PMs get involved earlier with the business use cases.
“The projects I find the hardest is when someone has already done the business case and ideation and just tell me to deliver it. But how did we get to this point? All that helpful context and background is lost. If you are getting involved with projects, get involved as early as possible.” – Elizabeth Harrin
If the objective of a project manager is simply “to get the project done,” then there is a lot of context missing that would help inform how the project can take shape to drive the real business goals.
Project managers must know (and, ideally, help shape) the business use cases and goals behind a project. Otherwise, PMs will likely never transcend the role of “completer of tasks,” which is a role that we can expect AI and automation will almost certainly take on.
Why PMs Need to Get Involved With Projects Early:
How AI and Automation Will Impact Project Managers
When discussing what role AI tools will take over in project management, much of the conversation revolved around helping automate routine tasks, approvals, workflows, processes, and even reporting.
As Elizabeth mentions, AI’s capacity to synthesize vast amounts of data could change how projects are tracked and managed.
What AI Will Automated in Project Management:
The most promising AI and automation use cases include:
- Basic and Status Reporting: Elizabeth highlights that status reporting isn’t the most inspiring part of many PMs’ roles. Expect AI to help with that kind of reporting.
- Automation of Routine Tasks: AI handles time-consuming work like generating checklists for a process or dealing with approvals quite well. Elizabeth feels that AI helping out will “only be a good thing”
- Data Synthesis: AI’s ability to analyze data will be especially helpful for project managers overseeing a portfolio of projects. AI can help with providing meaningful insights and identifying risks
- Getting a Head Start with Writing: Elizabeth notes that she will use ChatGPT to help get a head start on outlines and emails using AI. However, she points out the importance of making sure you don’t put sensitive information into AI.
While it’s clear that AI and automation can help project managers speed up certain aspects of their tasks, it can’t replace project managers entirely. We already touched on this when discussing that much of a project manager’s role is strategy, which AI can’t fulfill; there are also other facets to a PM’s role that AI cannot help with. We touch on those below.
What AI Won’t Replace: The Human Touch in Project Management
While automation will change the landscape, some aspects of project management remain distinctly human. Elizabeth believes that project managers still need to act as the glue that holds teams together. “AI can automate a lot, but it can’t replace relationship-building or the ability to connect dots between different teams and stakeholders,” she explains.
AI Can’t Be the Glue of Projects like PMs Are:
Key areas where AI and automation won’t replace the human touch:
- Morale and Team Leadership: Imagine getting an automated email from an AI agent, “great job working this weekend to get that project over the line!” That wouldn’t adequately express gratitude or boost team morale. Thanking individuals for hard work, and leading through tough times can’t be automated.
- Stakeholder Management: AI also can’t replace the relationships project managers build with key stakeholders. Whether it’s managing a tough conversation or unpacking the business use cases for a project, this part of project management needs human intervention.
- Decision-Making and Problem-Solving: AI lacks the context and understanding needed to make complex decisions that account for the full picture of a project. Project managers are the glue of a project. Because they have that big picture, they can see what other parts of a project are impacted when something does (or does not) happen).
- Managing Change: AI often lacks the nuance required to identify potential roadblocks and understand the impact of changes across teams and systems.
As Elizabeth points out, the “human element” of project management won’t disappear—rather, it will evolve to focus more on higher-level tasks while the AI handles the groundwork.
Why Project Managers Can’t Use AI to Build Trust, Relationships & Morale:
Ultimately, there are parts of project management that simply need humans. It’s difficult to build a meaningful relationship with an AI agent or develop trust with one. Similarly, a huge part of a project manager’s role is to make their team feel appreciated, heard, and seen; these cannot be done with AI.
AI Can’t Replace Team Management or Boost Morale:
The Current Limitations of AI in Project Management
Elizabeth also shares her experiences with the current state of AI in the industry. “It’s mostly promise and a little bit of flash right now,” she admits. While AI tools have been integrated into some project management software, many project managers still find that the tools don’t significantly change their day-to-day workflows.
A recent survey conducted by Elizabeth for the second edition of Managing Multiple Projects revealed that only 19% of project managers are actively using AI tools in their projects. This suggests that while the potential is there, adoption is still slow.
Security Concerns for Project Managers and AI
Elizabeth herself uses AI tools like ChatGPT for brainstorming and drafting emails, but she’s cautious about using them with sensitive project data. “Because you can’t put commercially sensitive data into it, it’s not commercially useful. But in terms of using it as a head start, it can be helpful and then add the commercially sensitive bits later,” Elizabeth suggests.
Because Elizabeth specializes in managing projects in the health care space, security is a top priority for her. She advices that project managers explore AI responsibly, but also know when it is (and isn’t) appropriate to use.
The Future of AI and Automation for Project Managers
Looking ahead, Elizabeth emphasizes that the integration of AI and automation in project management will continue to improve, but it will require careful thought about what tasks to automate and where human judgment is needed.
While project management software continues to evolve, Elizabeth urges project managers to stay engaged with the process of integrating these technologies. It’s not about replacing the human element but finding ways to automate the more repetitive aspects of project managers.
The future likely holds more tools that can:
- Assist in reporting and data synthesis
- Help streamline repetitive tasks
- Improve communication across teams
However, Elizabeth’s cautionary note is clear: “We have to think about what we want AI to do and make sure it’s a tool that works for us, not against us.”
While there are certainly use cases today that project managers can explore with AI, based on the data Elizabeth uncovered in late 2024, there is one key takeaway: AI in project management still has a long way to go before it makes a dramatic impact on the daily tasks of most project managers.
