Boosting project management efficiency with ChatGPT: Mastering resource allocation

In this fourth article of my series, I aim to demonstrate how GPT-4 can bring value to project management. Building on the previous articles, which introduced ChatGPT for project management, utilizing it in complex scheduling processes, and real-time project reporting with tailored communication, this article explores how ChatGPT and tools like it, can assist managers in optimizing resource distribution across projects and tackling potential resource constraints.

To provide a realistic context for this exploration, I've created a use case called AI4Mgmt, a fictional company based on my 20+ years of professional experience in management, e-learning and new technologies. AI4Mgmt highlights the challenges I have often seen in IT companies or IT departments, such as distributed teams, diverse clients, varying product maturity levels, and multiple development frameworks.

By showcasing practical use cases, I aim to move beyond theory and demonstrate its real-world applications and avoid some roadblocks.

Join me on this new journey as we discover how GPT-4 can streamline resource allocation. I'm certain you will find insightful ideas and unexpected results that go beyond process improvement, as I share my perception of the shift management in general should take to maximize benefits!"

About this article

In this article I will showcase how ChatGPT improve efficiency by:?

1. Reviewing the current allocation across ongoing projects
2. Identifying over- or under-allocated team members
3. Suggesting potential solutions to address resource constraints
4. Revising the resource allocation plan
5. Assigning resources to upcoming projects based on their expertise, project complexity, location, and availability.

I will recall the specific information you will need to understand this article.

As in previous articles, screenshots will illustrate the interaction between the user and ChatGPT. I will also include video captures of the interaction to showcase the natural language in my questions and the swift responses from ChatGPT (GPT-4).

I'll demonstrate the model's ability to handle multi-turn conversations, provide thoughtful responses, and adapt to the user's needs.

?

To proceed with the exploration, I'll use our well-known company AI4Mgmt, which provides AI solutions to businesses for process improvement.

?I'll describe the use case and then proceed with it.

All the information will be supplied to chatGPT through a JSON file, a structured plain text format consisting of labels and values. I have tailored this JSON file to include enough detail for the purpose of the article while adhering to the token limits, as discussed in previous articles.

Maintaining these token limits under control is crucial to avoid answers that are out of scope.

AI4Mgmt use case

AI4Mgmt promotes AI to enhance the project management process. AI4Mgmt, headquartered in Paris, France, offers a customizable AI-powered SaaS tool aimed at data-driven decision-making. This user-friendly Data Analysis Suite transforms raw data into actionable insights through intuitive visualizations and reports.

Their product suite includes AI4Mgmt Next-Gen Suite, AI4Mgmt Pgm&Prj Toolkit, and AI4Mgmt Analytical.

AI4Mgmt works with a diverse range of clients and adopts a comprehensive implementation cycle with ongoing support to drive efficiency and growth in their management strategies.

The company prides itself on its comprehensive 12 weeks implementation life cycle and continuous support for clients. AI4Mgmt's project phases consist of requirement analysis, data integration, configuration, testing and training, and system deployment.

Each phase involves the participation of a diverse team of experts, including project managers, business analysts, developers, AI solutions architects, infrastructure managers, security managers, and client support specialists.

AI4Mgmt boasts a talented and experienced team of professionals from different locations, such as Madrid, New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Mexico City, Islamabad, Mumbai, and Berlin. The team members bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table, with experiences ranging from 3 to 20 years in their respective fields.

Currently, AI4Mgmt is working on a variety of projects, catering to clients with different levels of complexity. Some of the ongoing projects include Acme Corp, Big Industries, Auto Motors, and Cool Gadgets, while upcoming projects are Future Innovations, Tech Pioneers, and Global Impact. Each project focuses on delivering AI4Mgmt's AI4PPM toolkit, a powerful resource for businesses seeking to leverage AI in their project management processes.

Using GPT-4 to help AI4Mgmt with resource allocation

In this role play, we'll assume the role of Antoine Lefebvre, CTO of AI4Mgmt. Antoine aims to review the current team allocation, address potential risks, and prepare a resource allocation plan for future projects. Antoine's objective is to efficiently cover all risks, freeing up more time to focus on strategic matters that demand his full attention.

[Q] As a manager at AI4Mgmt, I need to review the current resource allocation across ongoing projects and identify any skill gaps or potential areas for improvement. Can you provide an overview of the current allocations, including any over- or under-allocated team members?

It is quite interesting to see that GPT-4 can provide information on over-allocated periods, which requires calculations based on the provided data. While the information wasn't directly available in the file, GPT-4 managed to compute it. In some instances, obtaining such answers can be challenging, particularly when multiple calculation steps are needed - not necessarily for GPT-4, but for the ChatBot UI. There are methods to avoid these issues and utilize larger databases, which typically require more technical skills and the use of APIs. However, we will keep things simple in this article.

[Q] It seems that Mia Patel is over-allocated between April and May. What are some potential solutions to address this issue and maintain project progress?

In this instance, we observe that GPT-4 tends to offer general "best practices," which could be an area for improvement in future releases. Ideally, I would prefer more specific answers that utilize the context and prioritize solutions based on that information. Nonetheless, it remains valuable to receive this list of general yet applicable actions.

[Q] I appreciate the suggestions. Can you provide a revised resource allocation plan that incorporates these changes, and present it in a table format showing the allocation per project, allocation percentage, and start and end dates for each ongoing project?

I'd like to point out a couple of observations that you may encounter during this type of exercise:

• As demonstrated in the previous screenshot, the resource allocation is presented based on the project participation, without considering the detailed information for each phase (e.g., different role percentages depending on the phase). To verify the information, I used?GanttProject, an open-source planning tool:

• At times, when the response is too lengthy, you might need to ask for completion. Depending on your initial question, the remaining answer may or may not be displayed accurately. This behavior appears to be a limitation of the user interface rather than GPT-4 itself:

It's essential to be aware of these points when working with ChatGPT to ensure you understand the tool's limitations and can adjust your approach accordingly.

A brief detour on the role play in progress:

It's important to highlight the speed at which ChatGPT provides answers, something that cannot be captured through a screenshot. To illustrate this point, I'd like to share a video taken during another session while preparing the final script. This video demonstrates the quick response times that can be experienced while using ChatGPT, allowing for efficient and seamless interactions:

In this brief video, my goal is to offer a glimpse into how ChatGPT-4 handles responses and the speed at which it provides them.

While ChatGPT-4 has the capability to create files and connect to other services, this cannot be executed through the chatbot UI. Instead, the current method involves "copying the code", saving it as a CSV file, and then opening it in any spreadsheet tool. Here's an example using Microsoft Excel:

Let's resume the role play

[Q] Great! Now let's discuss upcoming projects. Can you suggest resource allocations for future projects, ensuring that team members are assigned according to their expertise, project complexity, location, and availability?

[Q] Thanks for the allocation plan. I noticed that for Project Future Innovations, you assigned Natalie Green, who is less experienced. Can you explain the reasoning behind this decision?

I have incorporated the complexity information for each project. "Future Innovations" is a high-complexity project scheduled to start on August 1, 2023, and estimated to end on November 7, 2023. The initial proposal provided by ChatGPT-4 does seem odd in this context. This is a good example of how the AI demonstrates analysis that goes beyond just a "really complicated macro"! It shows that ChatGPT-4 is capable of more nuanced understanding and response generation, adjusting to the complexity levels of projects and offering relevant suggestions.

[Q] I understand your reasoning, but I'm concerned that Natalie might need additional support on Future Innovations?Project?due to her lack of experience. Can you suggest a mentor or a more experienced team member who could assist her?

[Q] Great, let's include the mentor in the allocation plan. Now, considering all the allocations, can you identify any potential resource constraints or issues that we might face in the coming months?

In the next question, I wanted to showcase how ChatGPT-4 can incorporate both internal and external information. As demonstrated in previous articles, it excels at streamlining these types of activities, saving valuable time for managers and teams. By leveraging its impressive knowledge base and understanding the context of your organization's data, ChatGPT-4 can generate insights and recommendations that blend the best of both worlds. This empowers managers to make more informed decisions, backed by the AI's ability to quickly process and analyze complex information.

[Q] It seems that we may face a resource constraint for AI Solutions Architects role in the near future. Can you help me draft a job description for this role so we can start the recruitment process?

I feel amazed by how quickly ChatGPT-4 can provide a clear and nearly "ready to be published" job description! This highlights the power of AI in streamlining tasks and generating results that would have otherwise taken much longer to complete manually.

Wrap-up

In this article, I have explored the potential of ChatGPT in assisting project and team managers to improve their efficiency by simplifying resource allocation activities. Through screenshots and video captures, I demonstrated the ease and speed of interacting with ChatGPT-4, showcasing how managers can benefit from using GPT-4 in resource allocation by:

1. Reviewing the current allocation across ongoing projects
2. Identifying over- or under-allocated team members
3. Suggesting potential solutions to address resource constraints
4. Revising the resource allocation plan
5. Assigning resources to upcoming projects based on their expertise, project complexity, location, and availability

The screenshots and video captures illustrate the interaction between Antoine Lefevbre, CTO at AI4Mgmt, and ChatGPT-4. The use of natural language and real-time interaction make it a true game-changer for everyone.

I have demonstrated the model's ability to handle multi-turn conversations, maintain context, and adapt its responses to meet the user's needs.

By using a company called AI4Mgmt, I presented realistic situations to better illustrate the practical application of ChatGPT in the project management domain.

Personal Considerations

Throughout the course of this article series and my interaction with GPT-4 (which is notably more impressive than GPT-3.5 for these kinds of requests), I have noticed a significant shift in my approach to interacting with the AI.

Initially, my focus was mainly on directing the work, but as I progressed, my questions evolved to seek opinions, collaborate on improvements, and provide feedback. What has struck me the most is how engaging and enjoyable this process has been. Working with ChatGPT has been a positive experience, as it never complained or displayed a negative attitude, even when I reviewed the same text multiple times. I am certain that a human counterparty might have thrown in the towel long ago!?

Working with GPT-4 has not only been about finding solutions to complex problems but also about building a collaborative relationship that fosters learning, growth, and even fun. The experience of using AI has been very positive, and I am eager to continue exploring its potential to revolutionize the way we approach project management and other areas of our professional lives.

As you may imagine, not all comes without some challenges! There have been moments when limitations, such as token restrictions and reaching the maximum number of questions for GPT-4 in a period of time (at this moment it turns around 25 questions every 3 hours), have led to a less satisfying user experience. These constraints can sometimes disrupt the flow of the conversation, making it feel like interacting with someone experiencing sudden memory loss.

Despite these challenges, it's important to remember that GPT-4 and other AI technologies are continually evolving. As improvements are made and limitations are addressed, we can expect even more seamless and engaging interactions in the future. I am confident that with further development, these setbacks will be resolved, and we'll see even greater potential for using AI in project management and other professional domains.

Collaborative Approach: AI and Humans Working Together

Throughout my interactions with ChatGPT-4, I realized that the future of management lies in the synergy between AI technologies and human capabilities. Instead of perceiving AI as a threat, we should view it as a powerful tool that complements human expertise and experience. By combining the strengths of both, we can achieve better results and drive innovation.

ChatGPT-4 has shown me that the quality of data is paramount for the successful implementation and operation of AI systems. Accurate, relevant, and comprehensive data allows AI to provide valuable insights and support decision-making processes effectively.

Emphasizing the value of human input and expertise in tandem with AI advancements will create a synergistic environment that promotes growth, innovation, and success.

Conclusion

Throughout this article series, I have demonstrated the value and potential of GPT-4 in various aspects of project management. While there are some challenges that need to be addressed, the technology has shown high capabilities and potential for improvement in the near future.

As with any new discovery, AI can be intimidating, but it is essential that we approach it with an open mind and explore its potential benefits rather than rejecting it outright. By embracing AI technologies like GPT, we can unlock new possibilities and efficiencies in our work, allowing us to focus on the aspects where human input is most valuable.

I firmly believe that the key to a brighter future with AI lies in providing it with the principles that guide its development, rather than trying to control its every action.

Stay tuned for our next article in the series, where we'll dive into the exciting world of Scrum-based project management. We'll explore how GPT-4 can improve sprint planning by assisting in sprint goal formulation and task prioritization. Learn how this AI-driven technology can help your team focus on what truly matters and ensure the most valuable tasks are addressed first. Don't miss this opportunity to unlock the full potential of Scrum with AI Assistants by your side!