How AI Can Make You a Smarter PM

Introduction

Project management is a constant balancing act. No matter how carefully you plan, something always throws a wrench into the mix—missed deadlines, shifting priorities, or that stakeholder who suddenly decides to "rethink the entire approach." It’s part of the job, but let’s be honest—it’s exhausting. Between keeping projects on track and putting out fires, the days often feel too short, and the to-do list never stops growing.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve turned to AI—particularly chatbots like ChatGPT—to help bridge that gap. For me, ChatGPT Plus has been a game-changer, not just in speeding up my work but in reshaping how I approach it. On average, it saves me six to ten hours a week—yes, you read that right. A chatbot frees up entire workdays by handling research, summarizing key information, refining my communication, and even challenging me to think more critically. It’s like having an always-available consultant who doesn’t take lunch breaks, never gets tired, and costs just $20 a month. That’s a bargain for a consultant these days! AI keeps my workflow smooth, improves accuracy, and even helps me craft responses that resonate better with my team and stakeholders. Having worked across industries, including aerospace, utilities, e-commerce, and software, I’ve never had a tool this valuable. For project managers willing to embrace AI, 2025 and beyond won’t be about working harder—it will be about working smarter. The question is: Are you ready to scale up and become a super PM?

The Tasks AI Should Be Doing for You

The best project managers don’t waste time on tasks that AI can handle faster and more accurately. Instead of getting bogged down with administrative work, they focus on strategy, leadership, and problem-solving. AI is best suited for routine, error-prone, and time-consuming aspects of project management, ensuring you spend your energy where it matters most.

• Drowning in Meeting Notes?: AI can record, transcribe, and summarize key discussions, so you never have to sift through an hour-long meeting just to find one decision.
• Status Updates Slowing You Down?: Task updates, reminders, and progress tracking happen automatically, keeping projects on schedule without constant check-ins.
• Risky Surprises at the Last Minute?: AI analyzes historical data to identify potential delays before they happen, giving you a chance to act before issues snowball.
• Too Many Emails, Too Little Time?: AI can draft responses, summarize email threads, and fine-tune your messaging to ensure clarity and professionalism.

Why This Matters

AI isn’t here to replace your decision-making—it’s here to help you make better decisions, faster. The more you automate, the more time you have to focus on leading, problem-solving, and driving real impact. Instead of drowning in administrative work, you can finally spend time where it matters—on strategy, execution, and team success.

AI isn’t here to replace your decision-making—it’s here to help you make better decisions, faster.

Let AI Do the Heavy Lifting

Time savings are just one part of the equation. Leveraging the power of AI in your workflows as a PM isn’t just about automating tedious work—it’s about enhancing how you think and make decisions. Your role involves navigating complex trade-offs, prioritizing work, and making countless judgment calls daily. This is where AI can help you work smarter—not just faster.

How AI Can Help You Make Smarter Calls

• Too Many Competing Priorities: AI highlights the most critical tasks based on workload, dependencies, and impact, allowing you to focus where it counts.
• Making Decisions Without Enough Data?: AI helps you spot patterns in past projects, team performance, and market trends, providing clarity for better decision-making.
• Struggling to Read the Room?: AI can pick up on signals of disengagement, frustration, or risk in team and stakeholder communications, giving you a chance to course-correct early.

Smart PMs don’t just make decisions—they make informed decisions. AI helps remove the guesswork.

Leveraging the power of AI in your workflows as a PM isn’t just about automating tedious work—it’s about enhancing how you think and make decisions.

AI Will Change How We Work

AI is incredibly powerful, but let’s not kid ourselves—project management is still about people. Technology can improve workflows, streamline communication, and analyze data, but at the heart of every project are real people making real decisions. AI can’t replace the human elements of leadership, collaboration, and strategic vision.

• Empathy Matters: AI won’t notice when your lead developer is burnt out and needs a break.
• Relationships Take Time: AI won’t grab coffee with your stakeholders or smooth over a miscommunication.
• Vision Comes from Leadership: AI can optimize a plan, but it won’t inspire your team to follow it.

How to Balance AI and the Human Touch

• Use AI for efficiency—use your instincts for leadership: AI can crunch numbers and predict delays, but it’s up to you to rally your team and keep them engaged.
• Automate tasks, not relationships: AI won’t replace a one-on-one conversation or a thoughtful email. Use it to streamline work, not distance yourself.
• Let AI handle data, but YOU make the decisions: AI offers insights, but leadership means knowing when to go with your gut.

The best PMs of 2025 won’t be replaced by AI—they’ll be amplified by it.

AI can’t replace the human elements of leadership, collaboration, and strategic vision.

Tools You Should Be Using Right Now

AI is already transforming project management, and those who embrace it will stay ahead. Below are categorized tools that tackle common PM challenges, helping you work faster, communicate better, and make smarter decisions.

1. Keeping Projects on Track

• Problem: Tasks slip through the cracks, priorities shift, and keeping everything aligned is a constant battle.
• Purpose: Streamlines task assignments, automates updates, and monitors project risks to ensure timely completion and resource optimization.
• Tools: ClickUp, Asana

2. Writing Emails and Reports Faster

• Problem: PMs spend too much time on status reports, emails, and documentation.
• Purpose: Assists in drafting meeting summaries, emails, and developing project roadmaps, enhancing communication clarity and reducing manual effort.
• Tools: Notion AI, ChatGPT

3. Reducing Meeting Overload

• Problem: Important discussions get lost, and key takeaways are hard to track.
• Purpose: Records and transcribes meetings to capture essential discussions and decisions, facilitating accurate record-keeping and information sharing.
• Tools: Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai

4. Enhancing Everyday Productivity

• Problem: Routine tasks in Excel, Outlook, and Google Docs eat up hours.
• Purpose: Enhances traditional office applications with AI capabilities to analyze data, automate workflows, and improve overall productivity.
• Tools: Microsoft Copilot, Google Duet AI

5. Smoothing Out Agile Workflows

• Problem: Agile teams struggle with bottlenecks, changing priorities, and backlog management.
• Purpose: Facilitates agile methodologies by predicting project bottlenecks and automating task assignments, ensuring smooth project execution.
• Tools: Trello, Jira

Final Thoughts

AI isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about transformation. It has redefined the way I work, saving me time, improving my accuracy, and even teaching me to be a better communicator and strategist. The difference between a project manager drowning in details and one who is thriving comes down to how well they leverage the tools at their disposal. AI is no longer optional—it’s an advantage. It’s the edge that allows PMs to move beyond the noise of daily task management and into a leadership role where they can truly drive impact.

But AI won’t make you a great PM on its own. It won’t replace critical thinking, emotional intelligence, or the ability to lead people through uncertainty. The best project managers will be the ones who blend AI’s power with their own expertise—knowing when to trust the data and when to rely on experience. Those who resist AI will find themselves playing catch-up. Those who embrace it? They’ll be the ones shaping the future of project management.

Until next time, keep thriving and leading with purpose!