How AI Will Transform Project Management

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LEADERSHIP GROWTH | How AI Will Transform Project Management AI is expected to bring significant benefits to project management by improving planning, communication, collaboration, decision-making, and automation. "Gartner’s research indicates that change is coming soon, predicting that by 2030,?80% of project management?tasks will be run by AI, powered by big data, machine learning (ML), and natural language processing."?When these tools are available, will your organization and team be ready for them?

Be sure to check out "How AI Will Transform Project Management" by Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez and Ricardo Viana Vargas by clicking the link above.

REFLECTION

by Jon McGlothian

Several years ago, I inherited a project team that could have performed better. They barely made deadlines, and their work, while passable, could have been more inspiring. They were content with the status quo, and the motivation to do better was not there. After a few weeks of observation, I realized that the individual team members were very talented and wanted to do a good job. The problem was that their environment sapped their motivation. They were given an assignment and then told how to do it. They did not know how the information would be used or whether it was important. A recent employee survey indicated the team members were unhappy and wanted to leave the organization.

So, I started working on creating an environment to address these motivational issues. In this case, I changed how their assignments were given to them. Instead of telling them what to do, I gave them the end state and explained how our internal customers would use the information. I then gave them the latitude to develop how they wanted to obtain the data and create the reports. After completing their work, they presented their findings to our internal customers.

After a few months, our internal customers began valuing their work and seeing them as a strategic arm of the organization. Over time, they received larger-than-expected pay raises and became very sought after for their work and expertise. Overall, a great win for everyone!

Leaders are responsible for creating an environment where their employees can be successful. At a minimum, the environment has to provide clear expectations, ensure that the tools and resources are available, and that the people see the results of their work.

The following are some thoughts on creating this environment. This list is not meant to be all-inclusive but a starting point for you to build upon.

1. Lead by example. Your words, thoughts, and actions set the tone and direction as the leader.
2. Communicate the goals & objectives clearly and succinctly. Describe the end state of what you are looking for. Of course, you can only do this if you know the end state. So before you begin "issuing directives and orders," ensure you clearly understand what needs to be accomplished.
3. Give honest deadlines as to when the tasking is to be done. Hold the team members responsible for meeting those deadlines. Sometimes, providing checkpoints along the way is helpful so the team member can show progress. This step is especially true if it is a significant undertaking.
4. Unless there is a predefined method of how the tasking is to be done, give the team members the latitude to develop their course of action. In this sense, you are allowing them to own their work.
5. Typically, people want to do a good job but often need more resources to do it or know how to obtain them. Lack of resources causes a lot of undue stress for the individual and eventually leads them to quit. Please give them the tools and resources needed to do the job.
6. Praise the team member for doing a great job. You can provide a gift card for dinner, handwrite a thank you note, or even let their significant other (or parent or manager) know what a great job they are doing.
7. Do not ignore them if they do not do a good job. Assuming that their intentions were good, provide solid feedback on how they can do the job better the next time. If you are not the "expert" on the job, pair them with an "expert" who is willing to help them become better.
8. Give them credit for the work that they did. Over time, people will stop doing work if they know they will not receive credit.

LEARN

We are offering our PMI certified advanced courses, that upon completion, will have you ready to pass the?PMP exam.?

We have two course schedules available, a?weeklong course?or a?weekend course?that is offered over two consecutive weekends.?

The classes are open to a limited number of students, so if you are interested and would like to find out the dates/times and cost of the classes, be sure to check out the Event Calendar below or visit our website: Open Enrollment Courses - TMOG (tmogllc.com)

Our next Open Enrollment course is scheduled for?May?8-12.?

ACA NEWS

If you are interested in finding out if ACA will cover the cost of your courses or exam, please contact TMOG for more information.?

CELEBRATE

Melissa W., you've done it!?Congratulations on passing your PMP exam and receiving your certification!!

CALENDAR

Click on the slides to see all the Open Enrollment dates or visit our website: Open Enrollment Courses - TMOG (tmogllc.com)