Professionals With AI Skills Have  Experience, Research Reveals

Mary  Nnah

Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading organisation for the project management profession, has revealed through its PMI research that only 18 per cent of the project professionals with artificial Intelligence (AI) skills have practical experience.

In a statement, PMI stated that the organisation is empowering millions of global project professionals worldwide to adopt, embrace, and leverage AI, machine learning (ML), and generative AI (GenAI). 

PMI said that it is developing the tools, resources, and learning opportunities – including a free introductory online course entitled “Generative AI Overview for Project Managers” – project professionals need to leverage AI-powered technology while preserving the human touch in project management.   

As AI takes a foothold in the project management profession, project professionals will need to embrace experimenting with these new tools and connecting with peers for lessons learned. To pave the way for professionals to do this, PMI is reimagining how project professionals can balance AI with human ingenuity at its annual event, PMI® Global Summit, on 25-28 October in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 

PMI research further revealed that organisations that place a high priority on power skills are significantly better at completing projects that meet business goals. Additionally, they waste less investment due to poor project performance compared to the global average (4.8 per cent vs. 5.2 per cent) and far less than organisations that put a low priority on power skills (8.8 per cent).  

According to McKinsey, GenAI and other technologies have the potential to automate work activities that absorb 60 to 70 per cent of employees’ time today. But tools cannot automate interpersonal skills, the invaluable and necessary skills project managers bring to projects. Communication, problem-solving, collaborative leadership, and strategic thinking – skills PMI calls “power skills” – will continue to be crucial to project success.

 According to Pierre Le Manh, President and Chief Executive Officer of PMI, “I see an incredible opportunity to elevate the leadership role of project professionals in their organisation, thanks to the AI-driven disruption,” adding that “Project professionals are natural learners, problem solvers, innovators, and they get things done. Now is the time for us to lead the AI transformation of organisations.”  

He said, “To keep up with the latest developments in AI technology, project professionals must prioritise continuous learning. The Artificial Intelligence in Project Management Resource Center on PMI.org is the destination for learning to navigate a new era of efficiency, insight, and growth.”

“The page, complete with AI insights and learning opportunities, will be updated consistently with new, thought-provoking survey findings, thought leadership, industry analysis, academic research, and community-contributed content and publications. The varied data sources – inclusive of PMI’s vast community of academic partners, enterprise partners, and millions of project professionals, combined with proprietary research – will set this content apart and make it the go-to resource for project professionals and organisations striving to leverage these tools to improve project success.”

PMI has announced that it will post two new articles in October 2023 and the key insights from these articles include how project managers can leverage AI for project productivity and enhance power skills,  how AI adoption will only increase, so project managers need to upskill quickly to take advantage of this enormous career opportunity and how building organisational resilience, leveraging technical skills, and upskilling teams will help organisations remain competitive. 

“This course is just the beginning, PMI will continue to release learning content focused on AI in project management, all created for project professionals by project professionals. The PMI community will test the learning content, ensuring it reflects the experience of project professionals who have relevant experience using AI in project management,” said the Chief Executive Officer of PMI.