🧱 Suggested Article Structure
🔹 1. Quick Intro: Beyond the Hype
Acknowledge the AI hype storm
Set the article’s purpose: not to speculate, but to audit what PMs actually do—and what parts AI can really take over
One sentence summary of your core position:
“PMs won’t be replaced by AI—but the PM who never adapts just might be.”
🔹 2. The PM Role, Broken Down by Task
Introduce the framework:
Instead of job titles, let’s talk about tasks
You’ll split them into 3 buckets: AI Can Do, Mixed, Human-Only
Then move into…
🔹 3. Tasks AI Can (and Should) Take Over
🟢 Include 4–6 high-leverage examples like:
Archiving documentation
Variance analysis
Auto-scheduling
Real-time tracking
Report generation
✔️ For each:
What it is
Why AI is better at it
Example tool or technique
🔹 4. Tasks That Are Shared (AI + PM = Stronger Together)
🟡 These are “co-pilot” tasks:
Drafting user stories
Risk identification
Writing status updates
Estimating time/costs
Backlog grooming
✔️ For each:
What AI can do
Where human oversight is essential
Tip: Treat AI like a junior analyst, not a magic oracle
🔹 5. Tasks That Are (Still) Deeply Human
🔴 Emotional intelligence zone:
Stakeholder alignment
Decision framing
Team leadership
Conflict resolution
Translating ambiguity into action
✔️ Reframe these as core strengths to double down on
Use these to define your evolving value
Task Overview
Task | Automation Potential | Better performed by: | Notes |
Archive project documentation | High | AI | |
Perform variance analysis | High | AI | AI is better in processing large data sets and can automatically surface root causes.
Enables continuous real-time tracking, effortless after setup. |
Plan schedule (define activities, sequence, estimate, develop) | High | AI | |
Track project progress (scope, time, cost, quality) | High | AI | |
Establish baselines for scope, schedule, and cost | High | AI | |
Conduct risk monitoring and control | High | AI | |
Facilitate communication and stakeholder engagement | No – requires empathy and adaptation | Human | |
Align project with strategic goals | No – requires human insight | Human | |
Obtain final acceptance of deliverables | No – human interaction required | Human | |
Direct and manage project work | No – requires leadership and people management | Human | |
Define project scope and objectives | Partially – AI can assist with templates and suggestions | Mixed | |
Conduct project review and lessons learned | Partially – AI can analyze data, not emotions | Mixed | |
Communicate performance and progress | Partially – AI can draft reports, humans refine | Mixed | |
Ensure deliverables meet agreed-upon standards | Partially – AI can help validate, not ensure | Mixed | |
Manage change requests | Partially – AI can assist, but human judgment needed | Mixed | |
Manage procurement and vendor relationships | Partially – AI can track contracts, not relationships | Mixed | |
Implement risk response strategies | Partially – AI can suggest actions based on patterns | Mixed | |
Ensure quality assurance | Partially – AI can check standards and flag anomalies | Mixed | |
Transition deliverables to operations/support | Partially – AI can document, not manage transition | Mixed | |
Manage teams and assign tasks | Partially – AI can recommend, but human oversight needed | Mixed | |
Set KPIs or success metrics | Partially – AI can suggest metrics based on similar projects | Mixed | |
Plan for quality, communication, risk, procurement, stakeholder engagement | Partially – AI can support documentation and risk models | Mixed | |
Estimate and plan resources and budget | Partially – AI can model based on historical data | Mixed | |
Define scope, create WBS | Partially – AI can assist with WBS suggestions | Mixed | |
Develop project management plan | Partially – AI can generate skeleton plans | Mixed | |
Conduct feasibility and impact analysis | Partially – AI can analyze data but not judge context | Mixed | |
Develop project charter | Partially – AI can draft based on inputs | Mixed | |
Identify key stakeholders and create a stakeholder register | Partially – AI can analyze org charts and communications | Mixed | |
Release resources and close contracts | Partially – AI can assist with processes | Mixed | |
Detail View - Fully AI Tasks
Let’s start with the tasks where AI might not only be capable, but even better at fulfilling them:
✅ 1. Archive Project Documentation
How AI Handles It:
- Automatically tags, stores, and categorizes files in appropriate folders.
- Uses NLP to extract key metadata and summarize documents.
- Applies version control and retention rules.
Why AI is Better:
- Eliminates human error in file naming or misplacement.
- Saves hours of manual effort.
- Can integrate with project management and document systems (like Confluence, SharePoint, or Notion).
Tools/Resources:
- Microsoft Syntex (document understanding)
- M-Files (AI-powered document management)
- Notion AI (auto-summarizing and organizing content)
✅ 2. Perform Variance Analysis
How AI Handles It:
- Monitors planned vs. actual metrics (cost, time, scope) in real-time.
- Automatically highlights significant deviations.
- Can generate explanations based on historical trends.
Why AI is Better:
- Processes large datasets faster than humans.
- Flags anomalies instantly.
- Reduces risk of overlooking small but compounding issues.
Tools/Resources:
- Power BI with Copilot (variance dashboards)
- Tableau with Einstein Discovery
- Smartsheet (has built-in AI alerts)
✅ 3. Plan Schedule (Define Activities, Sequence, Estimate, Develop)
How AI Handles It:
- Suggests activity lists based on previous similar projects.
- Builds dependency maps and critical paths.
- Estimates durations using historical data.
Why AI is Better:
- Faster and less biased than manual estimation.
- Adapts to constraints and changes quickly.
- Can run multiple schedule simulations.
Tools/Resources:
- Microsoft Project + AI scheduling plugins
- Forecast.app (auto-scheduling)
- Planera.ai (predictive scheduling engine)
✅ 4. Track Project Progress (Scope, Time, Cost, Quality)
How AI Handles It:
- Integrates with tools (e.g., JIRA, Azure DevOps) to monitor real-time progress.
- Visualizes trends and forecasts project health.
- Sends alerts when deviations or delays are predicted.
Why AI is Better:
- Provides continuous updates without manual input.
- Allows proactive intervention based on trends.
- Reduces reporting fatigue.
Tools/Resources:
- Monday.com AI insights
- ClickUp AI Progress Monitoring
- Wrike with Work Intelligence™
✅ 5. Establish Baselines (Scope, Schedule, Cost)
How AI Handles It:
- Extracts historical averages from past projects.
- Aligns scope with team velocity or capacity.
- Suggests realistic baselines based on risk and buffer analysis.
Why AI is Better:
- Creates more realistic plans using pattern recognition.
- Adjusts baseline recommendations based on team dynamics or external factors.
Tools/Resources:
- Jira Align (agile baselining)
- Primavera P6 with AI plugins
- ClickUp Goals & Baselines
✅ 6. Conduct Risk Monitoring and Control
How AI Handles It:
- Constantly scans project indicators for early signs of risk.
- Assigns risk probabilities and impact levels.
- Suggests mitigation strategies based on similar past risks.
Why AI is Better:
- Never sleeps—monitors 24/7.
- Reacts faster to subtle shifts in data.
- Reduces risk of “unknown unknowns” via predictive analytics.
Tools/Resources:
- RiskLens (AI cyber/project risk analysis)
- Praedicat (risk modeling)
- Protecht.ERM (enterprise risk management platform)
Detail View - Fully Human Tasks
🧠 1. Facilitate Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
How Humans Handle It:
- Read non-verbal cues, cultural nuances, and power dynamics.
- Tailor messaging to stakeholder needs, fears, or agendas.
- Build trust, resolve conflicts, and create alignment in complex or political environments.
Why Humans Are Better:
- AI can generate content, but it lacks emotional intelligence and intuition.
- Stakeholders don’t just need information—they need connection.
- Managing “difficult people” is still a deeply human art.
Tips & Resources:
- Practice active listening and radical candor.
- Use frameworks like Stakeholder Salience Model or Interest-Influence Matrix.
- Book: Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan
🧭 2. Align Project with Strategic Goals
How Humans Handle It:
- Understand company vision, priorities, and shifting market context.
- Identify whether a project is delivering real business value or just ticking boxes.
- Adjust scope or priorities based on feedback from leadership or shifting KPIs.
Why Humans Are Better:
- AI can analyze data, but humans understand nuance and politics.
- Strategic alignment often depends on informal knowledge and evolving context.
- Requires judgment calls that aren’t always based on logic or past data.
Tips & Resources:
- Use OKRs to link project outcomes to strategic objectives.
- Practice benefits mapping or value stream analysis.
- Read: Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
✅ 3. Obtain Final Acceptance of Deliverables
How Humans Handle It:
- Coordinate with clients, legal, or internal sponsors to ensure deliverables meet expectations.
- Handle last-minute objections diplomatically.
- Ensure both formal sign-off and relational closure.
Why Humans Are Better:
- Final delivery is often an emotional milestone.
- Requires managing expectations, addressing hesitations, and reaffirming trust.
- Formal closure can be symbolic—AI doesn’t do symbolism.
Tips & Resources:
- Always combine checklists with a wrap-up conversation.
- Conduct final demos and sign-off workshops.
- Resource: PMI’s Close Project or Phase checklist
🧑🤝🧑 4. Direct and Manage Project Work
How Humans Handle It:
- Coordinate cross-functional teams and make judgment calls on priority conflicts.
- Motivate individuals, mediate team dynamics, and remove blockers.
- Make day-to-day trade-offs between perfection and pragmatism.
Why Humans Are Better:
- AI doesn’t build team morale or coach struggling colleagues.
- Human leadership inspires adaptability, creativity, and commitment.
- Many decisions are relational, not logical.
Tips & Resources:
- Study servant leadership and situational leadership models.
- Use daily stand-ups and retrospectives to maintain alignment.
- Book: Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet
Opportunities for PMs in my company
Admin Tasks:
- Project Reports (biweekly)
- Can I automate capacity planning, vacations etc to be added automatically? Can we connect the data?
- Can I create automatic excel reports similar as ChatGPT can create them for me in Google Drive?
- Can notes about changes be automized, derived from the data and send?
- Can the whole e-mail template to management be scripted?
- Controlling & Reporting overall
- Client Communication
- E-Mails, Reports, Feedback requests, etc?
- Automation of forecasts and accruals?
- Requirements Management (Writing, Tracking, Updating) → Biggest and easiest opportunity
- Meeting Notes, Task Extraction & Follow Ups
- DS&P Documentation and Updates?
Enhancements:
- Risk Prediction & Management
- Product Discovery
- Brainstorming
- Workshop Preparation & Aftermath
- Presentations