How can AI be used in Project Management?
There is significant coverage currently of AI including AI-enhanced search engines, Chat GPT and the good, and bad, that can arise from its use. Some posts have recently suggested the use of ChatGPT for project management tasks. AI is not purely ChatGPT though and there are many other aspects of AI to be explored in construction and project management.
You might for example have also used AI to generate images, or videos, as with this article in the Guardian which highlighted the use of AI and digital technology in the design of buildings. Certainly AI image generators such as MidJourney are fun (MidJourney generated the image above), but can they be used successfully to design aesthetically-pleasing, functional, efficient and sustainable buildings?
BIM has developed rapidly to the point of being capable of providing digital twins for design, construction, estimating and even operability, via an interface capable of operating built assets to optimum efficiency. Yet for many, the misconception remains that BIM is merely 3D CAD. Here in Hong Kong, there is a pilot scheme underway to allow the submission of plans for statutory approval via BIM, but will the checking for compliance be done manually or via some form of AI? Can AI tools be introduced into BIM to help generate statutory-compliant buildings from the outset?
Could similar tools be used to achieve sustainability objectives, generating LEED, BREAM or WELL certification ratings as design and construction progress? What of stakeholder needs?
It would appear that the application of AI could, at least in the short-term, make the building design process even more complex than it currently is.
Look then at this article in the New York Times ($) that suggests that the increasing complexity of projects and the environments in which they are to be constructed has contributed to a loss of overall productivity in construction.
Whilst moves towards MIC and DfMA can increase on site productivity and build quality, the processes that precede such factory construction remain unique to each project, somewhat fluid and certainly complex.
So then to how AI can help project managers concentrate on the higher-value aspects of project management, and can take routine or mundane tasks away from busy PMs. This February 2023 article from HBR looks at some of those aspects and poses questions for organisations considering deploying AI for project management. Some of these are already within reach, but they rely on good processes, records and data management being available for automation. How many of our organisations have these in place right now? Have you implemented this sort of good practice in your projects or organisation?
The race to apply AI to many aspects of work and life is topical and exciting, but I suggest that AI cannot yet replace humans in applying good project management practice, beyond the automation of the simple and mundane. How can we make it happen?
