By Kousheyee Ghosh – GDS Consulting Transformation Delivery Leader, EY Global Delivery Services
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally altering project management across industries. Forward-thinking companies are gaining a competitive edge as they integrate AI into various aspects of their project management processes.
In project management, manual activities like project planning and static reporting are now being automated using AI. Smart planning, proactive risk identification, real-time reporting, and intelligent resource management are driving efficiency, precision, and innovation across industries.
AI has now become essential to make project management more agile and resilient. The reason? Teams are unaware when a disruption may happen and how swiftly trends in industry may change. By quickly adapting to changes, the AI shift is improving operational efficiency and the quality of customer service and support.
According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), organizations that are fully leveraging AI are 30% more likely to deliver on time and 23% more likely to exceed ROI goals. Today, AI is not just an enhancement; it is assisting project managers in driving efficiency and innovation by automating complex processes, providing predictive insights, and enabling real-time collaboration. Let us discuss in some detail how AI is transforming the field of project management and will explore its several use cases.
Smarter decision-making with real-time data analysis
Analysis of vast datasets, from client financials to market trends, is a critical process in project management. It allows stakeholders to make decisions based on evidence as compared with intuition. Traditional methods of analysis are slow and prone to human error. A single incorrect decision or wrong insight is enough to derail progress and delay delivery by months.
For example, organizations like EY GDS, are implementing AI-powered systems in their workflows to help their teams identify anomalies in financial transactions or anticipate market shifts. Based on the fresh stream of data and calculated insights, the teams can take decisive decisions in real time and provide data-backed recommendations with speed and better accuracy, elevating the client experience.
Automating documentation with generative AI
In project management, business requirements documents and meeting notes are key, but they are time consuming. A simple business requirements document (BRD) can take a few days, with complex ones even taking weeks.
These tasks often demand high levels of accuracy, consistency, and detail – qualities that generative AI excels in delivering. GenAI can evaluate and extract information from client discussions, user inputs, and market trends. With its ability to analyze extensive datasets and generate content, it can combine all the disconnected information and put it together into one structured and actionable document.
Optimizing software development cycles with AI
Software development cycles require collaboration from different stakeholders, and high collaboration is synonymous with a high risk of misalignment and miscommunication. In complex projects, even the smallest cracks, missed notes, and unclear requirements can trigger major, costly and time-sensitive breakdowns.
Regardless, AI-powered tools help in bridging these gaps and streamlining the development cycles. With GenAI tools and ML models, repetitive tasks such as code generation, review, and testing can be automated. These tools become assistants to developers and engineers, reducing the manual effort while maintaining code quality and compliance.
According to Gartner, by 2028, 75% of enterprise software engineers are expected to adopt AI coding assistants, highlighting the growing impact of these technologies.
Balancing automation with expertise
A study by Harvard Business Review found that organizations that successfully integrate AI with human expertise achieve higher performance metrics compared with those that rely exclusively on one or the other.
While the capabilities of AI are transformative, organizations must recognize the importance of human knowledge in providing exceptional client outcomes. AI tools are designed to complement, not replace, the judgment and expertise of subject matter professionals.
Even though an AI system can process data or automate documentation, interpreting the results or tailoring the insights to a specific client scenario requires deep industry knowledge. Therefore, human-AI partnership is key to ensure that automation does not compromise the personalized and high-quality service that clients expect.
The future of AI-driven excellence
The addition of AI in project management processes is a shift toward smarter, faster and more efficient operations. From analyzing large data sets in real time to automating critical documentation and improving software development, AI is reshaping the way organizations provide value to their clients.
By striking a balance between automation and expertise, organizations can ensure that AI initiatives improve, and not replace, the human touch that defines their service philosophy. As AI continues to evolve, its implementation in India’s project management landscape can further accelerate the nation’s development, driving efficiency across industries and enabling faster execution of large-scale initiatives.
– The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.