Recently, Kelly Benson participated in a panel hosted by the Project Management Institute (Melbourne Chapter) on The Future of Projects: Harnessing Generative AI in Project Management. With more than a hundred attendees, the event explored the impact of AI with Kelly offering her insight into AI in project management including in software development.
Skye Bennett, as panel host, with Kelly's co-panelists Keerthana Shankar (MIcrosoft), Matt Mullins (CGI and Ryan Chaffey (Yarra Valley Water) led an engaging discussion on practical AI applications and enhacing everyday project management tasks. The Panel shared insights and real time examples of AI automating routine activities such as transcripts and workflows, and breaking through procrastination by helping get an early first draft on scoping tasks.
Kelly shared insights on the expanding role of AI tools, touching on example use cases in coding, non coding and project management use cases in software development — from requirements gathering and analysis, to testing, and risk management. Kelly highlighted that where applied intentionally, these tools can become valuable in their their ability to hasten productivity, and provide a starting point for projects, easing the burden of a blank slate and fostering a proactive approach to project initiation.
The panel also explored the ethics of AI use and the necessity for transparency, with some industries requiring auditing and decision validation. This part of the discussion emphasised the importance of validating AI outputs, particularly for those new to the field, like students, who must understand the balance between tool assistance and critical thinking.
With audience members touching on anxieties surrounding job security in the age of AI, panelists were united in their view that while the role of project managers will inevitably evolve, AI tooling will augment rather than replace human expertise. The key to realising potential will be intentionality testing and learning where AI tools are best applied. It will allow project managers to dedicate more time to strategic objectives and stakeholder engagement, and in software development terms, more productive tasks across both coding and non-coding areas.
The session concluded with actionable advice for professionals to embrace AI technologies, including greater knowledge of both capabilities and limitations of AI tools to mitigate risk while maximising opportunity.
At CTO Labs, we advocate for intentional exploration of using generative AI to enhace both product and software development. A recent example was working with a large enterprise to conduct an AI Hackathon as a supportive environment to test and explore opportunities for AI tool application.
What's a Hackathon and would it have a role in your portfolio? Book a time using the callback button below for a 15 minute explainer.
