Mastering Efficiency with AI
and CoPilot
SECOND EDITION
By Mei Lin and Bernard Smith Jr.
North Texas, USA
Introduction
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) integration into project management is increasingly recognized across various sectors, as evidenced by recent surveys conducted by the Project Management Institute (PMI). According to the 2023 PMI Annual Global Survey on Project Management,
- roughly 21% of project management professionals already regularly use A.I. tools in their projects.
- about 82% of senior leaders predict that A.I. will influence project management practices at their organizations over the next five years.
- 91% of participants expect A.I. to substantially impact the project management profession, with 58% foreseeing a “major” or “transformative” influence.
A.I. can help project management professionals overcome heavy manual task challenges and boost productivity by automating tasks, enhancing communication, providing insights, and supporting decision-making. However, A.I. poses many unknown, unresolved challenges for project management professionals to be aware of for their project stakeholders, such as ethical, legal, social, and technical issues and human oversight, collaboration, and adaptation.
In 2022, Microsoft Office 365 had a 47.9% market share, and over 3.7 million companies worldwide rely on Microsoft Office 365 for productivity, with over 345 million registered users in 2023. That is why the session will focus on Microsoft Copilot 365.
Copilot 365 is a cloud-based platform that provides project management professionals with various features and benefits, such as intelligent document creation, data analysis, presentation design, team collaboration, and note-taking. The session will introduce copilot security, so project management professionals can know how to manage projects with a security mindset and privacy of data and users by using encryption, authentication, authorization, and compliance mechanisms.
Boost Productivity
A.I. can help project management professionals boost productivity by automating tasks, enhancing communication, providing insights, and supporting decision-making. These aspects are discussed below.
- Automating tasks: A.I. can automate repetitive, tedious, and time-consuming tasks that project management professionals have to perform, such as scheduling, budgeting, reporting, tracking, and invoicing. Using AI can save time, reduce errors, and focus on their project’s more creative and strategic aspects. For example, A.I. can generate project plans, assign tasks and project updates, monitor progress, and alert of deviations or issues. AI can also generate reports, invoices, and other documents based on predefined templates and data sources.
More…
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Editor’s note: Second Editions are previously published papers that have continued relevance in today’s project management world, or which were originally published in conference proceedings or in a language other than English. Original publication acknowledged; authors retain copyright. This paper was originally presented at the 16th UT Dallas PM Symposium in May 2024. It is republished here with the permission of the author and conference organizers.
How to cite this paper: Lin, M. and Smith, B. (2024). Revolutionizing Project Management: Mastering Efficiency with AI and CoPilot; presented at the 16th University of Texas at Dallas Project Management Symposium in Richardson, TX, USA in May 2024; republished in the PM World Journal, Vol. XIII, Issue VIII, August. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/pmwj144-Aug2024-Lin-Smith-Revolutionizing-Project-Management-2nd-Edition-2.pdf
About the Authors
Mei Lin
North Texas, USA
Mei Lin, PMP is a dynamic project management professional who excels in uniting teams to drive value in her role, which spans notable tenures at Microsoft and Texas Capital Bank. Her professional ethos is marked by a blend of efficiency and empathy, dedicating her days to connecting project teams and her heart to fostering positivity and kindness.
This unique blend empowers her to inspire and uplift future leaders. She complements Mei’s expertise as a Gen AI Champion AZ AI 900 certification in 2022, and her practical experience with tools like Gen AI and Microsoft CoPilot, making her a valuable guide for project managers seeking to integrate cutting-edge AI technology into their workflows.
As the author of “Mommy is a Project Manager,” she actively works towards breaking down gender biases and motivating change-makers from all walks of life.
Bernard Smith, Jr.
Texas, USA
Bernard Smith Jr. is a Microsoft Engineer and tech intrapreneur known for his efforts in community and technology development. As Past President of Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) in Dallas and co-founder of the Next Step Initiative, he promotes computer science and financial literacy in underprivileged communities. Bernard’s initiatives include creating a virtual seminar to help students secure jobs at Microsoft.
His work extends to significant contributions and volunteerism with nonprofits, enhancing educational and technological access, particularly in Dallas ISD through fundraising for tech resources. Bernard’s commitment to leadership, professional development, and advocacy for continuous innovation and empowerment is evident in his active engagement in the tech community.
