My ChatGTP / Agile Project Management Diary — Part #1

Check out the master index for this open-ended series.

What is this session about?

For the first session in this series, I’ll just be exploring the basic position on what it thinks about project management.

The Dialog

Firstly, I asked the GPT engine what it thought Project Management was. Note: “AOP” is me “AdamOnProjects”, and “GPT” is (obviously) the ChatGPT chatbot.

AOP: what is project management?

GPT: Project management is the process of leading a team to achieve  
specific goals and objectives within a defined timeframe and budget.  
It involves planning, executing, and controlling resources to achieve 
project objectives, which can range from developing a new product or  
service to completing a construction project or implementing a new system.

(etc)

I don’t include the full response above because it is plain-vanilla PMBOK-style regurgitation. Ask a straight question, and get a “straighty 180" answer. Nothing particularly exciting here.

Then, I asked the GPT engine how it could help.

AOP: how can chatgpt help me plan a project?

GPT: As a language model, I can assist you in planning a project by providing  
information, suggestions, and examples relevant to your project. However, I do 
not have the capability to xecute or manage a project. You can ask me specific  
questions related to project planning such as project management methodologies,  
creating project schedules, risk management, etc. and I'll do my best to  
provide you with accurate and helpful information.

Fair enough: an honest but not particularly helpful answer. This does give me some clues, however.

Maybe I can combine this with some research: let’s find some research papers on the subject.

AOP: give me some academic paper citations on  
"applications of ChatGPT for Project Management"

GPT: I'm sorry, but as an AI language model I don't have access to recent  
academic citations. However, you can search for relevant papers on your  
own using academic search engines such as Google Scholar.  
Here are some search terms you can use to find papers on the topic:

"ChatGPT in project management"
"ChatGPT for project management applications"
"ChatGPT-powered project management tools"
"Enhancing project management with ChatGPT technology"

These search terms should return a list of academic papers that you can  
explore further.

Hmmm. Not exactly striking out but not a total waste either. There’s some potential in those options, and it occurs to me I could generate more search terms with some different questions. More on this in a future session, I think. (Note check out the master index of this series to see if (when) I come back to this question)

Another approach:

AOP: I want to start using ChatGPT to improve my value as a project manager,  
where can I start?

GTP: If you're interested in using AI, specifically ChatGPT, to improve  
your work as a project manager, here are some steps you can take:

1. Familiarize yourself with ChatGPT and its capabilities: Before using ChatGPT,  
it's important to understand its capabilities and limitations,  
as well as its potential applications for project management.  
You can start by reading about OpenAI and its language models, and exploring  
the API documentation and tutorials.

2. Identify areas where ChatGPT can add value: Think about areas of your work  
as a project manager where ChatGPT could provide support or automate tasks, 
such as report writing, task tracking, or team communication.

3. Determine the best use case and integrate it into your workflow: Once you  
have identified the areas where ChatGPT can add value, you can determine  
the best use case for your work and integrate it into your existing project  
management processes and tools. For example, you could use ChatGPT  
to generate weekly project reports, respond to team inquiries,  
or suggest task assignments based on team member strengths.

4. Monitor and evaluate the results: Regularly monitor the results of using  
ChatGPT to see if it is delivering the value you expected and make any  
necessary adjustments to your use case or process. Continuously evaluate its  
effectiveness and impact on your work and the team's productivity and  
adjust accordingly.

Note: It is important to consider the ethical and security implications of  
using AI in your work, and to implement appropriate safeguards to protect  
sensitive information and data.

Now, we’re getting somewhere. I think.

Whilst this is an actual list of content — 4 steps to better learn about ChatGPT and its application to project management — it’s not exactly earth-shattering.

Let’s ask about the application of ChatGPT a different way:

AOP: how can I use ChatGPT in traditional project management?

GPT: ChatGPT can be used in various ways to support traditional project  
management:

1. Task Management: ChatGPT can be integrated into project management tools  
to automate routine tasks such as status updates, meeting scheduling, and  
task assignment. This can help save time and increase efficiency.

2. Knowledge Management: ChatGPT can be used as a knowledge base for frequently  
asked questions about the project, providing instant answers to team members.

3. Decision Support: ChatGPT can assist project managers in making informed  
decisions by providing relevant data and insights based on past projects  
and industry best practices.

4. Risk Management: ChatGPT can help identify potential risks and suggest  
mitigation strategies, improving the overall risk management process.

5. Stakeholder Communication: ChatGPT can be integrated with team communication 
tools to assist in providing regular updates to stakeholders and answering any  
questions they may have.

6. Resource Allocation: ChatGPT can assist project managers in optimizing  
resource allocation by analyzing data such as project schedules, budget  
constraints, and team availability.

It's important to note that while ChatGPT can provide support for traditional  
project management practices, it's still crucial for project managers to have  
the necessary skills and experience to effectively manage projects and make  
informed decisions.

To me, that’s a much meatier set of potential application areas, but it’s not exactly a detailed map. Each of these “claims” about what GPT can do has to be investigated in more detail — but the potential seems large.

The Bottom Line

In summary, I’d have to say this is a fairly common experience with much of the GPTChat responses I’ve received. More than nothing, less than immediately actionable. This could be just the naivete of the questions I’m asking — I am a total GPT noobie, after all. The question is whether better questions lead to better answers.

All that said, this session has given me the following:

1. A search channel with suggested keywords — presumably, these can be used as search terms in Google or Bing as well as Google Scholar. There’s the new GTP augmented Bing search to check out as well.
2. Four specific project management application tasks to investigate from one answer
3. Six potential applications of ChatGPT from another answer.

So my ‘puter has given me some homework to do before I try some other things. I’ll check those out and come back with the results — after doing what the ‘puter tells me, of course.

Stay tuned, and check out the master index for this open-ended series.