If you’re a project manager curious about how Generative AI (GenAI) can fit into your daily workflow—but unsure where to start—you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t have to overhaul your entire toolset or process to begin using AI effectively.
Instead, start small. Think of AI adoption the same way we manage project change: as an experiment.
Here’s how to create a lightweight, real-world experiment that lets you explore the value of GenAI for managing projects, tasks, and requirements—without disrupting the whole team.
🧪 Step 1: Choose a Specific Use Case
Pick one pain point or repetitive task you manage regularly, like:
- Drafting meeting agendas or project updates
- Generating a task list from a set of requirements
- Writing user stories or acceptance criteria
- Summarizing stakeholder feedback
- Identifying risks from lessons learned or past reports
🎯 Tip: The best first use cases are tasks you already understand well, so you can judge if the AI is giving you quality output.
🛠️ Step 2: Select the Right Tool (Keep It Simple)
You don’t need a complex setup. If you already have access to Microsoft Copilot in Word or Excel, or even ChatGPT, you’re ready.
Try using a prompt like:
“Act as a project manager. I need a weekly project status summary based on these bullet points…”
Or:
“Summarize these 10 requirements and group them into functional categories.”
🎯 Tip: Keep a running document to track prompts that work well—this becomes your custom prompt library over time.
🧪 Step 3: Run the Experiment for 2–3 Weeks
Use the AI tool consistently on the chosen task for a few weeks. During this time:
- Track how much time it saves you
- Note the quality of the output (was it usable as-is, or did it need edits?)
- Identify what improved and what felt awkward or unclear
🎯 Tip: Invite one or two team members to test it with you—collaboration often leads to better insights.
🔍 Step 4: Reflect and Share the Results
At the end of the experiment, capture:
- What worked well
- What didn’t
- What task(s) you might try next
- Any unexpected value (e.g., better stakeholder engagement, faster documentation)
🎯 Bonus: Share your findings with your PMO, leadership, or peers. Early experiments like these are how organizational change begins.
🧠Final Thoughts
GenAI isn’t about replacing project managers—it’s about helping us focus more on decision-making, strategy, and communication, and less on formatting documents or rewriting the same summary 10 times.
By treating GenAI adoption as an experiment, you create a safe space to learn, fail fast, and find what really adds value.
Are you running an AI experiment in your workflow? I’d love to hear about it.
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