AI, ML AND BOTS: ARE AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES PREPARING PROJECT MANAGERS FOR THE FUTURE?

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI), MACHINE LEARNING (ML) AND ROBOTISATION (BOTS) ARE MAKING THEIR WAY INTO OUR LIVES ON EVERY FRONT. FROM PHONES TO TVS AND EVEN KITCHEN APPLIANCES, EVERYTHING IS GETTING “SMARTER”.

There can be no doubt that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is coming – a revolution which will see AI, ML and Bots take a central role in global economic and labour markets.

Due to the all-pervasive nature of AI, ML and Bots, it stands to reason that the profession of project management will not be left untouched by this new revolution. It is therefore essential to understand how these changes will impact our profession so that we can prepare, not only ourselves, but the generations of project managers that follow us. These changes beg one important question:

Are Australian Universities keeping pace with this revolution to ensure the next generation of project managers are ‘job ready’?

In 2020 we conducted research with a group of Australian AI developers, university educators and project management practitioners to answer this question. Each cohort were asked if and/or when AI, ML and Bots would replace core project management skills such as programming, forecasting and financial management. Whilst there were some minor differences in opinion regarding timeframes, the overwhelming consensus was that AI, ML and Bots would have a significant impact on the Australian project management industry in the next 5 years.

Based on our research it is evident that AI, ML and Bots will revolutionise the Australian project management Industry within the foreseeable future. The way projects are managed today will be very different to how they will be managed in the coming decade. However, our research also indicates that Australian universities may not be ready to manage the educational demands of this change.

Robotics Engineering Student

(Source: Canva)

So where will project managers go to learn these new skills?

We believe this gap will be filled, at least in the short term, through workplace learning and nontertiary education. Within the next two years, we expect to see AI training flowing from proprietors as they attempt to get their products into the PM marketplace.

This training will be complemented by on-the-job training from specifically trained users (Super Users) who disseminate their knowledge within specific organisations. In the next phase (three to five years) we anticipate this training will become more formal, with short courses offered through independent training organisations.

The final stage in the AI transformation will occur through tertiary education offerings, however we predict this will not commence for at least another 5 years. If tertiary educations do not stay at the forefront of this revolution and review their offerings accordingly, there may be a situation where new graduates do not have the AI knowledge and training required to successfully assimilate into the workforce.

If our predictions are correct, the burden to ensure project managers are developing skills to support them in the industry will need to come from us – from within the industry itself. The future is closer than we think. The change is coming – are you ready?

Authors: This article was written by Lachlan Nimmo and Dr Greg Usher from RPS. Lachlan is the Brisbane Project Management Practice Lead at RPS, he has over 15 years of project and program management experience across, aviation, healthcare, Defence Government, Retail and sporting facilities sectors. Greg is an Executive General Manager at RPS with a career spanning 20 years in project management, construction, and academia.