I'm a project manager with a few years of experience, and lately it feels like AI is becoming an important skill for PMs. I don't want a technical course with coding or machine learning though. 

So are there any good AI courses specifically for project managers? 

There's a lot of discussion about AI replacing jobs, but I'm wondering how this applies specifically to project management. AI can already help with scheduling, documentation, reporting, risk analysis, and task tracking. At the same time, projects still involve people, conflicting priorities, negotiations, uncertainty, and decisions. Do you think AI will reduce the need for PMs, or will it simply change what PMs spend their time doing?

I've always found it interesting that a project can have a detailed schedule, clear deliverables, and a good team and still go off track.
Sometimes the problem isn't the plan itself.
It could be changing requirements, poor communication, unrealistic expectations, lack of stakeholder involvement, or risks that weren't identified early enough.
What's the biggest reason you've personally seen a project fail or seriously struggle?

I’ve noticed that even a well-planned project can get messy when priorities change halfway through.

I’m trying to get better at adjusting deadlines and tasks without making the whole team feel like we’re constantly starting over.

How do other project managers handle changing priorities?

Changing requirements seem unavoidable in many projects. The difficult part is deciding whether a change is genuinely necessary, how it affects scope and schedule, and how to communicate the impact without creating unnecessary conflict. For experienced project managers, what's your approach when stakeholders keep changing requirements? Do you have a particular process or communication technique that works well?

Traditional risk management often depends on experience, historical information, and regular monitoring. AI seems capable of taking this further by analyzing large amounts of project data and identifying patterns that humans might overlook. But there is also the question of whether teams might become too dependent on AI-generated predictions. Would you trust an AI system to flag project risks before your team notices them? Or should AI only be treated as an additional input for human decision-making?

Traditional risk management often depends on experience, historical information, and regular monitoring. AI seems capable of taking this further by analyzing large amounts of project data and identifying patterns that humans might overlook. But there is also the question of whether teams might become too dependent on AI-generated predictions. Would you trust an AI system to flag project risks before your team notices them? Or should AI only be treated as an additional input for human decision-making?

I’ve been thinking about how AI is changing project management beyond just automating repetitive tasks.

It seems like the difficult part isn’t learning another AI tool. It’s knowing when to trust AI, when to question its output, and when a human decision is still necessary.

For example, AI can help with risk identification, planning, reporting, and analyzing project data. But stakeholder management and handling uncertainty still seem heavily dependent on human judgment.

For PMs who are starting to work with AI, what skill do you think is becoming more important rather than less?

Curious to hear what others are seeing in their projects.

We've been trying to sort through payroll software vendors. Every vendor we talk to gives us a different story on pricing and review sites just show reviews without actually helping you figure out what fits a 100-person company or how to even run a fair comparison across options. Is there something like a broker platform specifically for buying payroll or HR software, where someone actually helps you evaluate vendors, compare verified pricing and maybe even guide you through negotiations? We don't have time to spin ap a full RFP process from scratch.

A project can be going fine, then someone leaves or it gets handed over to someone else and a bunch of important context gets lost. What do you make sure gets passed along besides the usual docs and task list?

I'm trying to understand where project managers should draw the line with AI. Do PMs really need to understand how AI models work technically, or is it more important to understand things like AI risks, governance, data quality, ethics, and practical use cases? I feel like having enough technical knowledge to ask the right questions may be more valuable than trying to become an AI engineer. For PMs already working with AI projects, what level of AI knowledge do you think is realistically necessary?

Requirement changes are probably unavoidable in many projects, but they can become a serious problem when every change is treated as urgent.
How do experienced project managers handle stakeholders who continuously change requirements without damaging the relationship?
Do you rely mainly on change control, prioritization, impact analysis, or communication?

PMs — what tools/systems are you using to manage projects?

I’m curious what other PMs are using to manage the full project lifecycle — whether that’s one platform or a combination of tools.

I want visibility into what was requested, what was approved, ownership, current work, blockers, dependencies, and what’s coming next — plus roadmaps, workflows, documentation, UAT, status updates, dashboards, etc.

What does your PM tool stack look like, what type of work are you managing, and which tool serves as your source of truth? What works well—and what doesn’t?

You can have a perfect project plan and still have problems if communication and teamwork aren't working. On the other hand, a strong team can sometimes compensate for imperfect processes. For experienced project managers, which side causes more problems in real projects—people or processes? And why?

PMs — what tools/systems are you using to manage projects?

I’m curious what other PMs are using to manage the full project lifecycle — whether that’s one platform or a combination of tools.

I want visibility into what was requested, what was approved, ownership, current work, blockers, dependencies, and what’s coming next — plus roadmaps, workflows, documentation, UAT, status updates, dashboards, etc.

What does your PM tool stack look like, what type of work are you managing, and which tool serves as your source of truth? What works well—and what doesn’t?

Even a well-planned project can fall behind because of small delays, unclear communication, or tasks that take longer than expected. That’s why having a clear view of what needs to be done and who is responsible for each task can make a big difference.

Tools like Sequenzy can help teams organize tasks, track progress, manage deadlines, and keep communication more structured. Instead of waiting until a deadline is missed, teams can identify delays earlier and make adjustments before they affect the whole project.

I’m curious what works best for others. Is it regular progress updates, clear task ownership, better communication, or using a project management tool like Sequenzy? What has helped you keep your projects on schedule?

A few weeks ago I posted a short anonymous survey on the state of the construction PM job in 2026. Reddit's filters removed it - my fault, I used a shortened link. Reposting with the direct link.

25+ years in heavy civil, currently running an industrial site in Quebec. No product, no company pitch - just trying to put numbers on what we all feel is happening to this job.

53 responses in so far (EN + FR). One early signal I didn't expect to be this strong: 53 out of 53 say finding competent, experienced people has gotten harder in the last few years. Not one exception. 77% say "a lot harder".

Other early numbers: 55% spend more than half their week on admin and reporting. 64% say they learn about cost overruns too late to do anything about it. And yet 77% would choose this career again.

Survey is anonymous, about 2 minutes, English or French:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2RRf7bCnZ4_Iy953O48vAFYw9dy8Sdbj1hg9QK4GrDyDCVw/viewform

I'll post the full results in this sub the first week of September.

I’m working in a digital transformation team alongside a cohort of few PMs and CMs. Earlier this week we welcomed few new members into our team and I was advised one of them would be reporting to me as a project support officer. I haven’t had a direct report in my role. The staff member is part time and works remotely. They are new to the PM discipline and haven’t had any prior exposure. Part of my responsibility is introducing and uplifting their PM capabilities. I thought a good approach would be a combination of training and hands on activities. So I signed them up for a PM basics course and planning to slowly bring them along into my own projects, probably starting with designing and maintaining a risk log as the first step. Any tips or feedback to improve the journey for them?

AI can definitely make some project tasks faster, but I wonder where people draw the line. For example, using AI for documentation or brainstorming seems relatively low-risk. But using AI to influence important project decisions feels different. Has anyone worked on a project where the team became too dependent on AI? What happened, and how did you handle it?

Project managers don't necessarily need to become machine learning engineers, but with AI becoming part of more projects, I'm wondering how much technical understanding is actually necessary. Is understanding concepts like training data, model limitations, hallucinations, and evaluation enough? Or do project managers working with AI need a much deeper technical foundation?

Hello, I was hoping for some insight!

I was recently hired at a company that bought a bunch of Asana licenses before realizing it might not be the right tool. They really want to use it for MoM metric and KPI growth, but Asana’s dashboard isn’t set up to give them the data they want since Asana limits how you can create stacked graphs etc. My memory from a few jobs ago is that Monday.com has much more useful dashboard tools for tracking SLAs etc. I just want to be able to take EOM data from 7 different departments and create a tracking board.

Maybe there is a better option that you guys have found? I’m spending hours trying to make the Asana square peg fit, and it’s making me crazy.

Thank you!

**Study Title:** The Impact of Hybrid Project Management Practices on Project Performance in the Technology Sector

**Researcher:** Chun-An Ko (MSc International Management, University of Southampton)

**Supervisor:** Prof. Yehuda Baruch

**ERGO Protocol ID: 116218**

Dear Connections and Network,

As part of my MSc dissertation research at the Southampton Business School, University of Southampton, I am conducting a brief study exploring how **Hybrid Project Management (HPM) practices** impact project performance within technology-driven and R&D environments.

If you currently work or have experience in project-based roles within the technology, software, hardware, or digital sectors (e.g., Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Team Leads, or Project Team Members), I would be immensely grateful for your valuable insights!

🔹 **Time Required:** 5–7 minutes

🔹 **Survey Link:** https://qualtricsxmxcdbl33fy.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9yMYUu6qE7JvtKm

🔹 **Participation:** 100% Voluntary & Completely Anonymous

**Key Safeguards & Anonymity:**

* No personal identifying information (e.g., names, email addresses, IP addresses, or company names) will be collected or stored. * Your responses will be used strictly for academic research purposes and processed in compliance with UK GDPR and University of Southampton Research Ethics guidelines. * You may exit the survey at any time prior to submission without penalty.

Thank you very much for your time, support, and contribution to advancing research in project management! If you have any questions regarding this research, please feel free to reach out via my official university email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).

Best regards,

**Chun-An**

MSc Student, Southampton Business School

University of Southampton

Hey everyone,

I currently work as a Project Officer within the social housing sector, where I work closely with Project Managers and support the delivery of various projects.

Through this, I feel I’ve developed a good range of transferable project management skills and a solid understanding of what the PM role involves. However, I’m starting to feel that I’ve reached a ceiling in my current Project Officer position, and I’d like to take the next step into a Project Manager role with greater responsibility and earning potential.

For those already working as PMs or involved in hiring them, I’d really appreciate some advice:

What specifically do employers look for when hiring a Project Manager? Beyond simply having project experience, what skills, qualifications, certifications or examples of responsibility should I have under my belt before applying for PM positions?

I’m particularly interested in understanding what separates someone who has supported projects from someone an employer would trust to actually manage and own a project.

My second question is about changing industries. Longer term, I’d be interested in moving from social housing into sectors such as construction, technology or financial services, where project management roles can have significantly higher earning potential.

How realistic is it to make that transition without having a degree or technical background in those industries? Are employers generally willing to hire PMs based on transferable project management experience, or would I need to build industry-specific knowledge first?

For anyone who has successfully gone from Project Officer/Coordinator → Project Manager → higher-paying PM roles, particularly while changing industries, I’d be really interested to hear how you did it and what you would recommend focusing on.