Project management is a high-stress job, but natural language processors like ChatGPT are ready to support daily tasks, from developing roadmaps for implementing new technology to generating stakeholder meeting templates. Whether you need to quickly outline a project plan, get some ideas for resolving issues among team members, or identify potential black swan events, AI for project management can assist.
In this blog post, you will learn some of the ChatGPT prompts for project managers, with examples of the expected output. You will also learn how to adapt these prompts by looking at their structure.
How ChatGPT Works
Everyone has heard of ChatGPT, but what about how it works? ChatGPT is an advanced AI language model developed by OpenAI that utilizes machine learning and natural language processing. Because of natural language processing, we can communicate with it much as we would a human. ChatGPT has processed massive amounts of data to learn grammar, patterns of language, and context to enable it to comprehend and respond to us.
That, however, is just how we interface with ChatGPT. The massive amounts of data it has and continues to process has enabled it to go far beyond just a user-friendly search engine. It leverages the data on the internet with its understanding of the human language to generate informed responses that cover an incredibly wide range of possibilities.
For example, think back to your college days. Perhaps you were sick and needed to contact one of your professors to ask if you could have additional time on an assignment. Here’s an example of how ChatGPT could have helped.
Prompt: I need an email for a professor asking for an extension on an assignment. The class is COSC 3312.002 and I’m quite tested positive for Covid today so I am very sick. I obtained a doctor’s note for it as well. It needs to be very short.
ChatGPT’s response is seen in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Email draft generated by ChatGPT.
That seems very useful for a college student and only needs a few blanks filled in to be ready to send. There’s no need to do a Google search for examples when common sense can be combined with generative AI. College students are one thing, but what about project managers? How can Chat GPT really help project managers?
ChatGPT Can Help Project Managers!
In fact, ChatGPT is also a powerful tool in project management, assisting with everyday tasks such as
- Planning
- Team Management
- Risk Management
- Communication
- Documentation
- Meetings
However, saying ChatGPT can assist with these tasks is not much help without some examples of prompts.
Planning
Create an outline for a project plan
Prompt:
A redesign of a problematic bicycle handlebar design has a time table of 11 months, starting Monday, February 12, 2024. I need a project plan with objectives, business case, scope, timeline, stakeholders, and success metrics, all in a table format.
Figure 2. Basic outline for a project plan.
Figure 2 contains an excerpt of ChatGPT’s response. It included every topic asked for (i.e., scope, timeline) and added suggested milestones, stakeholders, and success metrics. This response serves as a great starting point, saving time and allowing you to focus on more important tasks in getting the project started.
Let’s take another look at the prompt.
- Goal: project plan
- Context: redesign of a problematic bicycle handlebar design
- Details/modifiers: objectives, business case, scope, timeline, stakeholders, and success metrics
- Output format: table
- Constraints: time table of 11 months, starting Monday, February 12, 2024
This will be a pattern we will see in the syntax: goal, context, output format, and constraints. Context and details are not necessary but will result in a much more useful project plan outline. And note that the format does not have to be a table.
Develop a roadmap for implementing new technology
Prompt: Our company is an online publisher. Suggest a roadmap for integrating AI technologies into our business operations over the next six years
Figure 3 is an excerpt of the results, which can be easily adapted into a set of slides or form the outline of a report.
Figure 3. Suggested roadmap for implementing new technology.
Looking at the prompt we see …
- Goal: roadmap
- Context: online publishing company
- Details/modifiers: integrating AI technologies into our business operations
Output format: none specified
- Constraints: over the next six years
Generate a high-level Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Prompt: Generate a work breakdown structure for the redesign of bicycle handlebars
Here’s an excerpt of the results in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Small excerpt of a ChatGPT generated high-level WBS.
Looking at the prompt we see …
- Goal: work breakdown structure
- Context: redesign of bicycle handlebars
- Details/modifiers: none specified
Output format: none specified
- Constraints: none specified
The more details we provide, the more detailed the results will be; by providing minimum details, we get a generalized template. Regardless, this serves as an excellent starting point that can be modified as needed.
Team Management
Suggest team building activities
Prompt: I need 3 team-building activities for an informal meeting. The activities should take no longer than 15 minutes and use only supplies found in a typical meeting room.
Looking at the prompt we see …
- Goal: 3 team-building activities
- Context: informal meeting
- Output format: none specified
- Constraints: no longer than 15 minutes, use only supplies found in a typical meeting room
Here’s an excerpt from those results in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Example of highly specific team building activities generated by ChatGPT.
If you run this prompt again, you will likely get a different answer but it will still meet the requirements stated.
Suggest team issue resolutions
Prompt: Suggest strategies for resolving team members arriving to meetings late
Figure 6. Highly specific team-building activities generated by ChatGPT.
Figure 6 contains a portion of the suggested resolutions. Looking at the prompt we see …
- Goal: suggest strategies
- Context: team members arriving late
- Output format: none specified
- Constraints: none
Using this type of prompt will allow you to quickly access a variety of methods by changing the context and constraints.
Risk Management
Identify potential black swan events
Black swan events are rare and unexpected, but can have a significant impact on a project. Here, ChatGPT is asked to provide some potential black swan events related to a specific project: a new e-commerce website for a jewelry company.
Prompt:
I need some a list of possible black swan events related to the launch of a new e-commerce website for jewelry.
Figure 7. Potential black swan events.
While all the events in Figure 7 do not necessarily apply, they will help facilitate a discussion of potential issues. Here is a breakdown of the prompt:
- Goal: black swan events
- Context: launch of a new e-commerce website for jewelry
- Output format: list
- Constraints: none
Suggest mitigating strategies
ChatGPT can suggest mitigating strategies for potential disruptions, providing a solid foundation for developing specific solutions, presenting strategies in a set of slides, or serving as a starting point for a discussion.
Prompt: Suggest mitigating strategies for a major supply chain disruption
Figure 8. Mitigating strategies for a specific disruptive event.
Here is a breakdown of the prompt:
- Goal: mitigating strategies
- Context: supply chain disruption
- Output format: none
- Constraints: none
Just changing the context allows you to look at mitigating strategies for any number of disruptive events.
Communication
Draft an email
This is another example of how ChatGPT as a project management AI tool does not do your work for you but speeds up your ability to complete tasks by providing a well-organized starting point.
Prompt: Draft an email from the project manager to stakeholders providing a quick update on the key aspects of the project
Part of ChatGPT’s response is found in Figure 9.
Figure 9. A detailed email draft.
Looking at the prompt, we see the following:
- Goal: Email draft
- Context: from the project manager to stakeholders, providing a quick update on the key aspects of the project
- Output format: none
- Constraints: none
We receive a draft -- not the actual email, but a template that can be easily filled in.
Rewrite an email
Prompt: Rewrite this email so it is shorter, more clear, and more formal.
“John, I have most of the slides for tomorrow's design meeting prepared in PowerPoint, but I’m having some issues with creating the charts. Daniel is in charge of running the compression tests. But he won’t give me any data to make the charts with. The meeting is tomorrow and I don’t know what to do. You told me the charts were very important, but I can’t make them. Since the meeting is at 2, I can still get them prepared as long as I get the data by 1:40.”
Figure 10. A rewritten email.
Our prompt is short and sufficient:
- Goal: Rewrite email
- Context: none
- Output format: none
- Constraints: shorter, more clear, more formal
No matter how panicked, tired, and confused we may be, ChatGPT can assist us in rewriting any type of communication so that it reads in a professional, clear manner.
Documentation
Report templates
Prompt: Create a template for a project variance report
Figure 11. Excerpt from a project variance report template
In the middle of a stressful workday, it can be hard to remember details such as what sections belong in a project variance report. ChatGPT can generate a template like the one in Figure 11 so that you can start filling in the information without digging through multiple file folders trying to find an example.
The prompt is very short:
- Goal: Create a template
- Context: none
- Output format: none
- Constraints: project variance report
This type of prompt works for other types of reports, as well, such as project proposals, status reports, and closure reports. These types of templates save significant time because you don’t have to start the report from scratch, and you don’t need to reuse an old report and try to make sure all details have been updated for the new project.
Lessons learned template
Prompt: Generate a lessons learned template for a structural engineering firm
Dissecting this prompt we see:
- Goal: Generate a lessons learned template
- Context: structural engineering firm
- Output format: none
- Constraints: none
Figure 12. Excerpt from a project variance report template
Figure 12 shows an excerpt from that template. This type of prompt works for far more than just lessons learned: as with the report template prompt just discussed, it can easily be adapted by modifying the context and constraints of the prompt.
Meetings
Draft a meeting agenda
Prompt: Draft a meeting agenda for a project kickoff meeting.
Figure 13. Part of a general purpose meeting agenda.
The prompt needed to get output like that in Figure 13 is very short:
- Goal: Draft a meeting agenda
- Context: none
- Output format: none
- Constraints: project kickoff meeting
This can be adapted for other types of meetings, as well, and with time limits.
Generate a template for meeting minutes
Instead of typing up a document for meeting minutes or reusing an old one and hoping to change all the appropriate data, ChatGPT can generate a basic template for you in seconds. This can then be copied and pasted into a document.
Prompt: Create a template for the minutes of a stakeholder meeting
This is another very short, straightforward prompt that can save time and energy during a busy day:
The prompt is very short:
- Goal: Create a template for the minutes
- Context: stakeholder meeting
- Output format: none
- Constraints: none
Here’s an excerpt from those results in Figure 14.
Figure 14. Part of a general purpose meeting agenda.
Now you can focus on filling in the details and get those meeting minutes written much more quickly.
Get more ideas
Finally, to get more ideas for project management prompts try asking ChatGPT directly! Often times AI models can offer helpful suggestions for how to use them most effectively. Try it and let us know what you see!
The lowdown
All too often our time is taken up with repetitive tasks that can be simplified for us through the wise use of AI project management tools like Dart or other generative tools such as ChatGPT or other generative AI like ChatGPT. By learning what natural-language processing tools are good at and how to effectively communicate with them, we can become even better at our jobs.
Dart: Empowering AI for You
AI is a powerful tool for any project manager, with benefits that include efficiency, productivity, cost savings, and more. Dart can empower your project management with AI to assist with automating tasks, project planning, data analysis, real-time project updates, and more. Try it today!
