“AI is a game changer in project management”

Why did you start a new university degree? 

I’ve been working with my current employer for almost 10 years, and I was entrusted to take a new role at the end of 2022. I was doing project management before, however; I felt it was time to further structure and strengthen my knowledge. I was looking for MBA programs, but I didn’t want to study for two years straight because I have a young daughter. Committing to a new degree means dedicating several weekends and evenings to lessons. You also need to complete group tasks and coordinate with other participants outside of work and class – this means less time with the family. When I came across this program, I thought that it was perfect for me: only one year long with relevant topics and passionate teachers. I spoke to my managers, and they also supported my decision.  

Are your expectations fulfilled now that you completed more than half of the program? 

It is a quite compact program which tries to give you all the tools that can support your path and journey as a project manager or in any other project management role. It depends on your seniority what you can take out of it. If you have some experience, certainly some areas will be easier to digest. However, until I joined the program, I gained more knowledge in practice than theory. Therefore, some concepts were completely new for me, and I could match my work experiences with the theory. For me, it is a valuable investment that will benefit me for a lifetime. The quality of the program is excellent, I am glad I have the chance of taking part in it and I believe I made a great decision in applying for it. 

Did you try to implement anything new that you learnt at university into your work? 

Of course, especially in people management. Some tools and techniques for understanding how teams form, shape and change proved to be very useful. I also realized that I need to learn more about AI-based solutions which can support my work. Before I started this program, I knew about ChatGPT and some basic solutions but not about how these could be utilized to leverage my productivity. Since I started to dig deeper into the topic and discovered its connections to project management, I’m using AI on a daily basis.  

What does AI mean for project management? 

AI is a game changer in project management. Actually, one of our courses was about virtual project teams and AI usage. It became clear to me that these solutions foster and increase productivity. People are scared that robots will be working instead of human beings, but it’s not true. If we are able to utilize AI correctly, it will open up more opportunities for us and boost human developments. 

A central aspect of this program is learning about international project management. How was this realized? 

We had lots of lecturers from companies working globally because project management is usually international nowadays. We could see how different companies work in an international environment and learn about what to take into consideration when thinking about diverse cultures. I enjoyed that lots of lecturers brought real life examples about cultural differences and how they could affect the success of a project.   

Are many practitioners teaching in the program? 

Definitely, and that’s great in my opinion. For example, consultants can give you some hints that are really useful for the daily job. Our group is also very diverse so we can exchange best practices and different experiences. We had group tasks in rotation. Therefore, I was able to work together with at least half of the group and see how people think and act. I could take many good ideas from other fields too and see the imprints of different organizational cultures on project management.  

More information about the course and the application procedure is available here.  

Early bird application deadline: 14 May.  
Deadline for applications: 31 August.