With 11 years of work experience, my professional path has been anything but linear. I started as an apprentice in a blacksmith shop, then I worked in retail and later in audiovisual production. Today, as a Project Manager in web development, I can say that each stage has taught me that, in project and team management, there are two key elements to know if the balance leans towards chaos or stability: effective communication y clear management processes. Our priority is to find ways to improve these pillars, and along the way, tools such as ChatGPT have become key allies.
Project management has always been a multifaceted challenge: coordinating teams, meeting tight deadlines, documenting requirements, ensuring the quality of everything, and especially being 100% for your team and the client. In recent years, AI is ushering in a new era: beyond being a simple chatbot, they are powerful tools that can optimize multiple aspects of project management, from technical documentation to team coordination, allowing us to save time and raise the quality of deliverables.
It should be clarified that what is presented below is a reference to how to use AI to make an sketch and a base from which to start, adaptable according to the specific needs of each project.
Project Management in the AI Era
AI is not just a fad in business; it is a real solution to everyday problems in project management.
One of the things that is advantageous about AI as a process tool is that the accessibility is such that it democratizes its use. You just need to know how to write a good prompt to get the most out of it.
Throughout this post, I will be explaining how AI can be used as a tool for project management, from reducing time spent on administrative tasks to improving technical documentation; I will explore how this AI tool can improve communication, streamline processes and increase efficiency in project management. Finally, I will focus on the use of the Gherkin language as a tool in agile methodologies, and how AI can be used to deliver sketches of baseline user stories.
ChatGPT Practical Applications
1. Reduction of Time Dedicated to Administrative Tasks
One of the most demanding responsibilities for a PM is keeping up with administrative tasks: setting up sprints, taking meeting minutes, writing functional minutes, gathering information, updating documentation, etc. These tasks, although essential, are repetitive and consume time that could be spent on more strategic problem solving.
How ChatGPT helps:
- Generates detailed schedules from a list of activities and tentative dates.
- Summarize recorded meetings or transcripts, creating minutes ready to share.
- Automates the drafting of reminders for important tasks or upcoming milestones.
Example practical:
If you need to create a one-month schedule for a record development project (just to continue with the example, we know that in practice there is no such case), we can use de prompt:
«I want a 4-week timeline to develop a logging functionality.»
The result would look something like this:
Week 1: Planning and requirements definition
- Initial meeting with the client
- Creation of the functional document
- Validation of requirements with the technical team
Week 2: Design and prototyping
- Creation of wireframes for the registration page
- User interface design
- Design approval by the client
Week 3: Development
- Backend implementation for user registration
- Creation of validations and unit tests
- Frontend development for the registration page
Week 4: Testing and delivery
- Integration and security testing
- Correction of errors
- Delivery and presentation to the customer
In addition, ChatGPT can act as a virtual assistant for PMs, helping to coordinate and organize tasks, such as:
- Meeting Minutes and SummariesTransforms scattered notes into clear, actionable summaries.
- Reminder AutomationGenerate personalized reminders for important milestones or deliverables.
I can't emphasize enough, from now to all the examples, that you don't need to be specific with the project to use AI as a tool. It can always be adapted to each case, it is not necessary to write confidential information to the chatbot.
2. More Efficient and Clearer Documentation
One of the most common challenges for a PM is creating technical or functional documentation that is understandable to both the team and the customer. ChatGPT can streamline this process in several ways:
- Generation of Functional DocumentsBased on simple descriptions, ChatGPT can write complete documents that explain functionalities, workflows or requirements in a clear and structured way.
- Language AdaptationTranslates technical concepts into a more accessible language for non-technical audiences, without losing precision.
- Standardization of FormatsAllows the documentation to follow a coherent structure, facilitating its review and understanding.
Practical Example:
One thing I regularly use it for is for modules whose functionality cannot be reinvented much. For example, for a registration or a login. The goal is to explain the registration function in an application, the prompt can be: “Create a functional module for user registration, taking into account that it is part of a functional document for a mobile application.”, and the bot returns something like this:
FunctionUser Registration
Purpose: Allow secure and personalized access to the platform.
Description: Users can register by providing their e-mail address and password. Upon completion of registration, a unique profile is generated in the database.
Benefits: Increases security and allows customization of the user experience.
RequirementsEmail fields, secure password and CAPTCHA validation.
This initial structure is a valid starting point. However, the Project Manager should review and adjust it, adding additional elements such as user's name, phone, or integrations such as Google OAuth. ChatGPT provides the basis, but the ultimate decision is up to our professional judgment.
3. Clear and Effective Communication
Remember why I talked about communication before touching on management processes? Communication is the cornerstone of any project. Whether it's with the client, the technical team, or the stakeholders, If you do not communicate well, miscommunication can lead to failure. ChatGPT can act as a universal translator, adapting technical messages for non-technical audiences and vice versa. Come on, I as a Humanities minority in a technical company have used this more than once.
How ChatGPT helps:
- Translates technical descriptions into clear explanations for non-specialized customers.
- Generate emails or messages adapted to the professional tone you need.
- It offers alternative wording to avoid misunderstandings.
Practical example:
If I need to explain to a non-technical customer why a delay in development is necessary to ensure product quality, I could provide a brief description to ChatGPT and get an empathetic and professional response:
«Explain to the customer that we need two additional weeks for quality testing due to an unexpected API integration issue.»
ChatGPT might suggest something like:
«We want to ensure that the final product meets the highest quality standards. During API integration, we identified unexpected behavior that could affect the user experience. To address this, we requested a two-week extension for extensive testing to ensure that everything works perfectly upon delivery.»
After that, it is up to us as PM to put a more human and less robotic touch to the client.
4. Improved Technical Documentation
This is certainly one of the most demanding tasks. ChatGPT can help you generate feature descriptions based on simple inputs. This helps, for example, at times when you want to describe something very technical that must be understandable to the customer.
Practical example:
Imagine you are writing a functional document for the «advanced search» functionality on a website. With a short entry like:
«I need to describe how advanced search works, including filters by price, category and popularity.»
ChatGPT would generate a text like:
FunctionAdvanced Search
PurposeEnable users to find products more efficiently.
DescriptionThis functionality offers customizable filters, such as price, category and popularity. Users can combine several filters to narrow the search range, obtaining more relevant results.
BenefitsImproves user experience by reducing the time needed to find specific products, increasing satisfaction and conversion.
After this, of course, we will have to check that everything the chatbot has written matches the functionality that the client wants to provide, in addition to what we as a team are able to offer. We will not add in the functional the price of a product as a filter, when we are developing a landing page for a public library, for example.
Gherkin language
I'll take the opportunity that it hasn't been in a post before and explain a little bit about something we already have as the day to day projects in the company.
The Gherkin language is a fundamental tool in software development, especially in teams implementing agile methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban. It is mainly used in the writing of test scenarios in the form of executable specification, This facilitates collaboration between developers, testers and non-technical stakeholders.
What is Gherkin?
Gherkin is a specification language that allows describing the behavior of a system in a clear and concise way. It is mainly used in the context of the Behavior Driven Development (BDD), which focuses on creating a shared understanding of how a system should behave through examples. Scenarios written in Gherkin follow a specific syntax that is used to create automated tests, allowing teams to verify software performance on an ongoing basis.
In teams like ours, where agile methodologies are used, writing scenarios in Gherkin is essential to describe functionalities in a clear and shared way. The most common format in Gherkin follows the structure of Given-When-Then, which describes the context, the action and the expected result:
- Given (Given that)Sets the context or initial state.
- WhenDescribes the action that occurs.
- ThenSpecifies the expected result or response.
How Gherkin facilitates teamwork
One of the main advantages of Gherkin is its ability to involve all stakeholders in the development process. From developers to non-technical stakeholders, everyone can understand and contribute to the scenarios written in Gherkin. It must first go through the refinement phase, where we ensure that all stakeholders have the same understanding of each of the elements of the user story.
This approach promotes a more fluid **communication** and a common understanding of what is being built.
Optimizing the Use of the Gherkin Language
In teams like ours, where agile methodologies are used, writing scenarios in Gherkin is essential to describe functionalities in a clear and shared way. ChatGPT can play a key role here:
- Automation of Scenarios: Generate Gherkin scenarios from simple natural language descriptions.
- Review and Improvement: Suggests adjustments to make the scenarios clearer, more accurate and aligned with business objectives.
- Consistency in the Format: Ensures that all scenarios follow a standard, reducing misunderstandings and errors.
Practical Example:
ChatGPT can propose initial scenarios, This allows the Project Manager to focus on specific details.
Input: «Generate scenarios in Gherkin for user registration.»
Output:
FeatureUser registration in the application
As a new user
I want to register with my email and password
To access the functionalities of the platform
ScenarioSuccessful registration
Given that the user is on the registration page
When you enter a valid email address and a secure password
And click on «Register».»
A profile is then created in the database
And the user receives a confirmation message.
Scenario: Duplicate mail error
Given that the user is on the registration page
And the entered email already exists in the database
When you click on «Register».»
Then the system displays an error message: «This email is already registered».
Step-by-Step: How to Use ChatGPT as a Management Tool
- Define the ObjectiveBefore interacting with ChatGPT, be clear about what you need: documentation, timelines, summaries? This ensures that you get useful and specific results.
- Learn how to write a good prompt: Nowadays there is no lack of blogs explaining how to make a prompt, because a well-structured prompt can generate more precise and useful answers, saving time and improving the quality of the results... Personally, I usually end the prompt with a validation, so it responds with the order that it has understood; this helps to see if the sentence needs to be restructured.
- Request Adjustments: If the result is not accurate, ask for modifications. ChatGPT is highly iterative and can adapt its answers based on feedback.
- Integrate ResultsUse the generated deliverables as a starting point, revising and adapting them according to the specific needs of the project.
Benefits of ChatGPT for PMs
- Time SavingsAutomates repetitive tasks, freeing up time for PMs to focus on strategy and decision making.
- Best OrganizationGenerates efficiently structured documents, schedules and to-do lists.
- Enhanced CollaborationFacilitates communication with technical and non-technical teams by creating clear and accessible content.
- Error ReductionMinimizes misunderstandings by standardizing documentation and processes.
Technology and Human Intuition: The Perfect Combination
As AI evolves, its role in project management will only grow. In the future, we could see tools like ChatGPT integrating directly with platforms like Jira, Asana, and even Notion itself with Notion AI for:
- Provide predictive analytics based on historical data.
- Suggest improvements in workflows based on productivity metrics.
- Automate resource allocation based on availability and skills.
Ultimately, this new era has brought us a resource that optimizes project management by offering preliminary models of functional documents, Gherkin scenarios and schedules. This allows Project Managers to focus on higher value strategic activities.
However, it is crucial to remember that AI does not replace human judgment, intuition or experience.a. The proposals generated by ChatGPT must be refined, adapted and validated by professionals.
As Project Managers, our role remains indispensable: we are the ones who provide context, ensure quality and guide the project to its ultimate success.
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