Author: Cezar Babeș

Experience at PMI Romania 2024 annual conference

More than a decade ago, I shifted my career path from IT Service Management to project management, starting the adventure of becoming a professional project manager. It was a new beginning, full of excitement, but also with a hint of fear, as I was stepping into a world I deeply respected – that of planners and those who, in my mind at the time, could foresee the future.

The title of project manager has always fascinated me, and the idea of becoming one seeped deep into my subconscious, which I believe is what led me down this path.

Jumping back in time a bit, I recently had the privilege of being a speaker at the PMI Romania annual conference. It was an event full of good cheer, full of high quality participants – both locally and internationally recognized business people, representatives from the private and public sector and founders of companies and Non-Governmental Organizations.

The main topic was artificial intelligence and the use of this “new” technology in project management and beyond. I put “new” in quotes because, although artificial intelligence is not exactly a new technology, the increased level of accessibility over the last couple of years has accelerated adoption and interest from the general public.

The stars of the discussion have been extended language models (LLMs), which underpin now well-known services such as OpenAI ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude and Google Gemini. These technologies have caused a real shock in the IT world, generating an urgent need for research and analysis of their impact in all areas where they can be applied.

Katarina Ströemberg shared a detailed analysis of the adoption of artificial intelligence in project management, carried out by PMI’s team of volunteers led by Marley Milson, VP PMI Sweden. Paul Boudreau helped us to see AI nakedly: a mathematical art. Silvia Ivanciu presented the vision for PMI NexT, highlighting future directions and innovations that will define the project management sector.

Distinguished representatives from the public and private sector discussed the adoption of AI in business, its impact on different domains and, a very important topic, using AI ethically. George Avramescu introduced us to the concept of using AI to detect and combat a toxic work environment.

In my presentation, I covered the use of AI tools in project management in highly regulated domains such as pharma, finance and aerospace. I discussed the challenges and opportunities that AI brings to these sectors where compliance and security are crucial. More details on this topic you will be able to find in a separate article planned for publication soon.

The conference concluded with a celebration of projects with major impact on Romanian society, one of them being the Blondy project, responsible for saving hundreds of lives by providing emergency air transportation for children with serious and untreatable conditions in Romania.

This experience at the PMI Romania conference was an opportunity to connect innovative ideas with essential project management practices. The energy and passion shared by all participants reminded me of the importance of community and collaboration in achieving common goals. A big bravo to the PMI Romania volunteer team, who did an exceptional job organizing this event!

If you are a project manager or aspiring project manager, I encourage you to become a member of PMI Romania and attend the next editions of the annual conference. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn, connect with passionate professionals and stay up to date with the latest industry trends and innovations. The future of project management is full of possibilities, and together we can successfully navigate these exciting times!