Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a vital part of the constantly evolving world of innovative technology. AI continues to impact every sector, including the project management field. Specifically, the project management office (PMO) functions, especially administrative tasks (meeting scheduling, document management, reporting, amongst others), are expected to be the initial target areas for AI technology replacement. Although companies may seek to leverage AI technology in their PMOs to improve performance and project outcomes, no generally accepted practice exists for when to implement AI, a vital issue considering the various challenges associated with AI adoption. Consequently, this dissertation aims to determine what probable stage a PMO, based on its maturity level, should consider implementing artificial intelligence technology. The areas of concentration for AI were integration and automation, chatbot assistants (virtual assistants), and machine-learning-based project management.
To accomplish the above research aim, exploratory research was conducted through the review of relevant literature and empirical study of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) PMO of the University of Lincoln, which served as the case study for this research. Qualitative methodology was used for the empirical study involving data collection through semi-structured one-to-one interviews and observation. Both the interviews and observation were conducted on key ICT PMO professionals to gather information on artificial intelligence and the ICT PMO maturity level with a focus on Hill’s (2004) hierarchical five-stage PMO Competency Continuum as a framework.
The key research finding revealed that although a PMO may be considered mature in executing specific individual functions based on the parameters of the PMO Competency Continuum, the combined functional processes may not be standardized and mature enough for AI implementation. The main conclusion from this research was that a PMO with mapped and standardized processes, even at stage one of the PMO Competency Continuum, may start to contemplate AI adoption depending on the organization’s strategy. Therefore, this research recommends that to enhance the probability of future AI implementation, the ICT PMO must first implement process mapping across all functions, followed by process standardization. Subsequently, phased adoption of AI technology can commence based on the capacity of each PMO maturity stage.
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