What does it really mean to be AI-powered and what can it do for Project Management?

A week does not pass without us hearing about developments or huge investments on Artificial Intelligence.The attention given to AI is remarkable, it’s like watching a baby take its first steps. We hear everything from AI-powered tools learning new tricks, developing their own language or how our future might look like with AI.

The AI hype also got everyone talking about machine learning, NLP, algorithms and concepts that before were just jargons limited to the computer science community. Now, companies and consumers from various fields are showing interest on AI and how it could be integrated more in our daily lives.

But as AI becomes more popular, many enterprises have associated the term “AI-powered” to their products or services too casually. Similar to what happened during the ‘green revolution’ when enterprises started labeling their products or services as ‘eco-friendly’, now many tech companies have somehow exploited the word ‘AI-powered’.

How to distinguish real AI from fake AI?

It is difficult to distinguish which products really utilize machine learning and AI technology from those who just tries to imitate it using smartly scripted if statements for the purpose of jumping on the bandwagon.

Here are some characteristics of an AI-powered tool:

· AI could do things proactively

The first thing that comes to people’s mind when thinking about AI is automation. But AI is more than automating tasks; it is also about the initiative. It could do things on its own without requiring a human to press a button or prompt it to do something. In what situations would it be useful in project management? The AI has the initiative to monitor the amount of time the team has been working on a task, and then uses this information to deliver status reports and overdue predictions. This requires real-time task monitoring and data analysis which is done even without being prompted by the user.

· AI is supportive

An AI-powered tool should be able to complement the efforts of its users through intelligent suggestions and recommendations. Two different users may have similar issues, but the answer isn’t always the same. By analyzing variations in work patterns, the AI will be able to explain why tasks are getting overdue, so the project manager can apply his best solutions. The AI can provide the support the project manager needs in order for him to exercise his skills in decision-making and problem solving.

· AI is smart

Any AI-powered tool is programmed to mimic how humans came up with their decisions. The AI provides what most people refer to as ‘artificial thought’ allowing the AI to solve issues on their own. The AI is given a lot of data and information and it is smart enough to classify these data to create accurate predictions and suggestions. In the case of the AI application in project management, it could analyze the team’s workload and then classify the factors affecting tasks in order to generate the probability of missed or overdue deadlines.

· AI continues to learn

Although it’s already smart, a real AI continues to absorb information from its users so the longer a person uses the AI, the more it becomes competent in analyzing data and recommending solutions. Machine learning also allows the AI to manage tendencies by drawing data from the past to determine what you might do next. The more data it analyzes, the more refined and accurate its answers will become in the future.

What it takes to be AI-powered?

There are endless possibilities on what AI can do and tech companies know that. The AI hype, however, is a double-edged sword. It has brought more attention to AI resulting in more investments and further development. But, it also attracted enterprises and vendors to identify themselves as AI-powered even though they are not or they don’t need to be. In the end, the real measure of an AI-powered tool is its maximization and functionality like how the AI is programmed to bring more value to the product or service and help its end users.

KnightSpear is an AI-powered project management system which leverages Machine Learning AI to automate task monitoring and analyze performance data and work patterns in order to support project managers in decision making and problem solving. The AI Work Coach, Isabella, predicts task overdue and makes recommendations on how to avoid delivery problems before they happen. For more information about KnightSpear’s AI work coach visit the website https://www.knightspear.com/

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You’ll be blown away with these 12 cool things you can do with KnightSpear which you may not find on your current productivity app.

Productivity apps are not created equal. There are always three or four things that differentiate one from the other, but 12?  That’s definitely overkill.

We put together a list of things you could be missing out on your current app, although, they might be copying these features in the next months. Here are the 12 things to prove that KnightSpear is seriously slaying project management.

Get assisted with your Personal AI Work Coach

KnightSpear uses the latest technology to give you access to your own AI-enabled work coach. Isabella, will help you get familiar with KnightSpear’s features and remind you of your overdue tasks and hanging messages or critical events which you may have missed. She has machine learning capabilities to predict probability of overdues and analyze performance behaviors of team members so you can properly motivate everyone to deliver results.

Overdue alerts

Existing project management apps lets you set a due date but may not be able alert you when tasks become overdue. KnightSpear, on the other hand, emphasizes deadlines and highlights overdue tasks. While current tasks are green, overdue tasks turn gray like an eyesore on your green lawn so you are constantly reminded of the tasks you need finish right away.

“Nudge”, “jab” and “stab” people if needed

We don’t suggest violence to get things done. You can click the “Nudge” button on a task to get the attention of the assignee or any user to focus on the task. Clicking it for the second time turns a slight “nudge” into a “jab” and it elevates to a “stab” for the next clicks. On KnightSpear, someone can get stabbed again and again when they don’t pay attention.

 

Real-time notifications

Are you relying exclusively on good ol’ emails for notifications? Logging in to your email and switching back and forth to your app can be a hassle. KnightSpear gets you notified in-app, on your browser tab, on your desktop pop-up, and also on your email. So you are notified even when you’re away from the app or if you’re unable to open your email at the moment.

Alerts on critical notifications

Critical events can’t be treated like anything ordinary. You could have a showstopper task or an immediate request from a client and you want to be all eyes and ears on its progress. Only KnightSpear isolates your critical notifications so important events don’t get drowned out by least important updates and you can act and respond to it right away.

Search multiple sources in one click

If you’re looking for something and you’re not sure where to find it from your scattered app databases, then it’s a total headache. Don’t you wish you only have to enter one keyword and all results from tasks, comments, files and messages would show? That’s how you will be searching on KnightSpear, so you can easily find what you’re looking for in seconds.

Choose your preferred view

Spreadsheet gives you an overview of your project while Scrum board makes it easy to move around tasks from one status to another. You don’t have to get stuck in one viewing format for your project when you can go for whatever format that suits your preference. KnightSpear lets you view your tasks on multiple formats so you can have the flexibility you need to manage your work.

Set multiple filter conditions and save them

Just any app will let you sort through your assigned and reported tasks but only KnightSpear provides multiple filter conditions; from different assignee, status, priority, labels and more so you can keep track of any tasks you want. Plus, you can save your conditions and get back to your filtered list anytime.

Jump straight to discussions from a task

Using a separate communication tool is not really a problem unless you need to discuss your tasks a lot, so you have to open a group chat every time you need to discuss. KnightSpear has a built-in chat which makes it easy to start a discussion from a task and add the team members involved. You don’t have to log in to multiple apps when your work management app and chat platform is combined into one.

 

Spot points for modification

KnightSpear has an image annotation feature so you can add spots for changes on an image. This simplifies editing process for screenshots of websites, mobile and web apps where you can add your comments directly to the image for the front-end developers to apply the modifications accurately.

Organizing files into versions

Are you seeing a bunch of duplicated files attached and can’t identify which ones are the most recent? KnightSpear has version control feature so files with the same filename and extension are compiled into versions. You can easily identify which ones are revised and still be able to access the older versions and download them.

Get Socially Productive

KnightSpear has tapped on the addiction brought by social apps to bring teams closer and get them motivated to regularly use the app and update their tasks. With the Social Feeds feature, team members can share announcements, links and upload images or video for the entire team to see. Teams can also ‘react’ or comment using stickers and emojis.

KnightSpear is an advocate of extreme productivity. Not by enslaving people and asking them to put in more hours than required but by working smarter and automating mundane tasks so they can focus on bigger, more significant tasks. We have put together the must-have features an IT team would require in their operations so they can be more productive and deliver their project to production on time. 

Visit KnightSpear's website at www.knightspear.com for more information

7 Major Myths Business Organizations Believe When It Comes To Procure To Pay Software

Cutting down the major costs and driving drown to the supplier margins is what organizations have been expecting in terms of procure to pay software. And though the organizations have realized that procurement function is capable of doing much more than what is generally expected, it is still considered to be a strategy of marketing sales or finance. Given below are the 7 major myths business organizations generally believe when it comes to procure to pay software ensuring that procurement has always languished on the backbench of the organizational importance.

Procure to pay software helps in controlling the expenses and that their job but not a contributing strategy: We all have heard this before. When it comes to procure to pay software the procurement responsibilities are completely transactional, where you need to handle the requisitions, managing the on time deliveries of the requirements at the right place and at the right time. But when it comes to strategic decision making procurement strategy there has been no expertise that would help you contribute. Organizations who believe this should probably take a step towards the dark ages into the 21st century.

Individuals related to procure to pay software just get in the way and complicate things: Individuals related to procure to pay software make things happen in the right way and the right resource. This again takes a huge effort to upfront, and should be seen as an opportunity that would help you get things right. Complications would here continue to arise due to lack of consideration but again is not the case of procurement.

Direct procurement functions cannot be outsourced: While the major functions such as the vendor spend management and vendor relationship management are the two important things that need to stay with the customer organization, many number of other procurement activities to this have been deployed and outsourced. Functions like demand planning and forecasting, commodity price tracking, transactional purchasing and many more have been outsourced over the years.

Procure to pay software is nothing more than glorified outsourcing: Procure to pay software here generally means considering different options, and looking out for opportunities that would not just allow you think creatively but also forge in a new and better manner. Outsourcing here is considered to be a potential strategy that has its own appropriate uses and is not the only option available that is put to place.

Procurement recruits need to be good in numbers in order to manage the costs: Different kind of traits have been put forward when the requirements for all the procurement professionals are put forward during the job searches. Say for example when it comes to analytical he needs to be good in numbers and has to be a tough negotiator. And as mentioned above the role of procurement was logistical, clerical, with the only aim of getting the best cost saving and these traits would definitely do. The need here for now is for a new breed of having good procurement professionals.

Procure to pay software leads to the loss of control in strategy and processes: When it comes to procure to pay software, the procurement vendors are the one who are well integrated and act as a virtual extension of all the customer procurement functions starting from the adoption of strategic goals to the operational culture. The customer would then here continue to exercise his control over the different aspects of procurement function with the vendor.

They always run behind saving costs but forget considering the business they have been doing: Cost is a major factor when it comes to procure to pay software and is something that could be considered to be more than a dollar value. Procurement is considered to be good when it highlights the different perspectives and the cost benefits from the business decisions, with savings being one tangible outcome from looking at the situations in a different manner.

These were just a few but there are a lot more to go. So what are the other myths you would like to add when it comes to procure to pay software? How have you been dealing with them? Do leave your thoughts and comments below and we would be happy to add them to the list above.

Author Bio:

Shivli Ratul is a freelancer and has experience of over 5 years in expense and travel management softwares.She has in-depth knowledge about managing travel and different type of expenses incurred in business.she writes about Procure to pay software as a freelancer

PM Building Relationships: RESPECT

Mutual respect is one of the hallmarks of a successful relationship. To gain respect in a business environment, it is important that the two groups understand each other’s roles and responsibilities. One way of developing this understanding is to have members of the two groups work closely together. Depending on the nature of the project, the project team may benefit from having someone serve a “tour of duty” in the customer’s department. By functioning as a member of the department for a few weeks, the “tourist” will learn how the customers work and—just as importantly—why they do things the way they do. This can be invaluable, particularly when the project involves reengineering the customer’s procedures.

Although it is less common for customers to serve a tour of duty, they can benefit from a briefing on the team’s organization and the tasks that are involved in completing the project. Without that, they have no way of understanding the complexities of the typical project and may become frustrated with the length of time required to complete what they believe to be a simple task. 

Differences Between Staff Augmentation And Outsourcing

Characteristic	Staff Augmentation	Outsourcing
Company contracts for	Individual contractor’s work	Predefined service or product
Selection of staff to perform work	Company’s (company staff interviews prospective contractors)	Outsourcer
Day-to-day direction of staff provided by	Company	Outsourcer
Pricing	Time and materials; hourly rate or per diem	Fixed price, typically payable monthly or on completion of specific deliverables
Location of staff	Company site	Either company or outsourcer’s site
Co-employment concerns	Possible, if lengthy assignment	None
Measure of success	Individual tasks	Deliverables
Key to success	Individual contractor	Outsourcer

Characteristics Of Successful Leaders

The five types of power: coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent.* Coercive power, as its name implies, involves forcing others to comply, normally by threatening punishment or penalties. Reward is the opposite side of coercive, in that it promises something positive if the individual complies. Legitimate power is based on the authority managers have through their position within the organization, while expert power resides in the manager’s personal experience or expertise. Referent power is the result of a person’s charisma. 

Risk Management Basic Steps

Risk management should be repeated at various stages of the project. Although the scope under consideration will vary with each iteration, the process remains constant. The four basic steps are:

1. Identify the risk.
2. Evaluate the potential effects and severity of the risk. 

3. Prioritize the risks.
4. Develop a mitigation plan.