The AI Readiness App course · Beginner · about 60 minutes · Free

AI for planning and project work

Use AI to break work into steps, draft plans and timelines, spot risks and keep status updates short and current.

For: Project and programme managers, coordinators, product managers and anyone who plans work for themselves or a team.

1. Lesson 1

   Break a goal into a plan

   Turn a vague goal into steps, owners and dates.

   1. Describe the goal, the deadline, the people and the constraints to an AI assistant your workplace allows (for example ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot).
   2. Ask for a list of steps, dependencies and a first timeline.
   3. Correct what does not match how your organisation works.
   4. Ask what is missing: approvals, reviews, handovers.

   Try this at work: Take a piece of work starting soon. Ask for a step-by-step plan with dependencies and the approvals it may need, then fix it with your knowledge of the team.

   How to check it: Each step has an owner and a date that the owner has agreed to.

   Watch out: AI does not know your team's capacity or politics; it guesses. Your judgment sets the dates.

2. Lesson 2

   Spot risks early

   Find problems before they find you.

   1. Share the plan and ask for the ten most likely risks.
   2. Ask for the early warning sign and a response for each.
   3. Keep the risks that apply and add those only you know about.

   Try this at work: Ask the assistant to list risks for your current project with an early warning sign for each. Add the three most relevant to your risk log.

   How to check it: Each risk you keep has an owner and a warning sign you can actually watch.

   Watch out: Do not paste confidential contract or budget details into unapproved tools.

3. Lesson 3

   Write status updates in minutes

   Keep everyone informed without long writing sessions.

   1. Keep short notes during the week: done, next, blocked.
   2. Ask the assistant to turn them into an update for a named audience.
   3. Check that nothing is softened or overstated.

   Try this at work: Turn this week's notes into a status update for your stakeholders with the headings Done, Next, Blocked and Decisions needed.

   How to check it: The update is accurate, fits on one screen and asks clearly for any decision needed.

   Watch out: Never let the assistant invent progress or dates.

4. Lesson 4

   Run better meetings

   Use AI before and after meetings to save everyone time.

   1. Before: ask for an agenda with a goal and time for each item.
   2. After: turn your notes or an approved transcript into decisions, actions, owners and dates.
   3. Send the actions within the hour.

   Try this at work: For your next meeting, draft the agenda with AI and, afterwards, turn your notes into an action list with owners and dates.

   How to check it: Every action has one owner and a date, and attendees agree it matches the meeting.

   Watch out: Check AI meeting notes against your own memory; they can attribute words to the wrong person.

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