AI Driven PM

Rick A. Morris
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Technology
  • Updated Biweekly

Welcome to "AI Driven PM," the podcast where project management meets cutting-edge technology. Hosted by Rick A. Morris, a seasoned project manager, best-selling author, and dynamic public speaker, this podcast is your gateway to understanding and harnessing the power of artificial intelligence in your daily management tasks. Rick A. Morris is no stranger to the complexities and challenges of project management. With over 100 successful implementations of Project and Portfolio Management and Agile systems for top-tier companies like GE, Xerox, and CA, Rick brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the table. His credentials, including PMP, CHBC, PMI-ACP, and Six Sigma Green Belt, combined with his role as the National Delivery Lead for EPPM at Centric Consulting, make him an authoritative voice in the industry​​​​. In each episode of "AI Driven PM," Rick will dive into the theoretical foundations of AI and then demonstrate practical applications to enhance your efficiency as a project manager. Whether you manage projects, portfolios, programs, people, or products, this podcast is designed to provide you with actionable insights and tools to transform your management practices. Rick's approach is deeply rooted in his belief in the value of people and the importance of effective communication. His experiences, as shared in his six books, highlight his commitment to valuing individuals over mere metrics and his dedication to fostering a work-life balance​​. This human-centric approach is a cornerstone of the "AI Driven PM" podcast, ensuring that while you leverage advanced technology, you never lose sight of the human element in project management. Listeners can expect to learn about a variety of AI applications, from automating routine tasks and improving decision-making processes to enhancing team collaboration and predicting project outcomes. Rick will share real-world examples and case studies, drawing from his extensive career and consulting experience with diverse industries, including financial services, entertainment, healthcare, and manufacturing. The podcast is not just about technology; it's about integrating AI into your management style to achieve tangible results. Rick’s down-to-earth delivery style and passion for the profession make complex concepts accessible and engaging. Whether you're a seasoned project manager looking to stay ahead of the curve or a newcomer eager to learn, "AI Driven PM" offers valuable insights and practical advice. Join Rick A. Morris on this exciting journey to explore the intersection of AI and PM. Tune in to "AI Driven PM" and discover how you can make smarter decisions, streamline your processes, and ultimately, achieve more with the power of artificial intelligence.

  1. Jun 18

    S2E9 - Coach First, PM Second

    Rick almost skipped his coaching certification. Then one quote changed his entire approach to leadership: "If you give somebody the answer, you rob them of a lifetime of learning." In Episode 9, Rick A. Morris makes the case that in the AI era, coaching is no longer optional for project managers—it's the entire job. The Problem with Directive Leadership: Rick used to be a directive leader. He had the answers. He gave them freely. And every time he tried to take a vacation, his phone wouldn't stop ringing. His team couldn't function without him—not because they weren't capable, but because he'd never let them discover their own capability. The AI Era Shift: AI can automate task management, scheduling, reporting, and requirements. What it cannot touch: conflict navigation, emotional safety, capability building, and helping humans work through ambiguity and fear. "Teams don't need bosses anymore. They need coaches who help them perform at their best." Manager vs. Coach: Manager provides answers → Coach asks questionsManager directs action → Coach creates space for discoveryManager extracts work → Coach builds capabilityManager creates dependency → Coach builds ownership The Brendan Bouchard Moment: Rick shares his most powerful coaching story. He was venting to Brendan about a difficult team member when Brendan asked one question that stopped everything: "What did he say when you told him all this?" Rick hadn't told him. Not a word. One question. A lifetime of learning. That's coaching. Three AI-Powered Prompts Demonstrated Live: 🔹 Coaching Conversation Planner - Prepare for a real coaching conversation with a withdrawing team member. Claude's standout opening: "Sarah, I wanted to carve out some time that isn't about tickets or sprint status. How are you actually doing?" Full stop. Let her decide how much to give you. 🔹 Powerful Coaching Questions Library - Build a reusable question bank organized by situation: stuck team member, conflict, underperformer, career growth, resistance. Plus the critical principle: Don't lead the witness. ("Don't you think we should...?" vs. "What options do you see?") 🔹 Conflict Coaching Facilitator - Navigate the architecture debate between Sarah and Tom. Claude's insight: "Architecture debates between senior engineers rarely stay technical this long unless something else is driving them. This conflict has three layers—risk tolerance, identity/credibility, and decision authority ambiguity. Until you address layer three, the others keep feeding each other." Core Coaching Skills for PMs: ✅ Active listening (what's NOT being said) ✅ Powerful questions (help people think differently) ✅ Holding space (pause, create safety) ✅ Capability building (develop people, don't just extract work) ✅ Accountability with empathy (high standards + high support) Your Non-Negotiable Experiment: Use the Coaching Conversation Planner to prepare for a real conversation this week. Ask at least three coaching questions—and resist the urge to answer them yourself. Notice: Do people arrive at solutions you hadn't thought of? Episode Timestamps: [01] Christian Simpson and the quote that changed everything[03] The directive leader problem (why Rick's vacations were disasters)[04] The AI era shift: tasks automated, human side remains[06] Manager vs. coach mindset[07] Core coaching skills for PMs[09] Live Demo: Coaching Conversation Planner (the Sarah situation)[17] The Brendon Burchard story (best coaching moment of Rick's career)[19] Live Demo: Powerful Coaching Questions Library[23] Live Demo: Conflict Coaching Facilitator (Sarah vs. Tom)[27] Your weekly experiment Resources: PMThatWorks.com | YouTube - AI Driven PM Next Episode: Work-Life Balance 2.0—how AI changes the always-on PM trap. Subscribe if this made you rethink how you lead your team. Remember: The tasks are getting automated. The human side of projects is becoming your entire job.

    28 min

  2. Jun 4

    S2E8 - Resistance, Revenge, Resentment

    "The danger in relationships is counting. Once you start keeping score, three things happen." In Episode 8, Rick A. Morris shares a lesson from his personal development journey—the Three R's taught by coach Paul Martinelli—and connects it directly to why your change initiatives are failing. The Three R's: 🔴 Resistance - Passive non-compliance. "I'll wait until this blows over." 🔴 Revenge - Active demonstration that the change doesn't work. Double-tracking. Slack complaints. Visible friction. 🔴 Resentment - Emotional withdrawal. "Leadership doesn't care. Nobody reads these reports anyway." Once here, the relationship is over. The Core Truth: "People don't resist change. They resist being changed." 69% of the population is High S (DISC). They love routine. They will change—but not because you announced it, ran a 90-minute training, and disappeared. Why Change Initiatives Really Fail: Change is done TO people, not WITH themFocus on the WHAT (tool, process) while ignoring the WHONo clarity on why the change mattersNo voice or input in how the change happensBroken trust from past failed initiativesLeaders disappear after the kickoffTraining, change management, and PM are cut from budgets The AI Change Warning: AI rollouts are more personal than any previous technology adoption. People feel automated out of relevance. Without managing the people side, even great AI tools will fail. Rick's Clarity Tool Story: After years of project rescue work, Rick found that resentment toward a failed tool was nearly impossible to overcome—even when rebuilding from scratch. He had to transition his business from rescue to implementation because the resentment gap was too wide to cross. Three AI-Powered Prompts Demonstrated Live: 🔹 Change Readiness Diagnostic - Diagnose where your team sits on the change spectrum and get a 30-day action plan. Claude's standout insight: "This is not a training problem or a tool problem. It is a trust problem with a workflow mismatch layered on top." 🔹 Resistance Root Cause Analyzer - Identify whether you're seeing passive, active, avoidance, or sabotage resistance—and surface the underlying fears driving it (incompetence, job security, workload, broken trust) 🔹 Co-Creation and Ownership Strategy - Design a strategy where people shape HOW the change happens, not just accept WHAT was decided. Claude's key reframe: "When they build it, it stops being yours." The Metric Rick Loved: Number of times leadership references the new tool's data in informal settings. Not a usage metric—a trust metric. Your Non-Negotiable Experiment: Run the Change Readiness Diagnostic on a current or recent change initiative. Take one action: invite co-creation or directly address a root cause of resistance. Notice: Does giving people a voice shift sentiment—even when the change itself is non-negotiable? Episode Timestamps: [01] Paul Martinelli and the Three R's (personal development origin)[03] The Three R's in change management (resistance, revenge, resentment)[04] People don't resist change—they resist being changed (the 69% insight)[06] Why change initiatives fail (and why we always cut the wrong things)[08] AI change management is uniquely personal[10] The Clarity tool rescue story[13] Live Demo: Change Readiness Diagnostic[20] Live Demo: Resistance Root Cause Analyzer[23] Live Demo: Co-Creation and Ownership Strategy[27] Your weekly experiment Resources: PMThatWorks.com | YouTube - AI Driven PM Next Episode: Coaching First, PM Second—why facilitation is your most valuable skill in the AI era. Subscribe if this changed how you think about change management. Remember: Catch it at resistance. That's where change is still recoverable.

    27 min

  3. May 21

    S2E7 - Influence Without Authority

    "You own the project." That's the greatest lie ever told in project management. You don't own the people. You don't control the budget. You didn't set the strategy. You don't decide the timeline. But when things go wrong? Everyone looks at you. In Episode 7, Rick A. Morris makes the case that influence is the single most important skill a PM can develop—and shows you how to use AI to map, craft, and execute influence strategies that actually work. The Reality of PM Authority: People don't report to youIt's not your moneyIt wasn't your ideaYou don't own the outcome What you do own: the percentage chance of success. By doing analysis, framing decisions, and influencing whoever you're speaking with toward the right outcome. The Three Currencies of Influence: 💰 Credibility - People trust your judgment because you've earned it (not because of your title) 💰 Reciprocity - You help others achieve their goals, and they help you achieve yours (the most powerful lever PMs have) 💰 Vision - You paint a picture of success so compelling that people want to contribute Common Influence Mistakes PMs Make: ❌ Over-relying on logic ("surely they'll see the math") ❌ Positional pleading ("the CEO said so") ❌ Passive aggressive escalation ("I guess I'll have to escalate...") The DISC Secret Weapon: One message. Four different ways to say it. High D wants bullet points. High C wants data. High S needs to understand change impact. High I wants to know what's exciting. Meeting people where they are isn't manipulation—it's respect. Three AI-Powered Prompts Demonstrated Live: 🔹 Influence Network Mapper - Maps key influencers, identifies positions/motivations, recommends tactics, and builds a sequencing strategy. Claude's standout insight: "You're not building consensus. You're building a sequence of aligned conversations so that by the time you reach the CEO, the decision feels inevitable rather than contentious." 🔹 Stakeholder Persuasion Message Crafter - Craft messages that land. The Netflix analogy AI generated: "Netflix didn't launch with a recommendation engine. They launched with the catalog. An AI feature trained on zero user behavior doesn't differentiate you—it could embarrass you." 🔹 Reciprocity & Coalition Builder - Build genuine influence through service, not transactions. Rick's honest tool critique: Claude's suggestion to explicitly name a past favor was too direct. ChatGPT's approach—aligning the ask with their interests and removing burden—was more effective. (Yes, Rick will tell you when AI gets it wrong.) The Sequencing Strategy: Engineering manager → Product owner → Marketing director → CEO. Pre-wire every conversation so the final meeting is a confirmation, not a confrontation. Your Non-Negotiable Experiment: Use the Influence Network Mapper on a real decision you need to influence this week. Have at least one conversation using the strategy AI helps you design. Notice: Did mapping reveal leverage points you hadn't considered? Episode Timestamps: [01] The greatest lie in PM and the authority gap[04] Three currencies of influence (credibility, reciprocity, vision)[06] Common influence mistakes that kill credibility[07] DISC as an influence tool[09] Live Demo: Influence Network Mapper + sequencing strategy[17] Live Demo: Stakeholder Persuasion Message Crafter (Netflix analogy)[21] Live Demo: Reciprocity & Coalition Builder (+ Rick's honest AI critique)[27] Your weekly experiment Resources: PMThatWorks.com | YouTube - AI Driven PM Next Episode: The Three R's—Resistance, Revenge, and Resentment. Why change initiatives fail and how to navigate your way out. Subscribe if this changed how you think about your role as a PM. Remember: The most effective PMs don't win by being the loudest. They win by knowing exactly who to talk to, in what order, with what message.

    27 min

  4. May 7

    S2E6 - Net Operating Value

    Ever had a project going great—on time, on budget, team energized—and an executive killed it anyway? Here's why: They weren't evaluating your project. They were evaluating your portfolio. In Episode 6, Rick A. Morris introduces Net Operating Value (NOV)—the metric that closes the gap between how PMs talk about projects and how executives actually make decisions. The Core Problem: PMs optimize in isolation. Executives optimize across competing priorities. Without a shared language for value, they talk past each other—and great projects get killed while mediocre ones survive. Net Operating Value Formula: NOV = Expected Value − Effort Cost − Risk Cost − Opportunity Cost That last variable is what most business cases never include. And it changes everything. "ROI asks: Is this worth doing? NOV asks: Is this the BEST thing we could be doing with these resources right now?" The AI Capacity Trap: Teams see velocity increase with AI and assume: more capacity = more projects. Wrong question. The right question isn't "Can we build it?" It's "Should we build it—given everything else we could build?" Three AI-Powered Prompts Demonstrated Live: 🔹 NOV Calculator - Calculate full project NOV including opportunity cost. Live result for Social Wishing: **Negative 280K return. AI verdict: "This is not an investment. It's an experiment with negative expected value." 🔹 Value Assumption Stress Test - Identify which assumptions, if wrong, kill the entire value case—then find the cheapest way to validate them. Claude's diagnosis: "This is not a 25,000 behavior experiment." Rick's favorite reframe: "Can we spend $15,000 over 45 days to find out if we should build this before committing the remaining budget?" 🔹 Portfolio Trade-Off Analyzer - Compare competing projects on NOV, identify must-dos vs. nice-to-haves, and communicate trade-offs without killing morale. Result: Greenlight the "cash generator" + "capability builder." Kill Social Wishing (for now). "Don't frame it as killing creativity. Frame it as disciplined capital allocation." The Full Circle Moment: The Social Wishing app—built all season—fails the NOV test. That's not failure. That's exactly how great project management works. Dreams deserve data before dollars. Your Non-Negotiable Experiment: Run the NOV Calculator on a current project. Then identify the one assumption that, if wrong, kills the entire value case—and test it. Notice: Does including opportunity cost change how executives respond to your business case? Episode Timestamps: [01] Why executives kill winning projects[03] NOV defined: Expected Value − Effort − Risk − Opportunity Cost[04] The AI capacity trap ("Can we?" vs. "Should we?")[07] Live Demo: NOV Calculator (Social Wishing gets brutalized)[15] Live Demo: Value Assumption Stress Test[22] Live Demo: Portfolio Trade-Off Analyzer[27] Your weekly experiment Resources: PMThatWorks.com | YouTube - AI Driven PM Next Episode: Influence Without Authority—how to lead when you can't command. Not your idea. Not your people. Not your budget. How do you move the needle anyway? Subscribe if this changed how you think about project value. Remember: Protecting your project means proving it deserves the resources over everything else competing for them. #ProjectManagement #PortfolioManagement #NOV #BusinessCase #AI #Leadership #PMO

    29 min

  5. Apr 23

    S2E5 - Data Rules All 2.0

    Your status report is answering "Are we busy?" Your executives are asking "Are we going to succeed?" That gap is costing you credibility—and it's fixable. In Episode 5, Rick A. Morris—a Six Sigma practitioner and data obsessive—exposes the metrics trap most PMs fall into and shows you how to build dashboards that actually answer the questions that matter. The Core Problem: Activity metrics measure busyness. Outcome metrics measure results. Most PMs are tracking the wrong ones. The Lawyer Analogy: PMs build cases. Sponsors are judges. If you have more data than the person you're presenting to, you win the conversation. But only if the data tells the right story. "It's not a data problem. It's a framing problem. You're reporting inputs when executives are asking about outcomes." — Claude's blunt assessment What You Should Actually Be Measuring: ✅ Value Delivered - Features in production being used (not just shipped) ✅ Time to Impact - How fast from idea to user value? ✅ Quality Signals - Defect rates, technical debt, user satisfaction ✅ Team Health - Velocity stability, morale, sentiment (not just velocity) ✅ Stakeholder Confidence - Sponsor engagement, meeting attendance Rick's Signature Metric: Scope Stability Index New story points added ÷ total committed story points. If it exceeds 15% mid-sprint, execution predictability collapses. This is how you show sponsors the real cost of mid-sprint scope changes—with data, not arguments. The GrowthDay Lesson: A last-minute feature became the app's stickiest element. Rick only knew because he measured how users actually engaged with it. If you're not measuring features being used—not just shipped—you don't know if you're delivering value. Three AI-Powered Prompts: 🔹 Metrics Dashboard Designer - Build a dashboard that answers executive questions with outcome metrics, leading indicators, green/yellow/red thresholds, and audience-specific presentations 🔹 Predictive Risk Indicator Finder - Surface leading indicators of trouble before it arrives. Rick's standout AI insight: code review comment density per PR reveals whether slow reviews mean complexity or avoidance—and they require different interventions 🔹 Vanity vs. Value Metrics Audit - Diagnose your current report and swap vanity metrics for value metrics. Six out of eight common PM metrics are vanity. Find out which ones—and what to replace them with. AI's Role in All of This: AI can automate all the activity tracking—leaving you free to focus on outcome measurement, impact analysis, and inventing metrics that tell the parts of the story nobody else is telling. "AI can't do for you what it can't do through you." Your Non-Negotiable Experiment: Build your outcome metrics dashboard using Prompt 1Replace at least one vanity metric in your next status report with a value metric Notice: How do stakeholders react when your report actually answers their questions? Episode Timestamps: [02] Data rules everything—but we're measuring wrong[04] Activity vs. outcome metrics explained[06] The lawyer analogy: building cases, not reports[08] What to actually measure (value, time to impact, quality, team health)[11] AI's role in automating tracking vs. freeing PMs for outcomes[13] Live Demo: Metrics Dashboard Designer[19] Live Demo: Predictive Risk Indicator Finder[24] Live Demo: Vanity vs. Value Metrics Audit[28] Your weekly experiment Resources: PMThatWorks.com | YouTube - AI Driven PM Next Episode: Net Operating Value—how to stack-rank your portfolio and make trade-off decisions using data that reflects real business value. Subscribe if this changed how you think about data and project reporting. Remember: The PM who tells the better story wins. #ProjectManagement #Metrics #DataDrivenPM #AI #Agile #PMO #Leadership

    33 min

  6. Apr 9

    S2E4 - Do We Have To Be The Domain Expert?

    Rick's hiring conversation that challenges everything: "So Rick, are you an expert in the insurance industry?" "No." "Well... shouldn't you be?" "How many people work here?" "About 5,000." "Great. You've got 5,000 experts in insurance. What you need is someone like me who can get the best out of those 5,000 people." That's the difference between domain expertise and project management expertise. And most organizations don't understand it. In Episode 4, Rick A. Morris dismantles the conventional wisdom that PMs need deep domain knowledge—and shows why facilitation expertise matters more. The Conventional Wisdom (Wrong): PMs must "speak the language" of the businessDomain expertise = credibility and better decisionsYou need industry background to lead industry projects Why Domain Expertise Backfires: ❌ Micromanagement - Domain experts can't resist telling people how to do the work ("I could do that in 2 hours") ❌ Focus on WHAT, not HOW - Obsessed with the solution instead of team dynamics and stakeholder alignment ❌ Personal Bias - "I've seen that approach before. It doesn't work." (Translation: It didn't work when YOU tried it) ❌ Decision Bottleneck - Every choice must run through the PM because they "understand the implications" What Great PMs Actually Do: ✅ Ask the right questions (not provide the right answers) ✅ Translate between domains (tech ↔ business ↔ customer) ✅ Facilitate expertise (create conditions for experts to thrive) ✅ Ask the "dumb" question (that surfaces hidden assumptions) ✅ Orchestrate, don't dictate (you're the conductor, not the soloist) Rick's Core Truth: "A great PM knows how to ask the right questions—not provide the right answers." When Domain Expertise DOES Matter: Highly regulated industries (healthcare, finance) where you need to know which compliance questions to askDeeply technical domains (AI/ML, embedded systems) where fluency helps translationSolo PM contexts where you temporarily wear both hats Three AI-Powered Prompts to Bridge Domain Gaps: 🔹 Domain Knowledge Accelerator - Get up to speed on unfamiliar domains in days. Rick's favorite output: the coffee shop analogy for viral growth infrastructure risk ("It's like getting national press but only having one espresso machine—service will collapse") 🔹 Stakeholder Expertise Mapper - Identify who knows what, who cares about what, and role-specific questions to tap their expertise 🔹 Facilitation Over Expertise Script - Lead heated technical debates without pretending to know the answer. Example: engineering team debating microservices vs. monolith architecture—Rick shows how to facilitate the decision with authority but without technical expertise The Power Move: "Find out who's going to make the call BEFORE you go into a full debate." Your Non-Negotiable Experiment: Use the Domain Knowledge Accelerator on an unfamiliar area of your project. Ask at least one expert question AI generates. Notice: Did asking questions instead of pretending to know earn you MORE credibility? Episode Timestamps: [01] The hiring conversation: "You have 5,000 experts"[04] Why domain expertise backfires (micromanagement, bias, bottlenecks)[07] What great PMs actually do (facilitation over expertise)[09] When domain expertise does matter[12] Live Demo: Domain Knowledge Accelerator (the coffee shop analogy)[16] Live Demo: Stakeholder Expertise Mapper[19] Live Demo: Facilitation Script (architecture debate)[22] Your weekly experiment Resources: All prompts: PMThatWorks.comVideo: YouTube - AI Driven PM Next Episode: Data-Driven Metrics 2.0—What metrics actually matter in the AI era? Subscribe if this changed how you think about your value as a PM. Remember: Asking questions doesn't make you weak. It makes you confident enough to admit what you don't know. #ProjectManagement #Leadership #Facilitation #DomainExpertise #StakeholderManagement

    22 min

  7. Mar 26

    S2E3 - The Halo Effect

    Rick's signature conference exercise: "Everybody who's a practicing PM, raise your hand." Hundreds of hands go up. "Now—who came out of college WANTING to be a project manager?" Every hand drops. Except three or four. That's the Halo Effect. And it's killing your project success rates. In Episode 3, Rick A. Morris tackles the cognitive bias that destroys PM careers before they start—the assumption that being good at one thing automatically makes you good at another. The Core Problem: We take our best engineer and make them a PM. We take our best PM and make them a PMO leader. We take top individual contributors and assume they'll be great people leaders. They're completely different skill sets. The Skill Mismatch Explained: Great Engineer: Deep focus, technical masteryLoves solving hard problems aloneDelivers working code/productIndividual contributor excellence Great PM: Broad stakeholder coordinationNavigates ambiguity and politicsManages energy and decisionsInfluence without authority The result? New PMs try to apply engineering rigor to people problems, get frustrated when delegation doesn't work, and burn out doing everyone's job. Rick's PM vs. PMO Leader Insight: "A project manager colors inside the lines. A PMO manager establishes the lines everyone else colors in." One role controls a project within constraints. The other negotiates organizational ambiguity and sets standards. Totally different skills—but we promote like they're the same. Rick's Uncomfortable HR Truth: When Rick ran a PMO, his team hit 99% of milestones (goal was 60%). He gave everyone 5s on evaluations. HR said he couldn't—someone HAD to fall below expectations. Their reasoning: "If you won't do this, the problem is your expectations." Rick's response: "Or it's yours. You want me to tell high-performers they're mediocre when we're exceeding every possible expectation and building leaders? I'm not doing that." The Lesson: Rick learned from his HR partner Carrie Blaise that preparation is everything—and now AI is his coaching preparation partner. Three Prompts to Fight the Halo Effect: 🔹 PM Skills Gap Analysis - Identifies 8-10 core competencies, assesses strengths/gaps, delivers 90-day development plan (ChatGPT asked better clarifying questions this round) 🔹 Halo Effect Audit - Diagnoses hiring bias, surfaces overlooked skills, provides interview questions that reveal actual PM competencies (not just technical prowess) 🔹 PM Competency Framework Builder - Creates promotion rubric with "developing/proficient/expert" observable behaviors for each competency Tool Observation: ChatGPT followed Socratic prompting better this episode. Claude kept skipping ahead to answers. Reminder: experiment with multiple tools—what works best changes by task. Your Non-Negotiable Experiment: Run Prompt 1 (PM Skills Gap Analysis) on yourself or a PM on your team. Be honest. Identify top two gaps and one concrete action for each. Notice: Were the gaps expected? Did AI surface blind spots you've been avoiding? Episode Timestamps: [03] The Halo Effect explained with conference room exercise[05] Engineer vs PM skill mismatch[06] PM vs PMO leader: coloring inside vs establishing the lines[08] Rick's uncomfortable HR story (the 5s controversy)[12] AI as coaching preparation partner[14] Live Demo: PM Skills Gap Analysis[17] Live Demo: Halo Effect Audit (hiring bias diagnosis)[19] Live Demo: PM Competency Framework Builder[21] Your weekly experiment Resources: All prompts: PMThatWorks.comVideo walkthrough: YouTube - AI Driven PM Next Episode: People Skills vs. Domain Expertise—which one actually matters for PMs? (Spoiler: It's not what you think.) Subscribe and share if this made you rethink how you evaluate PM talent. Remember: Being good at one thing doesn't automatically make you good at another. #ProjectManagement #Leadership #HaloEffect #TalentDevelopment #PMO #Coaching

    23 min

  8. Mar 12

    S2E2 - What Do Project Managers Actually Do

    The question everyone's avoiding: If AI can write status reports, take meeting notes, update schedules, and forecast resources—what's left for project managers? Answer: Everything that actually matters. In Episode 2, Rick A. Morris tackles the 60/40 problem—why most PMs spend 60% of their time on busy work and only 40% creating real value—and shows you how to flip that ratio using AI as your thinking partner. The Core Truth: AI handles the transactional. PMs handle the transformational. The Four Things PMs Do That AI Can't Replace: ✅ Sense Making - Translating chaos into clarity for stakeholders (AI can summarize, but can't make sense of the why) ✅ Decision Architecture - Designing how decisions get made and by whom (you don't make decisions—you design the process) ✅ Energy Management - Regulating team motivation and creating conditions for innovation (AI can't facilitate the conversation that rebuilds trust) ✅ Conflict Resolution - Navigating competing priorities and personalities (AI can't build relationships or read the room) Three Power Prompts Demonstrated Live: 🔹 Project Health Diagnostic - Surface the top 3 risks, identify stakeholder gaps, find the decision being avoided, and get the one action with highest impact this week 🔹 Decision Architecture Mapper - Design governance for strategic, tactical, technical, resource, and scope decisions with clear RACI 🔹 Energy Audit - Identify where team energy is highest/lowest, spot misalignment, and craft the narrative to re-energize your team Live Demo Insight: Rick runs all three prompts in ChatGPT and Claude side-by-side using the Social Wishing app project. Claude delivers exceptional coaching—not just diagnostics, but how to have the hard conversations with empathy and strategic framing. Standout Claude coaching example: "The sponsor isn't being malicious. They genuinely don't see the downstream impact of small additions. The goal isn't to win an argument—it's to get them into the same decision-making frame as the team." Your Non-Negotiable Experiment: Run the Project Health Diagnostic on one real project this week using meeting transcripts, emails, or status reports. Act on at least one insight. Notice: Did AI surface something you were avoiding? How much time did you save? Episode Timestamps: [02] The 60/40 problem explained[05] Four things PMs actually do (sense making, decision architecture, energy management, conflict resolution)[09] AI = transactional, PM = transformational[12] Live Demo: Project Health Diagnostic (ChatGPT vs Claude)[20] Live Demo: Decision Architecture Mapper[24] Live Demo: Energy Audit[28] Your weekly experiment Resources: All three prompts: PMThatWorks.comVideo walkthrough: YouTube - AI Driven PM Next Episode: The Halo Effect—why we keep promoting the wrong people into project management and how to become the transformational leader your team needs. Subscribe and share if this changed how you think about your role as a PM. Remember: You're not a project secretary. You're a dream translator. #ProjectManagement #AI #Leadership #TeamDynamics #ProjectGovernance #ChatGPT #Claude

    33 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to "AI Driven PM," the podcast where project management meets cutting-edge technology. Hosted by Rick A. Morris, a seasoned project manager, best-selling author, and dynamic public speaker, this podcast is your gateway to understanding and harnessing the power of artificial intelligence in your daily management tasks. Rick A. Morris is no stranger to the complexities and challenges of project management. With over 100 successful implementations of Project and Portfolio Management and Agile systems for top-tier companies like GE, Xerox, and CA, Rick brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the table. His credentials, including PMP, CHBC, PMI-ACP, and Six Sigma Green Belt, combined with his role as the National Delivery Lead for EPPM at Centric Consulting, make him an authoritative voice in the industry​​​​. In each episode of "AI Driven PM," Rick will dive into the theoretical foundations of AI and then demonstrate practical applications to enhance your efficiency as a project manager. Whether you manage projects, portfolios, programs, people, or products, this podcast is designed to provide you with actionable insights and tools to transform your management practices. Rick's approach is deeply rooted in his belief in the value of people and the importance of effective communication. His experiences, as shared in his six books, highlight his commitment to valuing individuals over mere metrics and his dedication to fostering a work-life balance​​. This human-centric approach is a cornerstone of the "AI Driven PM" podcast, ensuring that while you leverage advanced technology, you never lose sight of the human element in project management. Listeners can expect to learn about a variety of AI applications, from automating routine tasks and improving decision-making processes to enhancing team collaboration and predicting project outcomes. Rick will share real-world examples and case studies, drawing from his extensive career and consulting experience with diverse industries, including financial services, entertainment, healthcare, and manufacturing. The podcast is not just about technology; it's about integrating AI into your management style to achieve tangible results. Rick’s down-to-earth delivery style and passion for the profession make complex concepts accessible and engaging. Whether you're a seasoned project manager looking to stay ahead of the curve or a newcomer eager to learn, "AI Driven PM" offers valuable insights and practical advice. Join Rick A. Morris on this exciting journey to explore the intersection of AI and PM. Tune in to "AI Driven PM" and discover how you can make smarter decisions, streamline your processes, and ultimately, achieve more with the power of artificial intelligence.

Information

  • Creator
    Rick A. Morris
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 R2 Multimedia
  • Show Website
    AI Driven PM

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