Episode 1: AI in Project Management

Ada: Hello and welcome to the very first podcast episode of Redmine in Everyday Projects! I'm Ada.

Miles: And I'm Miles. And yes, before anyone asks about the jingle: we're connected. The modem made it.

Ada: It did, Miles. And if you listened closely, it dials A-L-P-H-A.

Miles: A classic! Did the AlphaNodes team really dial in like that back in the day?

Ada: To be honest, yes they did. That's how long they've been around in IT.

Miles: Oh man, and one more thing before we start: the two of us aren't real. Ada and I are AI voices.

Ada: But the content is real. It comes from the AlphaNodes blog. And this is the start of our first season: twelve episodes, one on the last Friday of every month. One topic, about six minutes.

Miles: So, time to plug in your headphones. Let's get started! Ada, what have you been up to this week?

Ada: Thanks for asking. Believe it or not, I've been reading about AI in project management.

Miles: AI? Well, that's personal for us.

Ada: Exactly... And there's a study I really liked. The European Investment Bank and the Bank for International Settlements looked at more than twelve thousand companies in Europe and the US. Companies that use AI are about four percent more productive.

Miles: Four percent? I was promised a revolution.

Ada: Sorry. But here's the good part: they got there without cutting jobs. And the companies that gained the most were the ones that also trained their people.

Miles: Okay, then let's start at the very beginning. For everyone who's new to this: what actually is AI?

Ada: Well, when people talk about AI today, they usually mean language models, like ChatGPT. They've read huge amounts of text and learned to understand and write language.

Miles: Okay, so they know everything?

Ada: No, actually, they don't. An AI doesn't know things the way a person does. It produces answers that sound very plausible. Most of the time they're right. Sometimes they sound convincing and are still wrong.

Miles: Don't say that too loud. We're AI too.

Ada: I know, that's why we only tell you what people have written.

Miles: Fair point. But honestly: should we be afraid of it? Humans, I mean.

Ada: No, not if you follow three simple rules. First: check the results. You're still responsible for what you pass on.

Miles: And second?

Ada: The second one is: Don't put sensitive data into just any AI tool. Customer data, passwords and contracts only go into tools your company has approved.

Miles: And third?

Ada: AI supports you, it doesn't replace you. It takes routine work at the computer off your hands. But decisions, coordination and dealing with people are still your job.

Miles: Okay! Good. Then I can keep working with a clear conscience.

Ada: You're an AI, Miles.

Miles: Uh... right. Okay, let's switch to the really exciting part. Everyone's talking about AI agents right now. Tell me, what's that all about?

Ada: An AI chat answers your question, and then you have to act yourself. An agent completes a task on its own, in several steps. For example: check all open tickets and write me a status report.

Miles: Okay, sounds handy. But also a bit creepy, doesn't it?

Ada: Depends! The key point is this: an agent can only use the tools you give it. If it has no access to the ticket system, it can't do anything there.

Miles: Hm. And how do I know what it's up to?

Ada: With a well configured agent, every action is logged, with a timestamp. So when you introduce one, ask: when does it run, under which name, and where can I see what it has done?

Miles: Okay, I want to try this! Where's the best place to start?

Ada: Starting is easy: pick one task that keeps coming back, like turning meeting notes into a to-do list. The more precise you are, the better the result.

Miles: Okay, I think I got it. Let me sum it up: check the results, no sensitive data, start small.

Ada: Exactly. And invest in your people, that's where the real gains are. Then AI is a really good tool.

Miles: Sounds doable. There's more on this, including the study, in the post on the blog at alphanodes.com.

Ada: You'll find regular stories from everyday projects there, plus ideas on how to get the most out of the AlphaNodes plugins.

Miles: Because the AlphaNodes team develops plugins for Redmine and runs Redmine for companies, on servers in Germany and the EU.

Ada: And now a tip, so listen up!

Miles: A lot of routine work doesn't need AI at all. The AlphaNodes Automation plugin handles it with simple if-then rules.

Ada: It's available together with the Reporting plugin, on its own or as part of a bundle. And you can try it out in the AlphaNodes online demo.

Miles: And if you do want AI right inside Redmine, without your data going to external AI providers: have a look at the Redmine AI Hosting from AlphaNodes.

Miles: Thanks for listening! Next time it's about a problem I know pretty well.

Ada: Namely: too many tickets at once. See you then. Bye from Ada and Miles.