Tips for Leveraging and Communicating AI in 2024

How are you separating the signal from the noise when it comes to AI in 2024?

Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) can greatly enhance productivity, efficiency, and communication within your projects. AI technologies have evolved and can be leveraged to streamline routine tasks, provide valuable insights, and improve decision-making.

Overview of AI Tools Available to Project Managers

In 2024 Update: How a Project Manager Can Leverage Artificial Intelligence, we examined the types of AI, the promises made by AI vendors, and what tools project managers can use in their work.

Two Types of Artificial Intelligence

• Generative AI

• Predictive AI

Standard Promises from Software Companies

•  Automated Budget Analysis

• Intelligent Schedule Optimization

• AI-Generated Reports

Practical Applications

1. Swift and Verified Research

Chat GPT will continue as a fast and accurate secondary source of verified research in 2024.

2. Original Visuals

Midjourney remains one of the most popular AI image generators due to its unique capabilities and high-quality outputs.

3. Document Summaries

Wordtune, an AI tool that simplifies complex documents, lengthy articles, and other correspondence into concise summaries, proves helpful in extracting critical information efficiently.

4. Document Analysis

I abandoned this form of document analysis in mid-2024 because of its complexity.

5. Assistive Tools

Google's Live Transcribe emerged as a powerful speech-recognition app in 2023. In 2024, it is the go-to AI app on the market.

I reviewed Live Transcribe in 2023 in The #1 Speech-to-Text Tool That Improves Inclusion and Business Presentations. Amelia Loken also gave her testimony using this assertive device in Bridging Communication Gaps with Google Live Transcribe.

A Deeper Examination of Wordtune

In Avoid Stranding Value and Wasting Time by Using an AI Text Summarizer, I took a deeper dive into Wordtune.

I gave three real-world examples of using Wordtune: a water system master plan, a conference paper on harmful algal blooms, and a regulatory impact analysis.

Wordtune is an AI tool that simplifies complex documents, lengthy articles, and other correspondence into concise summaries and helps extract critical information efficiently. It can also do much more than summarize.

The bottom line is that you should use an artificial intelligence (AI) summary tool to improve your understanding and communication.

A Deeper Examination of Midjourney

In Leverage AI Visualization Tools Like Midjourney for Better Results, I took a deeper dive into Midjourney.

AI-based visualization tools like Midjourney are most helpful for creating meaningful images when I do not have one, capturing a project message while not compromising confidentiality, and facilitating creativity early in the life of programs or large projects.

Midjourney was the right visualization tool for our small company two years ago. It takes trial and error, but you do not have to be an expert to create useable, high-quality images. 

Incorporating AI in Project Management

For project managers in 2024, the key to meaningful and effective AI implementation lies in leveraging it to streamline routine tasks. Project managers can enhance research, visualization, document analysis, and facilitation processes by adopting AI tools like Chat GPT, Midjourney, Wordtune, and Live Transcribe. Embracing AI technologies empowers project managers to achieve greater productivity, efficiency, and communication.

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On August 22, 2025, join Rob Stevens for a CWF webinar on Communicating Artificial Intelligence. Registration is free.

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The elements of the FINESSE fishbone diagram® are Frame, Illustrate, Noise reduction, Empathy, Structure, Synergy, and Ethics. Communicating with FINESSE is a not-for-profit community of technical professionals dedicated to being highly effective communicators and facilitators. Learn more about our publications, webinars, and workshops. Join the community for free.

What's the Difference in Criticality and Risk in Your Asset Management Program?

Criticality and risk can be used to determine a place to start.

“We used criticality to start our vulnerability assessments,” a somewhat confused project manager stated. We also use criticality in our emergency response plans. Neither of those seem to match what our asset managers are doing when it comes to determining risk.”  The story is a familiar one, but let's start with the difference between criticality and risk in your asset management program.

What is Criticality?

Criticality is a measure of the relative importance of something to an organization's mission or objectives. I prefer using critical and importance synonymously. Merriam-Webster defines critical as being indispensable or vital.

Overdoing Criticality Analysis

The most common mistake in criticality analysis is overdoing it. Review your business's mission and objectives (verify the context). Then, ask those closest to the action what is most important. Between 20 and 25 percent of your assets or subsystems are most critical.

It doesn't matter why something is important (indispensable, vital). If most people have it on their list, for whatever reason, then it's critical.

Consultants and academics like to overdo criticality by dissecting it and then doing weighting and funny math. As reliability-centered maintenance guru John Moubray wrote in 1992, the criteria and weightings vary widely from company to company and criticality vendor to vendor (and it is still the same 50 years later). As Moubray concludes, "The process of identifying significant items should be quick, approximate, and conservative." Avoid overdoing and overcomplicating your criticality analysis.

 

Criticality in Systems and Reliability Engineering

In systems engineering and reliability engineering, we address systems or subsystems of higher importance to an organization with fault prevention measures. Fault prevention falls into two classes: fault avoidance (usually in de-rating stresses or higher performance criteria) or fault tolerance (usually in the form of redundancy).

 

Some Specific Applications of Criticality

Criticality is primarily used for prioritization.

• Condition Assessments

• Preventative Maintenance Program Improvement

• Work Prioritization

• Inventory Management and Critical Spares

• Predictive Maintenance Programs

• Health and Safety Improvements

• Design or Re-designs

• O&M Budget Development

• CIP Prioritization

• Communications

What is Risk?

Risk is defined as the effect of uncertainty on objectives. A layperson’s definition is risk in the deviation from expectations.

Risk is situationally specific and can be evaluated differently at an organization's corporate, operations, or business unit levels. Risk can also be expressed in over two dozen ways, including the multiplicative product of the consequences and likelihood of failure.

Key Questions When Evaluating Risk

Evaluating risk is richer and more robust than evaluating criticality in your asset management program. Some of the key questions when evaluating risk are:

• What is the context (scenario)?

• Should we use a qualitative or quantitative method?

• Is our data quality commensurate with the assessment methodology?

• How do we establish system boundaries?

• What is our definition of failure?

• Over what period of time are we evaluating risk?

Some Specific Applications of Risk

Risk can be used as a prioritization tool in ways similar to criticality. Risk assessment informs strategies for managing potential problems, such as implementing preventive measures or planning for contingencies.

If a quantification method such as Monte Carlo analysis is used to evaluate risk, risk can be used in measured applications such as:

• Renewal and Replacement Financial Forecasts

• Asset Health Forecasts (Future Condition of Assets)

• Prioritization for Additional Data Collection

• Predictive Maintenance Scheduling

• Capacity Planning and Resource Allocation

What’s the Difference in Your Asset Management Program?

One common misconception is to equate criticality and risk. Criticality is the more general case, and risk applies more granularly. Criticality is often a qualitative assessment (high, medium, low), while risk typically involves qualitative and quantitative analysis (such as risk score combining likelihood and impact or Monte Carlo analysis). Both criticality and risk can be used to determine a place to start, but risk takes more time to assess. Risk is a much more powerful tool when quantification methods are used and is especially helpful for big decisions.

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JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Sign up for monthly updates related to our firm.

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JD Solomon is the founder of JD Solomon, Inc., the creator of the FINESSE fishbone diagram®, and the co-creator of the SOAP criticality method©. He is the author of Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get Your Boss’s Boss to Understand and Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions.

Rob Stevens to Lead "Communicating Artificial Intelligence" Free Webinar on August 22

Join Rob Stevens and Communicating with FINESSE for the free webinar 'Communicating Artificial Intelligence."

Learn how to explain artificial intelligence concepts clearly and effectively. We'll cover practical tips for discussing AI with various audiences, ensuring everyone understands its benefits and implications. Whether you're a business leader or a technology professional, this session will help you improve your communication skills and guide your organization through the AI landscape.

In June 2023, Rob and JD Solomon were part of an inaugural panel by the Community of Human and Organizational Learning that examined how practitioners were using AI in their business and research. A second webinar was done in the spring of 2024 and another panel in the summer of 2024. Many of the results are surprising.

Rob Stevens is part of the leadership team at First Analytics, which helps companies develop and execute programs to cultivate their analytics competency. Rob is a frequent speaker on the strengths and limitations of artificial intelligence.

How do you communicate the applications and effects of AI? Do you know the differences between generative and predictive AI? Register for the free webinar to learn more.