125: How to survive the AI landscape as a PM with PMI's Dr Kelly Heuer

AI is changing work fast enough to give every project manager emotional whiplash. New tools, new workflows, new expectations… and somehow you're still expected to hit deadlines, manage stakeholders, and explain for the fifth time why the project scope changed after leadership changed the entire business strategy.

In this episode, Kim and Kate sit down with Kelly Heuer from Project Management Institute to talk about the skills that actually survive industry shifts, changing technology, and whatever shiny new buzzword LinkedIn is obsessed with this week.

They unpack why "soft skills" are actually the hardest skills in project management, how business acumen separates strategic PMs from task trackers, and why learning to navigate ambiguity matters more now than memorizing formulas from the PMP exam.

The conversation also dives into the uncomfortable reality that project success is rarely about perfectly following the original plan. Sometimes the real job is realizing the plan should change in the first place.

Along the way, they cover durable vs. perishable skills, why varied career experience is secretly a superpower, how PMs can become more effective strategic partners, and why "say the thing" might be the most important career advice you'll hear all year.

Grab a drink, question your project charter, and let's get into it.

Guest Bio

As Vice President of Learning at the Project Management Institute (PMI), Dr. Kelly Heuer brings over two decades of experience in higher education to lead PMI's Learning division. She oversees a global portfolio including professional standards, publications, live and enterprise training, and digital learning products that equip project professionals worldwide to drive project success.

Kelly holds multiple degrees in philosophy, including an AB from Harvard and an MA and PhD from Georgetown University. She began her career at Georgetown, helping launch the university's first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in bioethics and co-founding its ethics and social innovation lab. She most recently served as Vice President of Learning Experience at edX, driving learning strategies and digital innovation across the company's portfolio.

As the first in her family to pursue higher education, Kelly is passionate about mentoring first-generation students, coaching formerly incarcerated individuals, and supporting colleagues exploring alternative career paths. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner, Arjun, and their two children, chess enthusiast Kiran and aspiring explorer Ryan.

🎙️ Quotes from the Episode

"If you're thinking the thing, if you're wondering the thing, if you're confused about the thing, say the thing." — Kelly

"Human skills are more important than artificial intelligence skills." — Kate

"Soft skills are the hardest part of project management." — Kate

"Comfort with ambiguity. It's acknowledging change as a constant, not as something you're going to design around or manage your way away from." — Kelly

📌 Key Concepts & Takeaways

Durable Skills vs. Perishable Skills

Technical skills expire faster than most PMs want to admit. Tools change. Platforms die. Entire workflows disappear. But communication, business acumen, stakeholder management, adaptability, and decision-making under uncertainty keep paying dividends across every phase of a career.

"Say the Thing"

One of the biggest career mistakes is staying quiet because you don't want to sound inexperienced, difficult, or slow the room down. Asking the uncomfortable question early often prevents much bigger problems later.

Business Acumen Is the Real Career Multiplier

Technical project management skills are still important—but they're table stakes now. The PMs who move into larger, more strategic work understand value, organizational priorities, market shifts, and executive decision-making.

Varied Experience Builds Better PMs

Working across industries, teams, and business problems creates stronger long-term judgment. Diverse experience teaches pattern recognition, adaptability, and strategic thinking in ways repetitive specialization sometimes doesn't.

Learning Happens in the Field

Courses, books, and certifications matter—but they're only part of the equation. Real growth happens when people practice skills, make mistakes, reflect, adapt, and try again in live environments.

Discussion Highlights

One of the strongest threads throughout the conversation was the idea that project managers are being forced to rethink what makes them valuable. Kelly talked about how rapidly technical skills are expiring, referencing research showing that the "half-life" of professional skills has dropped dramatically over time. The implication wasn't that technical knowledge no longer matters—it absolutely does—but that technical expertise alone is no longer enough to sustain a long career.

Kate pushed hard on the idea that so-called "soft skills" have always been the hardest part of the job. Not the formulas. Not the software. The real challenge is learning how to navigate people, power dynamics, ambiguity, and shifting business priorities without becoming either invisible or terrifying.

The conversation also got surprisingly honest about career growth. Kate talked about how asking "dumb questions" early in a career feels different than asking them after twenty years of experience. Early on, vulnerability makes you non-threatening. Later, the exact same question can suddenly feel like a high-level strategic critique because people assume expertise from seniority alone.

Kim brought up another tension a lot of PMs quietly experience: organizations wanting project managers who have done the exact same project fifteen times already. That led into a larger conversation about how difficult it can be for experienced PMs with varied backgrounds to communicate the value of transferable skills during hiring processes.

And naturally, because this is PM Happy Hour, the conversation eventually circled back to the reality that no amount of theory replaces getting kicked by the metaphorical horse yourself.

Sometimes literally.

Practical Takeaways

• Stop treating stakeholder communication as a "soft" secondary skill. It's one of the highest leverage parts of the job.

• When joining a new project or industry, focus first on understanding how the business creates value—not just how the process works.

• Ask questions earlier, especially when something feels unclear or inconsistent. Waiting usually makes problems more expensive.

• Revisit project success criteria regularly during long initiatives. The business environment may have shifted even if the project plan hasn't.

• If your background is varied, learn how to frame it as strategic adaptability rather than lack of specialization.

• Build learning habits that fit into real work. Continuous learning matters more now because many technical skills become outdated quickly.

• Don't confuse sticking to the original plan with leadership. Sometimes leadership means recognizing the plan itself needs to evolve.

Closing Reflection

Project management used to reward the people who could control complexity.

Now it increasingly rewards the people who can navigate uncertainty without freezing, adapt without losing direction, and keep delivering value even while the ground underneath the project keeps moving.

That's a very different skill set.

And honestly? Probably a much more human one.

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

• Project Management Institute (PMI)

• PMI Learning Resources

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

• Death by Meeting

• PM Happy Hour Membership

• PM Happy Hour Website

• Kelly Heuer on LinkedIn