A systematic review of generative AI usage for IT project management

arXiv cs.AI / 4/27/2026

💬 OpinionIdeas & Deep AnalysisModels & Research

Key Points

  • The paper uses a PRISMA-based systematic review to consolidate research on how generative AI is currently being applied in IT project management, covering techniques, use cases, adoption patterns, limitations, and tool/process integration.
  • Across the included studies, OpenAI’s GPT is the dominant model, and most work relies mainly on prompt engineering rather than deeper automation or system-level integration.
  • The review concludes that generative AI for IT project management is still largely exploratory, with limited evidence of mature, widely validated implementations.
  • It outlines three promising future directions: AI agents tailored to specific process groups, AI agents aligned to project roles, and hybrid human-guided collaborative networks for orchestration.

Abstract

This paper aims to synthesize current knowledge on generative AI in IT project management using the PRISMA methodology to provide researchers with a comprehensive perspective on techniques, applications, adoption trends, limitations, and integration across project management tools and process groups. The analysis reveals a clear dominance of OpenAI's GPT in the included studies but relying primarily on prompt engineering, suggesting that research in this area remains at an exploratory stage. Finally, it identifies and discusses three promising research directions for AI-enabled project management, including process group-specific AI agents, project role-based AI agents, and hybrid collaborative networks that enable human-guided orchestration.