AI Project Leadership

 

When we approach the problem of building Artificial Intelligence systems or any other complex projects, it is vital to follow appropriate methodologies and guidelines. Today, agile project development is one of the primary tactics. It receives a lot of coverage in educational institutions and media. I feel that there is very little attention paid to the general field of management, which contributes a lot to high-tech fields, and is a goldmine when it comes to building any type of a successful organization.

I recently read A Class with Drucker. The Lost Lessons of the World’s Greatest Management Teacher by William A Cohen. What a fantastic summary of some of the critical managerial characteristics and leadership strategies. I feel that almost all of the points discussed there translate directly to high-tech projects. Here are some of the aspects derived from the set of eight universal laws of leadership:

Integrity: People in supervisory positions may be well-liked and highly competent. However, is he/she lacks integrity, then leadership is not possible.  

Knowledge: Mastering knowledge is essential to the quality of performance. It applies to all aspects of the project, including non-technical tasks.

A precise formulation of expectations: Mission statement, objectives formulation provides clarity to teams.

High level of commitment: Failure often results from an insufficient level of dedication or commitment to wrong things, e.g., expressing disappointment to team members for results they could not control. How many times we had to stay overnight in the office to make a deadline.

Stay positive: Expect a successful completion of the project. A negative attitude will not contribute anything constructive to the project.

Take care of your team: People are the most critical assets. They must be appreciated and feel that the leader will have their back in good and bad times.

Put duty before self: The leader must act in the interest of the client, the organization, and the team. Selfish leadership is often a result of a combination of personal character traits with the organizational culture.  There are systemic issues in the corporate world that often promote unprepared people into leadership positions.

Get out in front: the leader must focus his/her attention on where the work is the most challenging. The team must feel that presence. It not only works on the technical, problem-solving level. There are many examples in the military. High ranking officers need to go to battle in front of the lower-ranking soldiers.