Tomi Badejo’s career in project management started with a bold move. Fresh out of school and armed with a knack for connecting with people, he walked into a corporate office building in Lagos unannounced. He talked his way past the front desk, up to the third floor, and face-to-face with the managing director to sell a life insurance product.
The director immediately challenged him: “I’ve never bought life insurance. Why should I be planning for my death?”
Instead of fumbling, Badejo delivered a persuasive pitch on the benefits of life insurance, so compelling that he became the first person ever to convince the MD to sign up. That conversation didn’t just get him the sale; it earned him a job offer that launched his career in project management.
Ten years on, he’s a seasoned project manager who’s constantly adapting to new challenges, such as keeping his skills relevant in a world where AI is shaking up the industry.
In our chat, Badejo, deputy CEO at Nigerian Fintech NowNow, shares his thoughts on the future of project management in the AI era, the skills that matter now, and how PMs can navigate a workplace where machines are taking on more responsibilities.
From uncertainty to embracing AI’s potential
When the first wave of generative AI hit in 2022, Badejo’s reaction was like a lot of people’s: “Is this thing coming for my job?” he wondered. Tools like OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 had launched, and AI was suddenly a hot topic everywhere. But after his initial hesitation, Tomi began exploring how AI could help him work better, not replace him. He realised AI could handle many of the routine tasks in project management—like generating reports and drafting documents—that take up valuable time.
Instead of fearing AI, he’s embraced it. “If AI can take care of the grunt work, that just frees me up to focus on the stuff that really matters, like connecting with customers and understanding their needs,” he explains. And that shift, he believes, is where project managers, especially those who use the Agile methodology, can find their edge. With AI tackling the repetitive parts, agile project managers now have more room to engage with clients, gather insights, and improve the products they’re building.
Why interpersonal skills matter more than ever
For Badejo, project management isn’t just about timelines and deliverables; it’s about people. He credits his interpersonal skills—honed from years of navigating different industries—for making him a strong project manager. “I just have a way of steering conversations, even in tough rooms,” he says. And with AI handling the data-heavy parts of his role, he’s doubled down on building connections and guiding teams toward a shared goal.
Communication, he argues, is a skill that AI can’t replace. “You can’t automate trust,” he points out. “People want to know there’s a real person at the helm, especially when challenges come up.” For project managers and scrum professionals, that means becoming the person everyone trusts to keep things on track, even when AI is handling the numbers.
Treating AI like a team member
One of the ideas Badejo is most excited about is thinking of AI as a “team member” rather than a tool. In agile project teams, every member has a role—scrum master, product owner, business analyst—and he sees AI fitting right into that mix. For him, AI is like a business analyst that processes data, suggests insights, and flags patterns while leaving the final decisions to human judgment.
“If AI is going to play a role on the team, it needs guidelines,” Tomi says. He believes that for AI to work well with humans, everyone on the team has to understand what it’s there for, how it’s used, and where its limits are. He advocates for transparency, so teams know where AI is being used and can trust the results it delivers. In Tomi’s words, “The AI can help analyse trends and data, but the final call needs to come from us, grounded in the business context.”
Standing out in an AI-driven workplace
As AI continues to automate parts of the job market, it is projected that approximately 300 million full-time jobs could be replaced globally due to advancements in artificial intelligence. This significant statistic underscores Badejo’s belief that project managers in the tech space will need to communicate their unique value more than ever. He points out that PMs should aim to position themselves as thought leaders in their field by aligning their work closely with business goals and outcomes. “Gone are the days when a project manager could simply be the ‘quiet doer,’” he says. To him, this means actively showcasing the impact of their work, whether it’s through reports, presentations, or even informal updates that keep stakeholders in the loop.
What sets human project managers apart, according to Badejo, is the ability to provide context that AI can’t. AI might be able to churn out a project report, but it’s the PM’s job to explain why it matters, how it aligns with the business’s direction, and what the next steps should be. For him, that’s the edge humans have over machines—an edge worth protecting.
The ethics of using AI in project management
As AI becomes more integrated into project management, ethical considerations aren’t far behind. Badejo stresses that transparency and responsibility are essential when it comes to AI use. He talks about the importance of making sure that AI tools are used thoughtfully and without replacing the human touch that’s critical to project success. He also notes the biases that can come with AI, especially when working with models that may not understand regional or cultural nuances.
For him, it’s about making sure AI isn’t a “black box” in the workflow. “We need to be transparent about what AI is doing and make sure it’s just another part of the toolkit, not a replacement for human oversight,” he says. In his world, AI is there to support the team, not make the decisions.
The future of project management
Badejo sees the future of project management as a blend of human and machine. AI can automate tasks that don’t need a personal touch, but it’s up to people like him to bring the insight, empathy, and big-picture thinking that keep projects meaningful.
His advice for project managers today? Embrace AI, but make sure you’re still the one steering the ship. As he puts it, “AI can crunch numbers, but it can’t lead teams or inspire people. That’s where we come in.”
