AI Project Accelerator: A Practical Six-Step Workflow

Ways of Working; Power Skills; Business Acumen

Jen García

AI Tools Instructor and Project Management Podcast Host

Caltech CTME

About the Presentation

Project and product managers know AI can turbo-charge delivery—but exactly where does it fit in the day-to-day workflow? In this highly practical, hands-on Power Skills session, you'll walk through an AI Project Accelerator 6-Step Workflow layering six free-tier AI tools across the entire project lifecycle. Live demos show how to generate a charter, auto-estimate schedules, summarize meetings, and craft executive-ready reports in minutes. You’ll leave able to select the right tool for the right task and deploy it on your next project. Follow-along video tutorials and checklists will be provided for post-event practice.

Learning Objectives:

·         Identify the six touch-points in the AI Project Accelerator Workflow and match each to a suitable free-tier AI tool

·         Generate two core project artifacts—a one-page Charter and a risk-scored Schedule estimate—by applying the prompt templates demonstrated in the session.

·         Compose and refine advanced prompts (role + context + action + format) to tailor AI outputs for different project phases, and evaluate responses for accuracy and bias

·         Synthesize and present AI-derived metrics in an executive-ready slide deck using the provided reporting checklist, ensuring clear stakeholder communication

About Jen Garcia

Jen García is the AI Tools Instructor at Caltech’s Center for Technology and Management Education (CTME) and host of ELEVATED, CTME’s project management podcast. A certified Microsoft AI Engineer Associate, Jen brings over 20 years of experience in education. She served as a program manager at Orange Coast College and has taught at UCLA Extension, UCI Extension, and USC. She founded the nonprofit Employ California and Ingrained.ai to expand access to affordable, hands-on AI training for businesses, educators, and mission-driven organizations.

Jen is also the AI Executive in Residence at the Goldhirsh Foundation, where she advises LA-based nonprofits and public sector teams on AI integration. She has led training for the Los Angeles Fire Department, DoorDash, the County of Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Giants. Known for her strategic thinking and warm, practical teaching style, Jen is passionate about helping professionals deploy AI confidently across the project lifecycle.