From 1 April 2026, the KiwiSaver minimum contribution rate will increase for the first time in many years

For both employees and employers, this requires clear understanding, timely communication, and accurate payroll implementation.

This article outlines what is changing, how temporary rate reductions work, and what actions need to be taken before the new rate applies.

What’s Changing on 1 April 2026? 

From 1 April 2026, the minimum KiwiSaver contribution rate will increase:

• From 3% to 3.5% for employees

For employees, this means a slightly higher deduction from each pay. For employers, this means updating payroll systems and ensuring compliance from the effective date.

If no action is taken, the new 3.5% minimum will automatically apply.

Temporary Rate Reductions: What Employees Should Know

Employees who feel the increase may place pressure on their finances can apply for a temporary rate reduction.

This allows contributions to remain at 3% for a period between three months and 12 months.

Key points:

• The reduction must be approved by Inland Revenue.
• It does not occur automatically.
• Once the approved period ends, employees must reapply if they wish the reduction to continue

If no reapplication is made, the 3.5% minimum contribution will apply once the temporary period concludes

How to Apply for a Temporary Rate Reduction

There are no paper forms for this process.

Applications must be submitted online via MyIR (Inland Revenue’s digital platform). Once approved, Inland Revenue issues an acceptance letter confirming the temporary rate reduction

That acceptance letter is essential.

Employees should:

1. Apply via MyIR.
2. Wait for confirmation from Inland Revenue.
3. Provide the acceptance letter to their employer.
4. Retain a copy if changing jobs.

IMPORTANT: Employees cannot simply inform their payroll team directly. Payroll cannot apply the reduced rate without receiving the official acceptance letter from Inland Revenue  Without this documentation, the 3.5% minimum contribution must apply.

What Employers Need to Prepare

For employers, the rate increase will automatically apply from 1 April 2026 unless an employee provides an approved temporary rate reduction notice.

Practical actions include:

• Reviewing payroll system settings ahead of April 2026
• Informing employees early about the change
• Ensuring employer contribution rates align correctly with temporary reductions
• Establishing a clear process for receiving and storing Inland Revenue acceptance letters

Employers may choose to match the employee’s temporary 3% rate or continue contributing at 3.5%. However, a copy of the acceptance letter must be retained to justify the applied contribution rate.

At the end of the temporary reduction period, Inland Revenue will notify the employer that the reduction has ceased. Employer contributions must then revert to the 3.5% minimum.

Disciplined documentation and process clarity reduce confusion and ensure ongoing compliance.

Act Early to Avoid Disruption

Employees can already apply for temporary rate reductions. Applying early helps avoid automatic increases from 1 April 2026 and gives payroll teams time to process changes correctly.

For employers, early communication supports smoother transitions and reduces administrative pressure close to the effective date.

Final Thoughts

The percentage increase is modest. The implementation requirements are not.

Accurate payroll configuration, clear documentation processes, and proactive communication will ensure the change is applied correctly from day one.

Preparation creates clarity. Clarity protects confidence.

Bring Clarity to the KiwiSaver Update

Clear preparation reduces last-minute pressure.

If you would like structured support ahead of 1 April 2026, our Managed Payroll team can work alongside you to:

• Confirm payroll contribution settings align with the 3.5% minimum
• Establish a clear process for managing temporary rate reduction documentation
• Support structured employee communication
• Ensure a smooth transition when the new rate takes effect

Small percentage changes still require disciplined implementation. The right preparation keeps payroll accurate and controlled.

Talk to our team or Explore our Managed Payroll Services

Projects vary widely in scope, complexity, and pace. Some require a steady, full-time project manager from initiation through to close. Others reach a point where momentum stalls, decisions slow, or delivery becomes fragmented, not because teams lack capability, but because structure and visibility are missing.

Flexible project management recognises this reality. It allows organisations to bring in experienced project leadership at the moments it matters most, whether that is to establish governance, stabilise delivery, support a critical phase, or provide oversight during periods of change.

Rather than adding permanent headcount or forcing a one size fits all model, flexible engagement gives teams access to the right level of leadership, at the right time, while keeping ownership and accountability firmly within the business.

Why Flexible Models Work

Flexible project management works because it aligns delivery support with how work actually happens.

Projects rarely move at a constant speed. Priorities shift, dependencies change, and resource demand fluctuates over time. A flexible model allows support to scale up when delivery intensity is high, then scale back once structure is in place and teams are moving confidently.

Flexible project management brings control without constraint:

• Fits your pace: Scale support up or down as delivery intensity changes.
• Pay for what you use: Engage by hours or phases, not long-term overhead.
• Immediate capability: Experienced project managers who can embed quickly and deliver with confidence.
• Clear control: Consistent governance, reporting, and accountability remain in place.
• Better outcomes: Fewer surprises, faster decisions, and improved time to value.

How We Support Flexible Delivery

At Alxemy, we offer flexible project management through two engagement models. They can be used independently or combined as your needs evolve, giving you structure that scales alongside your organisation.

Project Management Pro

Dedicated leadership for defined delivery

Project Management Pro is designed for initiatives that require clear ownership and end to end leadership. It suits small to mid sized projects where coordination across teams, vendors, and stakeholders is critical to success.

With a dedicated project manager in place, delivery is actively driven rather than passively monitored. Scope, risks, budgets, and timelines are managed as part of a cohesive plan, supported by clear reporting and regular cadence.

Organisations using this model benefit from stronger alignment, earlier risk identification, and decision ready insight throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring delivery remains on track and outcomes are achieved with confidence.

Project Management On Demand

Flexible support, sized to your needs

Project Management On Demand provides access to experienced project leadership without fixed resourcing. It is ideal for organisations managing multiple initiatives, internal change, or delivery peaks where additional structure is needed temporarily.

Support can be used to stabilise delivery, improve reporting, manage vendors, or support internal teams through critical phases. The same disciplined PMO approach is applied, but scaled to the level of effort required.

Engagements can be remote or hybrid, with hours used as needed or aligned to a fixed monthly budget. This model allows organisations to remain agile while maintaining visibility, accountability, and delivery momentum.

Typical engagement options include:

• Starter, 20 to 40 hours per month
• Standard, approximately 80 hours per month
• Dedicated resource, full time allocation

What You Can Expect with Alxemy

Regardless of engagement model, our focus remains consistent, creating clarity, control, and confidence in delivery.

We bring predictable delivery through stage gates, RAID management, and benefits tracking, without introducing red tape. Financial visibility is maintained through clear budget tracking, forecasts, and invoice summaries. Teams stay aligned around a single plan that connects IT, vendors, and the business.

Just as importantly, we leave organisations stronger than we found them. Templates, dashboards, and delivery rhythms are designed to be reused, helping teams build a right sized PMO capability that lasts beyond individual projects.

Flexibility isn’t a shortcut.
It’s how work keeps moving when business priorities continue to change.

From payroll engine to strategic platform. How New Zealand organisations unlock real value from PayGlobal

Most organisations rely on PayGlobal every pay cycle. It runs payroll, processes leave and helps keep organisations compliant.

For many teams, however, that is where its value ends.

PayGlobal is often used functionally rather than strategically. It does the job it was configured to do, but it is rarely revisited, optimised, or aligned to how the organisation has evolved. Over time, this leaves capability, insight, and efficiency sitting unused.

 The Hidden Gap Between “Working” and “Working Well”

For payroll and HR teams, stability is critical. When a system pays people accurately and on time, there is understandable caution about changing how it operates.

Over time, this creates a quiet but growing gap.

In many organisations, payroll continues to run smoothly, compliance obligations are met, and the system is trusted. At the same time, manual work creeps in around the edges. Reporting becomes reactive rather than informative. Knowledge concentrates with a small number of individuals, and confidence in making system changes gradually erodes.

The system works. It just is not working as hard as it could.

Why PayGlobal Often Becomes a Transactional Tool

PayGlobal is a powerful platform, designed to support complex workforces, detailed award structures, and evolving legislative requirements.

Yet many organisations only use a fraction of that capability.

Common reasons include:

• Implementation decisions made years ago that were never revisited
• Custom workarounds layered over time instead of simplified
• Limited internal capacity to step back and redesign processes
• A focus on getting payroll done rather than enabling better decisions

None of this reflects poor practice.
It reflects teams doing the best they can under operational pressure.

What Strategic Use of PayGlobal Actually Looks Like

When PayGlobal is used strategically, it becomes more than a payroll system. It becomes a source of workforce clarity.

Pay rules are simplified and standardised, making them easier to maintain and explain. Data structures are cleaned up so reporting can be trusted and used with confidence.

Manual intervention is reduced, lowering risk and dependence on individual knowledge. HR, finance, and leadership gain clearer visibility into workforce costs and trends, and the system is better positioned to support automation or future change.

The result is not added complexity. It is control, confidence, and resilience.

The Role of Local Expertise in Unlocking Value

Technology on its own does not create clarity. How it is configured, governed, and supported over time is what determines its value.

Many organisations benefit from taking a step back with experienced local support to review how PayGlobal is actually being used day to day. This often involves identifying where manual effort is compensating for system limitations, understanding compliance risk tied to legacy decisions, and realigning payroll processes with broader HR and finance needs.

This kind of reset is not about rebuilding everything. It is about practical optimisation that delivers value without disrupting payroll stability.

From Payroll Stability to Payroll Confidence

A stable payroll is essential. A well understood payroll is transformative.

When PayGlobal is optimised strategically, teams are better equipped to handle change. Reporting becomes faster and clearer. Reliance on workarounds reduces. Alignment between payroll, HR, and finance improves. Most importantly, confidence grows that the system will support the organisation as it evolves.

That is when payroll shifts from being an operational necessity to a strategic asset.

Is It Time for a Reset?

If your organisation relies heavily on manual payroll processes, avoids system changes because they feel risky, or struggles to extract meaningful insight from PayGlobal, it may be time to pause and reassess.

This is particularly relevant for organisations preparing for growth, organisational change, or upcoming legislative updates.

The question is a simple one.

Is PayGlobal just running payroll, or is it properly supporting your organisation?

If you are ready to explore what better looks like, Alxemy can help you assess, optimise, and future proof your PayGlobal environment with clarity and confidence.

Book a Consultation | Learn More at alxemy.co.nz

HR and payroll can get complicated fast.

Missed updates, manual calculations, and compliance headaches can make payroll a monthly stress test. For growing New Zealand businesses, it’s even tougher, complex rosters, multiple roles, and evolving Holidays Act requirements mean small errors can have big impacts.

Dayforce solves these everyday challenges by bringing HR, payroll, and compliance together in one platform. From accurate pay runs to streamlined onboarding, here are ten common problems that Dayforce solves for NZ businesses and why it’s becoming the go-to solution for teams that want efficiency, accuracy, and peace of mind.

1. Payroll is always the last to know

In many organisations, payroll operates at the end of a long chain, dependent on managers to approve leave, HR to update details, and employees to submit timesheets. This often results in rushed deadlines, missed information, and frustrated teams.

Dayforce payroll changes that. Its real-time data updates mean HR, managers, and payroll are always working from the same information. Whether an employee changes hours, updates tax details, or takes leave, the platform’s single database ensures all areas of the product remain in sync in real time, all the time.

Everyone stays in the loop, and every payday runs smoothly.

2. Managing Global and Remote Teams

Workplaces are no longer confined to one office or even one country. Managing pay and compliance across time zones can become a logistical nightmare especially for NZ businesses employing staff in Australia, wider Asia Pacific, globally or operating across regions.

Dayforce simplifies global and hybrid workforce management. With unified data and cloud access, teams can work from anywhere while maintaining payroll accuracy and local compliance.

It’s ideal for hybrid and international workplaces, ensuring all employees, wherever they are, get paid correctly, on time, and in line with local laws.

3. Onboarding Without the Confusion

Manual onboarding often involves endless emails, paper forms, and inconsistent data entry. That means wasted time, missed documents, and compliance risks.

With Dayforce onboarding, HR can deliver a seamless digital experience. New hires complete all documents online before their first day – tax, banking, contracts, and personal details flow directly into payroll and HR records.

Managers gain visibility of where each person is in the onboarding process, while employees start with confidence knowing everything’s ready from day one.

4. Managing Multiple Roles and Pay Rates

Many NZ businesses, especially in retail, healthcare, and hospitality, employ people in multiple positions or at varying pay rates. Tracking these manually can lead to errors and compliance issues.

Dayforce automates complex pay structures, assigning the correct rate based on the employee’s role, shift, or location. Whether someone works as a store supervisor one day and a packer the next, their pay is always calculated accurately.

That means fewer manual overrides, faster approvals, and full transparency for managers and payroll teams.

5. The Payroll Crunch

Every payroll team knows the pressure of payday week chasing approvals, double-checking calculations, and hoping no one spots an error after payments go out.

With continuous payroll, you don’t have to wait until the end of the period to process and review pay. Dayforce lets you calculate, audit, and preview payroll data at any time, so by the time payday arrives, everything is already validated.

Dayforce offers continuous payroll, process and review pay anytime, not just after the period ends, helping NZ businesses achieve accuracy, flexibility, and fewer last-minute fixes.

6. Communication Gaps

When HR, payroll, and operations use different systems, communication breaks down. Employees don’t know who to ask about missing hours, managers can’t see leave balances, and payroll ends up fielding calls all day.

Dayforce brings everyone together in one connected platform. Employees can check payslips, request leave, and update personal details through the self-service app. Managers approve changes instantly, and payroll sees the updates in real time.

It’s particularly powerful for retail, construction, and shift-based teams, where visibility and quick communication make all the difference.

7. Rigid Systems That Don’t Fit Your Business

Legacy payroll or HR systems often force businesses to adapt their processes to fit the software, not the other way around. That rigidity can slow down innovation and frustrate teams.

Dayforce is built for flexibility. Whether you’re a 50-person operation or a multi-site enterprise, its modular design lets you configure workflows, reports, and compliance rules around how your business actually operates.

As your organisation evolves, so does your system without the need for multiple new platforms or expensive customisation.

8. Too Many Platforms, Too Many Errors

When payroll, time tracking, and HR systems don’t talk to each other, errors multiply. Data gets re-entered manually, integrations break, and your team wastes time fixing avoidable mistakes.

Dayforce unifies HR, payroll, and workforce management in a single system. That means one source of truth for all employee data – less duplication, fewer errors, and more confidence in every report.

For businesses juggling multiple tools, Dayforce eliminates the noise and brings everything under one secure, scalable roof.

9. No Access When You Need It

Whether it’s a manager approving shifts after hours or an employee needing their payslip on the go, traditional systems often limit access to the office network.

Dayforce is cloud-based and provides native mobile apps. Employees and managers can securely log in from any device, anytime, anywhere, without compromising security.

The result: empowered employees and faster manager response times, improving both transparency and trust.

10. Staying Compliant with New Zealand’s Evolving Leave and Payroll Laws

Payroll rules in New Zealand don’t stand still. New legislation, evolving leave entitlements, and frequent updates to pay calculations mean compliance is a moving target for most organisations.

Dayforce payroll takes the complexity out of staying compliant. Its built-in compliance framework automatically applies the latest rules and calculations, so your team doesn’t need to chase manual updates or risk costly errors.

Real-time data validation and configurable pay policies help ensure every payment is accurate, no matter how the regulations evolve.

With Dayforce, your business can stay confident, consistent, and ready for whatever changes come next.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main problems that Dayforce solves?
It tackles payroll delays, compliance risks, poor onboarding, and disconnected HR systems, multi region and multi country all in one place.

Is Dayforce built for NZ businesses?
Yes. Dayforce is compliant with NZ’s Holidays Act and supports local payroll legislation and calculations.

Can Dayforce scale with our team?
Absolutely. It’s designed for small teams to global enterprises with multi-location setups.

Wrapping Up: Solving HR and Payroll Problems the Smart Way

 Managing people and payroll shouldn’t be an ongoing challenge. Dayforce empowers NZ businesses to streamline HR, simplify compliance, and build a more connected workforce.

Whether you’re growing fast or simply ready to modernise how you manage people and pay, Alxemy helps you implement Dayforce the right way, tailored to your organisation’s needs.

Simplify your HR and payroll today – Book your Dayforce consultation.

1. Managing Complex Compliance Requirements

The Challenge
Keeping up with New Zealand’s employment legislation is a full-time job. The Holidays Act, PAYE, KiwiSaver, and parental leave rules (amongst many others) require not just correct calculations, but correct interpretation and consistent application. Even small configuration gaps or misunderstandings can compound over time and result in back pay, remediation programmes, and reputational damage.

For mid-to-enterprise sized organisations, compliance risk often sits in the grey areas. These include variable work patterns, complex pay structures, and legacy agreements that do not fit neatly into standard system defaults.

How MYOB PayGlobal Helps
MYOB PayGlobal provides a highly flexible payroll engine that can be configured to support compliance across a wide range of complex scenarios. While tax tables and statutory settings are maintained within the system, true compliance is achieved through robust configuration, rule design, and ongoing governance.

PayGlobal’s strength lies in its ability to model complex calculations, enforce rules consistently, and provide transparency into how outcomes are derived. This significantly reduces reliance on manual workarounds and spreadsheet logic.

For Alxemy clients, this means confidence rather than assumption. We work closely with organisations to interpret legislative requirements, translate them into system configuration, and validate outcomes through testing and review. We also support periodic health checks to ensure configurations continue to align with evolving legislation, business change, and regulatory guidance.

2. Handling Multi-Site & Distributed Workforces

The Challenge
As organisations expand, so does the complexity of their payroll. Different locations, departments, and cost centres often mean inconsistent data and disconnected processes. Manually consolidating information from multiple sites can delay pay runs and reduce accuracy.

MYOB PayGlobal Solution
MYOB PayGlobal centralises all workforce and pay data within a single platform – with role-based access that protects sensitive information while allowing local teams to manage their own records. This gives finance and HR leaders real-time visibility across the organisation.

Alxemy helps clients map multi-site structures into PayGlobal so each division is accurately tracked and reporting remains consistent from site to site.

3. Reducing Manual Payroll Errors

The Challenge
Many teams still rely on spreadsheets or basic software that require duplicate data entry and manual reconciliation. Small mistakes in formulas or file uploads can cause significant issues from incorrect payslips to employee disputes and rework.

MYOB PayGlobal Solution
MYOB PayGlobal removes manual data entry through automation and secure system integration. Built-in audit trails capture every adjustment, so finance and HR leaders can trace and verify changes instantly.

Alxemy supports organisations to optimise these automations and design error-reduction workflows that fit their internal processes.

4. Managing Leave Accrual & Entitlements

The Challenge
New Zealand leave rules are notoriously complex. Annual leave, alternative holidays, sick leave, bereavement leave, FVL, and public holidays must all be calculated against different metrics – gross earnings, average daily pay, and ordinary weekly pay. Without automation, even experienced payroll teams can struggle to maintain accuracy.

MYOB PayGlobal Solution
The PayGlobal leave engine automatically calculates accruals and entitlements in line with NZ legislation, giving employees transparency through Employee Self-Service (ESS).

Alxemy works with organisations to configure custom leave rules for their unique contracts and work patterns, ensuring every employee is paid correctly and fairly.

5. Ensuring Accurate Award (IEA/CEA) & Pay Rate Management

The Challenge
Enterprises often employ a mix of permanent, casual, and contract staff, each with different agreements, overtime rules, and allowances. Manually tracking these in spreadsheets creates risk and inefficiency.

MYOB PayGlobal Solution
MYOB PayGlobal offers configurable pay rules and award interpretation engines that automatically apply the correct rates and conditions. Integration with rostering systems and time clocks ensures pay aligns with actual hours worked.

Alxemy’s payroll consultants help translate complex agreements into system logic so organisations maintain accuracy and trust across the workforce.

6. Streamlining Payroll Reporting & Analytics

The Challenge
Payroll data is a goldmine for finance and HR leaders, but extracting meaningful insight is often manual and time-consuming. Many teams still spend hours building reports for compliance or board reviews.

MYOB PayGlobal Solution
With real-time dashboards and integrated reporting, MYOB PayGlobal gives decision-makers instant visibility into labour costs, leave liabilities, and compliance metrics.

At Alxemy, we help clients design custom reports and analytics dashboards that link payroll to broader business insights, so leaders can make data-driven decisions without waiting for month-end.

7. Improving Payroll Efficiency & Speed

The Challenge
Long pay cycles and manual approval steps slow down operations and increase the risk of delays. This creates unnecessary pressure on payroll teams and reduces capacity for strategic work.

MYOB PayGlobal Solution
PayGlobal streamlines workflows through automation and configurable approval chains. Payroll can be processed faster with built-in checks to maintain accuracy and control.

Alxemy consultants help map these workflows to organisational structures, so teams gain efficiency without losing oversight.

8. Enabling Enterprise Scalability & Security

The Challenge
As organisations grow, so does the demand for secure, scalable systems. Merging entities, expanding workforces, and increased audit requirements can quickly outgrow basic payroll tools.

MYOB PayGlobal Solution
Built on a robust architecture, MYOB PayGlobal offers advanced permissions, user controls, and multi-layer security that protect sensitive data while supporting enterprise-scale growth whether your organisation employs 50 or 50,000 employees.

With Alxemy’s implementation support and ongoing governance frameworks, including consulting services and project management office expertise, businesses can grow with confidence that their payroll system will scale securely alongside them.

Why MYOB PayGlobal Is Ideal for NZ Organisations

Unlike generic off-the-shelf systems, MYOB PayGlobal is built for the New Zealand market, deeply aligned with local legislation and employment practices, and highly configurable. It combines HRIS, T&A, Rostering, and Payroll solutions into a single enterprise-ready system that supports compliance, efficiency, and strategic insight.

For many Alxemy clients, PayGlobal has been the foundation for transforming payroll from a reactive administrative task to a strategic function that supports business growth.

Learn more about our MYOB PayGlobal Services

Final Thoughts

Modern payroll is no longer just about paying people on time, it’s about building trust, maintaining compliance, and unlocking efficiency at scale.

With MYOB PayGlobal and Alxemy’s expert guidance, organisations can achieve a payroll operation that’s accurate, auditable, and ready for the future of work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What payroll challenges does MYOB PayGlobal solve?
It addresses core NZ payroll challenges: compliance, multi-site management, error reduction, leave calculation, pay rate accuracy, reporting, efficiency, and scalability.

Is MYOB PayGlobal compliant with NZ payroll laws?
Yes. It is regularly updated to reflect legislative changes such as the Holidays Act and KiwiSaver obligations.

Who uses MYOB PayGlobal in New Zealand?
It’s widely used by mid-to-large enterprises across industries, including public sector, healthcare, education, and manufacturing, that require complex payroll and HR integration.

How does PayGlobal improve payroll accuracy?
Through automation, audit trails, and rule-based configurations that eliminate manual data entry and reduce the risk of human error.

Simplify your HR and payroll today – Book your Dayforce consultation.

The Challenge: Manual Work Slows Projects Down

Many organisations struggle with the same delivery challenges:

• Meeting notes get lost or interpreted inconsistently.
• Risks escalate because they’re buried in emails or backlogs.
• Reporting becomes a manual, time-consuming task.
• Resource decisions rely on incomplete or outdated information.
• Project managers spend more time documenting progress than driving it.

The result is slower delivery, limited visibility, and uneven accountability.
These are not skill problems, they are system problems.

As project portfolios grow and stakeholder expectations increase, relying on manual processes only widens the gap between what teams want to deliver and what their tools allow them to achieve.

The Shift: From Manual Effort to Intelligent Delivery

Projects often slow down not because teams lack skill, but because information is scattered, reporting is manual, and decision-making depends on incomplete data.

AI changes this.

It brings structure to conversations, visibility to risks, and precision to planning. For PMOs, it means fewer administrative tasks and more time focused on delivery outcomes.

The question is no longer “Will AI replace project managers?”
It’s “How can AI help project managers lead with greater impact?”

The Insight: How Alxemy Uses AI to Strengthen PMO Delivery

AI helps PMOs tackle complexity with confidence. When designed well, AI enhances how teams capture information, make decisions, and plan ahead. It modernises project management without removing the human judgement that sits at the heart of great delivery.

Here’s how we use AI across Alxemy’s PMO services:

1. Microsoft Teams – Turning Conversations Into Structured Decisions

Meeting intelligence in Microsoft Teams captures notes, actions, decisions, and risks in real time. This removes manual effort and ensures consistent, accurate documentation.

Teams benefit from:

• Real-time transcription and searchable records

• Automatic capture of risks and decisions

• Faster preparation of project and executive reports

• Clearer follow-up and fewer repeated conversations

By removing the burden of recording and reinterpreting information, project managers stay focused on analysis, planning, and delivery.

2. JIRA Rovo – A Digital Project Assistant Built for Pace

Our JIRA environment is enhanced with Rovo, an AI assistant that brings intelligence into daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and backlog management.

Rovo supports teams by:

• Instantly retrieving relevant project data
• Summarising sprint outcomes and surfacing recurring patterns
• Recommending next actions or resource adjustments
• Highlighting blockers before they impact delivery
• Automating sprint reports and status updates

This turns JIRA from a task-tracking platform into a proactive intelligence hub, improving collaboration and accelerating decision-making.

3. Kantata AI Agents – Predictive Insights for Better Planning

Kantata’s AI Agents bring predictive capability to project and portfolio management. They provide the forward-looking visibility that PMOs need to stay ahead of cost, risk, and capacity demands.

We use Kantata to:

• Forecast resource demand and future utilisation
• Model “what-if” scenarios before changes are made
• Auto-generate financial and delivery reporting
• Predict budget consumption and profitability
• Monitor real-time project health

This moves the PMO from reactive reporting to proactive leadership, enabling organisations to make decisions based on live data rather than retrospective analysis.

4. ChatGPT – Everyday Delivery Support

We use ChatGPT as an AI partner for planning, documentation, and analysis.
It helps our PMs and PMO teams:

• Draft communications, project updates, and summaries.
• Refine structure for reports and business cases.
• Clarify complex information and make insights easier to share.
• Support decision-making by quickly surfacing relevant context or frameworks.

This allows teams to communicate faster and focus on delivery value rather than document formatting.

The Application: How We Use AI Across Project Management and PMO

AI is now part of how we plan, document, analyse, and communicate across every stage of delivery. It doesn’t replace people, it strengthens how our PMOs and project teams work.

Here’s how we use it to drive clarity, consistency, and better outcomes.

Lessons Learned

AI tools capture insights from retrospectives, debriefs, and project close-out sessions.
They turn scattered notes into clear themes: what worked well, what didn’t, and what should change next time.

Lessons are captured consistently and carried forward into future programmes.

Benefits Realisation

AI supports the creation and tracking of Benefits Realisation Plans. It summarises key data, highlights progress, and flags where outcomes are drifting off track, helping stakeholders see the full picture of benefits in motion.

Business Continuity Planning (BCP)

AI helps draft, review, and maintain continuity plans.It outlines response steps, creates checklists, and records outcomes from tests or simulations.

The result: documentation that’s accurate, current, and easy to follow when it matters most.

Risk Management

AI streamlines how we maintain risk registers. It summarises discussions, links impacts and mitigations, and highlights trends across projects, ensuring consistency and visibility for proactive management.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

AI assists in preparing UAT plans, test scripts, and acceptance criteria. It turns requirements into structured test cases and captures issues or feedback raised during testing, making UAT cycles faster and clearer.

Test Cases and Scripts

We use AI to transform user stories into detailed test cases. It identifies gaps, prompts for missing details, and ensures coverage across both functional and non-functional requirements.

Meeting Notes

AI-generated notes and transcripts become structured minutes automatically. Key points, actions, and decisions are captured consistently, creating reliable records for follow-up and reporting.

Summaries and Action Points

For long workshops or technical documents, AI condenses content into concise summaries and action lists with clear ownership. This makes it easier for teams to coordinate next steps and maintain momentum.

Overall Impact

• Greater Efficiency:
  Less admin time, more delivery focus.
• Consistency Across Programmes:
  Minutes, risk summaries, and test cases follow a clear, repeatable format.
• Better Knowledge Management:
  Insights, risks, and decisions are captured and searchable, improving organisational learning.

The Impact: What AI Enables for Alxemy and Our Clients

Our adoption of AI has created measurable improvements across projects, programmes, and PMO engagements.

Greater Efficiency and Focus

AI reduces administrative work by up to 80%, allowing project managers to spend more time on stakeholder engagement, risk mitigation, and strategic planning.

On mid-complex projects with 20+ stakeholders, PMs typically spend only 5–10 hours per week managing delivery with no loss of clarity or control.

Stronger Governance and Accountability

Automated meeting notes and centralised decision logs reduce miscommunication and ensure consistency across teams. Every risk, action, and decision is captured and visible.

This enhances accountability and reduces rework.

Improved Budget Control

With stronger forecasting and real-time data, 100% of our projects remain within budget.
Predictive visibility allows teams to adjust resources early, not after issues escalate.

Faster Knowledge Transfer

AI makes it easy for new PMs or support staff to step into a project at any time.
Transcripts, summaries, reports, and dashboards ensure smooth transitions and maintain delivery continuity.

A Culture of Transparency and Collaboration

AI-enabled transcription and summarisation make it easier for teams to stay aligned, even when working across time zones or hybrid environments. Everyone has access to the same information, the same decisions, and the same context.

This creates a delivery culture built on clarity and shared ownership.

AI Helps PMOs Deliver with Confidence

AI is not about replacing project managers – it is about strengthening them.
It enables teams to move faster, make better decisions, and operate with greater visibility and control. When paired with strong PMO structures, AI becomes a powerful enabler of project excellence.

If you’re exploring how AI can support your next programme or improve the way your organisation delivers projects, we’d love to help.

Talk to our team about how AI-powered PMO delivery can create clarity, accelerate performance, and unlock better outcomes for your projects.