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Artificial Intelligence and Productivity: From Chaos to Control

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Artificial Intelligence and Productivity:
From Chaos to Control

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping everyday work but without method, it can create even more noise.

This hands‑on program shows how to use AI to reduce chaos, regain focus and improve work quality.

Through a clear, practical learning path, participants learn how to ask better, turn scattered information into useful outputs and design simple workflows with human control.

A work‑centred experience for those who want to move from improvisation to conscious control of AI‑assisted productivity.

Program:

Module 1 - Understanding AI at Work

Module 2 - Asking AI Better

Module 3 - Turning Information into Useful Work

Module 4 - Designing AI Workflows


Start date: May 25th, 2026
Applications until May 24th. 

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Project

  • AI4AP Logo
    Artificial Intelligence & Data Science for Public Administration Portugal Innovation Hub
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Curricular
Unit		 Program Annual Prize
Value
  • caption text
  • Vagas

    Format

    Online

  • Media

    Length

    4 days, 1 hour/day

  • Semestres

    Attendance

    12p.m. to 1p.m.
    May 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th

  • Lingua2

    Start Date

    May 25th 2026

Support: AI4PA Portugal – Artificial Intelligence & Data Science for Public Administration | Portugal Innovation Hub (PRR), with a 100% fee waiver available for eligible organizations, in accordance with the program’s eligibility criteria.

Who is it for?

This program is designed for professionals, managers and teams who want to use Artificial Intelligence to work better, with more focus, clarity and quality, without losing human control or professional rigor.

It is particularly suited for:

  • Managers and team leaders facing information overload, unproductive meetings and rework, who want to improve productivity without increasing pressure.
  • Professionals in public administration, SMEs or start‑ups working daily with emails, documents, data, reports and repetitive processes.
  • Roles related to operations, project management, HR, innovation, communication, technology or digital transformation looking to structure AI use in everyday work.
  • Decision‑makers who need clear, traceable and validated outputs, and want to reduce operational friction safely.
  • Professionals curious about AI who want to move from informal experimentation to a structured, responsible and transferable practice.

This program is ideal for those who want to turn everyday work chaos into clearer, more efficient and sustainable processes, using AI as an ally, not as an additional source of noise.

Why choose this program

This program is designed to address very concrete challenges of contemporary work: information overload, constant interruptions, rework, context switching and the pressure to respond quickly without sacrificing quality.

The training combines asynchronous content with live online sessions, offering full flexibility while maintaining guidance, structured discussion and hands‑on practice. Participants learn how to use AI effectively in everyday work, from asking better and validating outputs, to turning scattered information into useful results and designing simple workflows with human control.

Throughout the program, widely used professional tools (such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, Claude, NotebookLM, Google AI Studio and Make) are explored through real office scenarios, inspired by recognizable situations that are transferable to both public and private organizations.

All content is available 24/7 via the NOVA IMS Data.On platform, enabling participants to revisit materials, reuse prompts and apply exercises at their own pace, supporting practical, sustainable and results‑oriented learning.

The program is delivered by NOVA IMS faculty, with both academic and applied experience in artificial intelligence, data science and complex systems, within an institution that includes researchers ranked among the Top 2% Scientists worldwide.

This academic framework ensures scientific rigor, critical thinking and a responsible approach to AI adoption, focused on improving work quality, output reliability and organizational well‑being.

General Information

The Artificial Intelligence and Productivity: From Chaos to Control program is designed to help professionals and teams understand and apply Artificial Intelligence in everyday work, with a focus on reducing friction, improving output quality and restoring focus.

Through a flexible, practice‑driven online learning journey, participants learn how to use AI effectively in real office tasks, from emails, documents and meetings, to building robust prompts, reusable outputs and simple workflows with human control.

The methodology combines asynchronous content, available 24/7 on the NOVA IMS Data.On platform, with live online sessions dedicated to demonstration, guided practice and structured discussion. Realistic cases inspired by everyday work scenarios enable immediate and transferable application in both public and private organizations.

The primary language of the program is Portuguese.

Key benefits:

  • Clear and practical understanding of AI applied to productivity
  • Reduction of rework, context switching and operational noise
  • Development of prompting, validation and tool‑selection skills
  • Transformation of scattered information into useful, reusable outputs
  • Exposure to widely used tools and methods in professional settings
  • Flexible learning supported by academic rigor and real‑world relevance

Program

The program is structured into 4 one‑hour modules, designed as a progressive learning journey. It starts by framing AI in real work contexts, moves into better prompting, then focuses on turning information into useful outputs, and concludes with workflow design and light automation.

Each module combines conceptual framing, live demonstration, guided hands‑on practice and debrief.

  • Module 1 - Understanding AI at Work

    Productivity, friction and focus / Where AI applies and where it doesn’t

     

    This module sets the conceptual foundation of the program and introduces the core narrative of the series The Office (“an institution in chaos mode”), where emails, meetings, repetitive tickets, urgent reports, and lack of focus compete for the same mental bandwidth. Participants learn what AI means in a work context, what LLMs do well, where they fall short, and why productivity with AI should be understood as friction reduction rather than blind acceleration of workload.

    Key subtopics

    • What AI, generative AI, LLMs, and agents are
    • AI, productivity, and mental health at work
    • Assistants, copilots, agents, and workflows
    • The typical office problem: excess context and lack of clarity
    • Reading the narrative case and identifying early signs of operational friction

     

  • Module 2 - Asking AI Better

    Prompting with structure, clarity and control / Working with AI with method, clarity, and structure

     

    After understanding the conceptual map, participants move into the operational dimension of prompting.

    This module focuses on the anatomy of robust prompts, particularly the Objective, Source, Context, Expectation (OSCE) model, complemented by frameworks such as RISE (Role, Instructions, Steps, End Goal) and CARE (Context, Action, Result, Example) for technical, operational tasks and more structured outputs.

    Example:
    “Act as an operations analyst. Analyze these meeting notes. 1) extract decisions, 2) identify actions, 3) assign owner and deadline. Finally, return a table ready for tracking.”

    Google AI Studio is introduced as a lab for prompt quality, structured output, JSON, and controlled prototyping.

    Key subtopics

    • What prompt engineering is
    • Anatomy of a strong prompt
    • OSCE model: Objective, Source, Context, Expectation
    • Complementary frameworks: RISE and CARE
    • Useful patterns and anti-patterns
    • Structured output, JSON, and response control
    • Lab: meeting notes → JSON → executive summary

     

  • Module 3 - Turning Information into Useful Work

    Documents, data and decisions / Organized information

     

    This module shows how AI can transform scattered information into useful work. Participants learn how to work with emails, meeting minutes, briefings, tables, Excel, PDFs, and pipelines, experimenting with multiple tools for the same task to understand which is best depending on the objective, output format, and validation needs. The focus is on generating decision-ready outputs, formal responses, executive summaries, FAQs, action plans, and reusable deliverables.

    Key subtopics

    • Summarizing and restructuring documents
    • Working with tables, pipelines, and operational analysis
    • Comparing tools within the same use case
    • Converting text into tables, checklists, FAQs, briefings, or minutes
    • Choosing the best output format: text, table, JSON, or workflow
    • Lab: emails + Excel + memo + tool comparison

     

  • Module 4 - Designing AI Workflows

    Light automation, agents, and human oversight / Less copy‑paste, more flow

     

    In the final module, the program moves from interacting with AI to process design. Participants learn the difference between a one-off interaction and a workflow, understand where agents fit in, how to design human checkpoints, and how to use tools like Make to prototype simple, realistic automations. The goal is to show that automation is not about removing the human element, but about removing repetitive steps, copy-paste, and manual logging—while preserving human judgment in sensitive, ambiguous, or reputational decisions.

    Key subtopics

    • What a workflow is
    • Differences between assistant, copilot, agent, and flow
    • Trigger → transform → decide → output → loop
    • Human checkpoints and escalation criteria
    • Introduction to Make
    • Designing simple, realistic flows
    • Final challenge: a mini-workflow transferable to real work

     

 

Pedagogical approach

The program follows a highly practical methodology, based on short guided input, demonstration, assisted practice, and debrief, with incremental development from concept to prototype. The narrative thread inspired by the cult TV series The Office helps translate abstract concepts into relatable workplace situations, while maintaining a focus on real cases: unfiltered inboxes, ineffective meeting minutes, repetitive requests, incomplete briefings, misaligned pipelines, and excessive out-of-hours communication.

 

Objectives

By the end of the program, participants will be able to:

  • Clearly distinguish AI, generative AI, LLMs, assistants, copilots, agents and workflows in plain, work‑oriented language.
  • Understand the connection between Artificial Intelligence, productivity, work quality and organizational well‑being.
  • Apply prompting frameworks to real office tasks with greater control and reliable outcomes.
  • Critically evaluate and select tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, Claude, NotebookLM, Google AI Studio and Make.
  • Turn emails, notes, documents, tables and meetings into useful, reusable and validated outputs.
  • Design mini‑workflows with human checkpoints, validation criteria and responsible AI adoption principles.

Calendar

Four one‑hour modules, designed as a progressive learning journey.

Program Schedule

Day 1 - May 25
Time: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: Online, NOVA IMS Data.On

Day 2 - May 26
Time: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: Online, NOVA IMS Data.On

Day 3 - May 27
Time: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: Online, NOVA IMS Data.On

Day 4 - May 28
Time: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: Online, NOVA IMS Data.On

Admissions and Investment

Start date: May 25th, 2026

  • Application

    Is a bachelor’s degree required?

    Not applicable.

    Are there attendance requirements?

    Not applicable.

  • Investment

     

    Up to 100% funding available for eligible entities*.

    Under the AI4PA Portugal – Artificial Intelligence & Data Science for Public Administration Portugal Innovation Hub project, this program can be attended at no cost by participants from eligible entities, with up to 100% funding granted within the scope of AI4PA Portugal (application no. 1172), integrated into the Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) initiative, under AAC no. 03/C16‑i03/2022.

    *Eligible entities: Public Administration, SMEs, and Start-ups.

    For non-eligible entities, the tuition fee is €200 (VAT exempt under Article 9 of the VAT Code).

     

  • Certification

    Upon completion of the course, participants will receive an official NOVA IMS Certificate of Participation.

Contacts

For more information about this course, please contact:

Renata Barateiro
Marketing and Admissions Coordinator for Executive Education
Marketing & Admissions Department

+351 213 828 619

executive@novaims.unl.pt