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Interview

The Future of Project Management: How AI Paves the Way for cplace Citizen AI

July 23, 2024 | 5 min

Artificial IntelligenceCitizen Development / No-Code / Low-CodeProject and Portfolio Management

Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in project management. We are also driving this development. In this interview, Navid Heidemann, Head of Product at cplace, shares insights on how AI is currently being used in project management. He also discusses the introduction of cplace Citizen AI and the value it brings to our customers. 

Artificial Intelligence at cplace – Citizen AI

Navid, why is AI indispensable in project management?

AI is here to stay, and its impact is as disruptive as the introduction of the iPhone or the widespread availability of the internet. This technology has quickly established itself. In project management, AI was long seen as just a buzzword – a vision of a future where AI would help project managers achieve greater success by making predictive decisions, optimizing resource allocation, effort estimations, and scheduling. However, for a long time, it remained unfeasible. 

Thanks to advancements in generative AI, especially since the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, this vision is now rapidly becoming a reality. However, what is truly happening is a shift from “Predictive Project Management” to “Productive Project Managers.” While AI predictions are valuable, we believe that the unique complexity of projects and the necessity for human collaboration will always heavily rely on human expertise, experience, and networking. The real opportunity lies in leveraging AI to offload repetitive tasks, increase efficiency, and boost productivity. AI can handle repetitive tasks, allowing project managers and PMOs to concentrate more on their core processes. 

What can AI do in project management today? What is the current state of technology?

In 2024, AI is set to revolutionize enterprise applications within large organizations. The current state of AI technology, especially with the advent of GenAI and Large Language Models, has made significant strides. Foundational models that many are familiar with from personal use are now being effectively integrated into enterprise products. The key is harnessing these models to their full potential in a business context, and it’s magical to see how powerful they already are.  

Early adopters of AI will achieve greater efficiency and success, securing a competitive edge. AI can automate routine tasks, enhance accuracy, and provide intelligent decision support, leading to faster and better-monitored project completions. With minimal context, these advanced models can deliver substantial value, transforming project management processes to be more adaptive, efficient, and reliable.

How is AI currently utilized in cplace?

At cplace, we follow the principle “Flexibility by Design” because flexibility matters. Especially in project management, flexibility and adaptability are key to success. We have developed a solution that employs AI not for its own sake, but to reach as many users as possible. In cplace, we empower business users without technical backgrounds to build or adapt their solutions using No- and Low-Code – we call this Citizen Development. AI within cplace needed to be a natural extension of this philosophy. We are currently rolling out our new capability, cplace Citizen AI, to the first customers. It is the logical evolution of Citizen Development. It brings generative AI into our No- and Low-Code SDKs and integrates seamlessly into existing or new project management workflows. I am proud to say that this initiative is mainly driven by two very talented individuals in our product and engineering organization. Their innovative thinking and dedication are instrumental in delivering cplace Citizen AI to our customers. 

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What value does this bring to cplace customers?

The approach is crucial and valuable for our customers. Instead of providing selected AI features, we offer cplace Citizen AI as a tool to integrate AI into existing or new processes. Customers can decide for themselves in which use cases AI should be applied. The benefits are enormous and can be fully realized by the customers themselves. From increasing efficiency and accuracy in project management to automating routine tasks and providing intelligent decision support, projects can be completed faster and monitored more effectively. 

What does the use of AI mean for various roles like project managers, business analysts, or risk managers?

AI is transforming various roles within project management by streamlining tasks and enhancing efficiency. For project managers, AI can generate comprehensive project briefs with minimal input, allowing for quick refinement and execution. PMOs, Scrum Masters, and Product Owners can save hours of work by using AI to automate routine documentation or summarize meeting notes.  

At cplace, we categorize AI capabilities into three areas: simple tasks, structured tasks, and embedded tasks. 

  1. Simple Task Completion: These include text expansion, summarization, and translation features familiar from other AI solutions. Integrated within cplace, these tasks enhance user efficiency without the need to leave the platform. It’s commodity, but this creates instant value for everyone working in cplace, from Portfolio Managers to Project Individuals.
  2. Structured Task Completion: cplace Citizen AI assists in more complex tasks such as suggesting cplace pages, modifying existing data, or analyzing data. This allows the project teams to populate Kanban Boards, create Gantt Charts from given templates, and create detailed reports and charts, all in real-time within cplace
  3. Embedded Task Completion: cplace Citizen AI is embedded within existing workflows to provide contextual support. For example, it can generate management summaries before key decisions or supporting risk managers by suggesting appropriate measures for mitigating project risks, leading to faster and more reliable project outcomes.

These capabilities collectively create a powerful, seamless experience. We are excited to see our customers leverage cplace Citizen AI to enhance their workflows and drive productivity. 

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What are the biggest challenges organizations face when implementing AI within their project management solutions, and how does cplace help overcome these challenges?

One of the most significant and frequently mentioned challenges is data and information security. Questions like “Do you train your models with my data?” and “Where is my data stored, and who else can access it?” are common concerns. At cplace, we address these challenges by providing a secure and flexible integration of GenAI models. We do not train or create custom models; instead, we give you access to either your custom models or existing foundational models from the provider of your choice, whether it be Microsoft Azure, Google, AWS, or OpenAI. You decide the appropriate service and model for your use case, and you can even mix and match them for efficiency. 

Customers can choose their preferred AI service and model, use AI in existing or new projects, and apply the AI-Need-to-Know principle along with a Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) approach to maximize security and efficiency. Our BYOK approach ensures that customers have full control over their data security, providing peace of mind and fostering trust. The AI Need-to-Know principle guarantees that the GenAI only accesses the necessary data chunks – adhering to the principle of “as much as needed, as little as possible” – giving users confidence that AI is being used appropriately and effectively within their projects. 

What is your vision for cplace and AI?

Our vision for cplace and AI is to make the transformative power of generative AI accessible to everyone, revolutionizing project management. cplace stands as the only platform for Next-Generation Project and Portfolio Management, and this includes a robust AI strategy designed to deliver direct value to users. 

With cplace Citizen AI, we empower users to seamlessly integrate GenAI into their workflows, automating repetitive tasks and enhancing efficiency while maintaining human expertise at the core. This vision is already a reality as we collaborate with early adopters who are leveraging cplace Citizen AI to drive success in their organizations. We are looking forward to sharing more about the first success stories at this year’s cplace Day. 

As mentioned earlier, central to our approach is the concept of flexibility by design. Our platform supports end-users in completing tasks faster and enables developers to accelerate solution development. Customers and Partners in our cplace community will be able to share cplace Citizen AI use cases. By exchanging cplace Citizen AI bits and examples, we collaborate across company borders, enhancing the collective innovation in AI-infused project management solutions. 

Looking ahead, we aim to provide prebuilt AI use cases for project and portfolio managers in our new Premium Apps Resource Management and Gantt, and comprehensive toolkits for developers. This will further support our vision of creating an open, collaborative ecosystem that drives continuous innovation in Next-Gen PPM. 

About the Interview Partner

Navid Heidemann, Head of Product, cplace

Navid Heidemann has significantly influenced the product development of cplace over the past decade. His commitment to integrating traditional and agile methodologies in PPM has led to significant innovations. Navid is dedicated to democratizing AI in PPM, empowering all users at cplace to optimize operations and strategic insights through cplace Citizen AI. 

To the LinkedIn profile
Navid Heidemann

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