Update for GFT AI.DA Marketplace: AI support for complex product development

Stuttgart, 16 November 2023 – Development processes are often complex and non-transparent. In the automotive industry, for example, many thousands of employees in hundreds of teams are usually involved in the development of new vehicles. Engenion from GFT uses AI to create transparency. This allows projects to be carried out much more efficiently.

The project portfolio management software (PPM) helps to significantly reduce product development costs. AI-supported modules utilise experience from past projects and enable improved deployment of the entire team and the corresponding resources. The software thus ensures optimised use of budgets.

"Thanks to our expertise and solutions relating to AI and data-driven business models, which we have bundled in the GFT AI.DA Marketplace, our clients can integrate the latest technologies quickly and easily," says GFT CEO Marika Lulay. "The launch of Engenion is a milestone, and further solutions will follow."

More efficient product development and robust, success-oriented project management

Engenion is part of the GFT AI.DA Marketplace, a platform that combines predictive and generative AI technologies and data analytics. The GFT AI.DA Marketplace promotes the development and introduction of AI applications by providing a comprehensive collection of use cases, methods, reference architectures and preconfigured solutions. This helps to significantly accelerate the digital transformation.

"Product development is often a long process with many uncertainties. But it doesn't have to be that way," says Kathrin Günther, responsible for GFT's product business. "Engenion uses the latest AI technologies to optimise the allocation of development costs and increase the success rate. Engenion is the lever for more efficient product development and robust, success-oriented project management."

AI enables support in project work

GFT is utilising the latest AI technology to transform the way users interact with their PPM. Through the Engenion Assistant, the data-driven AI assistant for PPM, users can interact with the PPM in a question/answer manner, allowing seamless access to PPM data without having to navigate through the traditional user interface. This tool can answer any questions about projects, budgets, resources or other data within the PPM system. It addresses the different needs of executives, senior management, project managers, portfolio managers, resource managers and team members.

Examples of other use cases are

• a user-guide assistant that provides low-threshold access to technical documentation,
• the automated creation of graphical reports
• or an automated grouping and level assignment of employees based on project participation and deployment time.

When developing products, a large amount of data must be processed. This includes information on past projects as well as that of the new product. The conventional approach with spreadsheet software no longer fulfils the requirements of digital transformation. The Engenion PPM collects all information and combines all systems into one. This enables real-time access to the latest data.

All data in one system: efficient communication across all levels

Engenion promotes agile working on a standardised information basis. An authorisation concept can be used to precisely control who has access to which information and when. Adjusting the values immediately shows the effects on the planned budget and time-to-market. Planning becomes efficient and calculable. The allocation of key personnel to the most important tasks across several projects is efficient and sustainable.

Engenion users benefit from

• transparent tracking of budgets and project costs in a portfolio comparison
• intelligent resource management
• overview of all data, viewable in real time in a single system
• optimised workflows and improved collaboration
• Easy-to-use, intuitive AI-supported interface

Engenion is based on an innovative approach called Object-Activity-Value (OAV), which redefines the structuring of projects along the actual product components and the associated activities. With OAV, projects can be focused on the development of specific products. This enables a granular breakdown of products into their individual parts. By linking activities and resource requirements to the development of these parts, budgets can be allocated directly and transparently for each product or product component.