How does an organization’s project management leap to a new level with a new tool?

Project managers now have a secret weapon. AI can finally be harnessed as the engine of a project in an unprecedentedly holistic way. Once you enter the project’s starting data into the ProjectBuddy tool, it takes hold of the project and guides the user safely toward the goal.

“A lot happens under ProjectBuddy’s hood at the same time,” confirms Mirva Härmä, head of the ProjectBuddy team. The team is part of PMO Consulting Oy.

When project routines are automated, the time saved is massive — up to 15 hours per week. At the same time, the sense of control improves: ProjectBuddy’s dashboard view shows at a glance how the project is progressing — and what to do next.

“ProjectBuddy offers a rich real-time view of where we’re headed, but equally important is how the tool looks ahead and prepares different scenarios for it,” says Härmä.

But how did Mirva Härmä and her team get inspired to create something like ProjectBuddy?

Härmä is a seasoned project lead who looked for a suitable tool to streamline reporting on a large initiative. When she couldn’t find one, she began to wonder whether they should build it themselves.

“We had this idea and we soon confirmed that it could be implemented technically. We did market research and became convinced that there really is room for this kind of product on the market.”

The first version of the tool, ProjectBuddy Pro, was released on April Fools’ Day 2025, and a new version already came out in September.

“First impressions: the comprehensiveness was stunning — something other tools can’t match.”

Anssi Sorsa, IQI’s program director, took part in a ProjectBuddy pilot last fall to find out everything the new tool could do. IQI is a strategic IT and business change consulting partner, and Sorsa has 36 years of IT consulting experience.

The professional project manager currently leading a team of ten program directors has seen almost everything in his career. Or so he thought.

“Everyone’s jaws dropped. The efficiency demonstrated in the pilot was dazzling, and especially the possibility of scenario thinking and weighing different options made an impression,” Sorsa admits.

“In project planning, ProjectBuddy goes commendably deep and delivers value immediately,” he adds.

The experienced program director also knows that the software is only as good as the data you feed it. Sorsa advises taking a moment to think about what information is entered into ProjectBuddy — what the keywords are, what level of detail each goal needs.

“When I did the groundwork carefully in the first pilot exercise, the program worked wonders.”

The most surprising thing in the pilot was how sharp the insight ProjectBuddy offered in just minutes, as the software moves from the detail level to strategic advisor in a flash.

The program director team led by Sorsa was equally impressed: it felt like a real turning point that could shake up business dramatically.

“AI has already brought us a certain proliferation of tools, but ProjectBuddy’s impact on how we use time and how we think is huge,” Sorsa praises.

At the same time, appetite grows for an even bigger slice: the next product, ProjectBuddy Enterprise, is a portal suited to large organizations that enables smooth management of entire project portfolios.

“Our customers have asked for a portfolio-level tool, and we launched it at the end of March,” reveals Mirva Härmä.

ProjectBuddy brand created by Maarja Kotkas, Mimage Oy.

A leadership tool for the whole organization, not just a project tool

- Real-time situational picture of the portfolio and projects for decision-making from a single view.

- Continuously analyzes project data and gives concrete recommendations without manual reporting.

- Identifies dependencies and impacts between projects before they cause delays or cost overruns.

Learn more: projectbuddy.ai

The original article appeared on Helsingin Sanomat as sponsored content (mainos). More: www.hs.fi/mainos/art-2000011900531.html