{"id":286,"date":"2019-08-21T11:10:43","date_gmt":"2019-08-21T09:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbi.ai\/blog\/?p=286"},"modified":"2024-02-28T19:22:26","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T18:22:26","slug":"unlocking-ai-potential-in-e-commerce-project-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbi.ai\/blog\/2019\/08\/21\/unlocking-ai-potential-in-e-commerce-project-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Unlocking AI potential in e-commerce and online business \u2013 Project Management"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome! Our “Unlocking AI potential in e-commerce and online business<\/strong>” series aims to provide basic guidance on applying AI (Artificial Intelligence) in businesses which use the internet as a primary source for delivering value to their customers. In this article, we focus on the processes and workflow in AI-related projects. Enjoy your reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI project life cycle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A common beginner\u2019s mistake is considering an AI project to be a regular software development project. That\u2019s why we think it\u2019s important to point out how these two differ in the workflow, goals and deliverables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Are you new to AI and Machine Learning? We recommend the first article<\/a> in our “Unlocking AI potential in e-commerce and online business” dealing with basic concepts. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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AI development is not just software development <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes we work with companies that are trying to use tools and procedures typical for engineering processes when it comes to prototyping an AI. In those cases, software engineers are in charge of analytical tasks. This often leads to a wrong goal metric, missed deadlines and time wasted on unnecessary meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Software<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Software development<\/strong> is like building a house. The goal is obvious from the very beginning, defined via product features whose specification usually does not change during the whole development process. Milestones are clear, progress can be easily measured and each product feature can be tested using unit tests. You can easily split independent tasks among several development teams.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"AI<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

AI development<\/strong>, on the other hand, is iterative research which could be compared to solving a puzzle or finding a path in a maze. The primary goal can be changed repeatedly based on new findings from the data. Instead of product features, there is the precision and consistence of mathematical models which can be tricky to measure correctly. Success or failure depends on the quality of the data and the ability to simulate reality. All these aspects mean you need to bear in mind greater uncertainty which is caused by data variability and changing conditions. In any case, you will gain valuable insights which will help you with strategic decisions and push your business forward. When it comes to creating a team, quality is much more important than quantity. Two or three experts who are familiar with the business domain and state-of-the-art technologies always outperform an army of freshers and junior analysts. That\u2019s because AI projects are about the right ideas and inventive thinking, not just about the number of man-days spent coding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to leverage AI in e-commerce and online business, you need the right tools. One of them is a good understanding of AI project processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CRISP-DM and its role in AI projects <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Do you already have some experience with analytics? If you do, you might be familiar with CRISP-DM<\/strong> (Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining). It\u2019s been around since 1996, originally crafted by five companies: Daimler AG, Integral Solutions Ltd (ISL), NCR Corporation, OHRA and Teradata. CRISP-DM is a widely used process model which describes workflow typical for almost any data-related project. Thankfully, AI projects are in many ways similar to regular data-related projects.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"CRISP-DM\"
CRISP-DM<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n