In this episode of AI Today, host Kathleen Walch welcomes Cheryl Howard, principal consultant at Howard Consulting, PMI standards volunteer, and PMI‑CPMAI certified. Cheryl shares how CPMAI’s structured, iterative framework, combining CRISP‑DM and Agile, helps organizations move beyond hype to deliver governed, human-centered AI outcomes.

She explains that AI project success starts with business understanding and clean, well-prepared data, not rushing into model development. Together, Kathleen and Cheryl highlight how CPMAI ensures ethical, explainable, and auditable outcomes, especially in regulated industries. Cheryl emphasizes enduring human skills such as critical thinking, governance, trust, and accountability are essential for project leaders navigating AI adoption.

Key insights include:

• AI success requires data that is clean, accessible, and properly prepared.
• Progress depends on clear accountability to prevent stalled pilots.
• Leaders must ask not only what AI can do but whether it should be done at all.
• Adoption fails when fatigue and overload outweigh readiness.
• Confidence grows when stakeholders are involved early, and outputs are explainable.

Cheryl discusses how AI will soon be embedded in projects by default, but readiness requires durable frameworks like CPMAI and enduring human leadership to ensure measurable, ethical outcomes.