Leadership wants a new HR system built that will better handle potential candidate matching. The project manager assigned to this project believes that the project is well-suited for AI, however they are unsure which pattern of AI this would be. What should the project manager do?

In CPMAI v7 Phase 1 (“Business & Data Understanding”), the project manager must determine which of the six recognised AI “patterns” (classification, prediction, recognition, etc.) the use-case fits before any detailed data collection or staffing occurs. Identifying the correct pattern drives the downstream selection of algorithms, data characteristics, skill profiles, and success criteria. Proceeding without that determination risks misaligned datasets, inadequate skills, and project failure. Therefore the PM should first determine the AI pattern and only then move forward.

A. Skips mandatory CPMAI Phase 1 task; violates methodology gate.
B. Selecting an algorithm first reverses CPMAI order; pattern precedes technique.
C. Choice of pattern is an analytic activity, not a popularity vote; straw poll is improper.

1. Cognilytica. “CPMAI Methodology v7 – Phase 1: Business & Data Understanding”, §1.4 Identify AI Pattern, pp. 14-16.

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 6.S897 “Machine Learning Systems Design” Lecture 3 slides 22-24 (pattern selection informs data & team skills).

3. IBM Cloud Pak for Data 4.8 Documentation, “Plan your AI project”, Step 2 Identify the AI pattern.