The next step in AI-supported resource planning
AI is a priority for Rillsoft’s continued development. We want to help project planners understand bottlenecks faster, compare options and assess how changes affect schedules and resources. Our focus is on the decisions that arise every day when several projects compete for limited capacity.
Our first two priorities are deeper planning assistance and comparing alternatives with targeted rescheduling. Further directions include forecasts based on planned and actual project data. In parallel, we research learning-based optimization. The foundation is the calculation in Rillsoft Project and the access already available to AI assistants.
Updated: October 4, 2026. This roadmap distinguishes workflows available today, development directions under review and research. Priorities describe our direction; they are not release dates.
A shared foundation for planning and delivery
The Rillsoft products contribute at different points in a project’s lifecycle:
| Product | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Rillsoft Project | Handles planning and calculation. Qualifications, resources, dependencies and dates are considered within the same plan. Capacity demand can be checked before individual employees are assigned. |
| Rillsoft Integration Server | Provides central project data, permissions and collaboration. Its REST interface connects the components and supports system integration. |
| Rillsoft Cloud | Provides this server environment operated by Rillsoft. Complex planning continues to take place in the desktop client. |
| Rillsoft Connect | Links delivery to the shared data: capture time and documents on mobile devices, view the plan on site in read-only mode and synchronize data. The app requires Integration Server or Rillsoft Cloud. |
| AI interface in Project | Gives a connected assistant access to the open plan: read, build, change and analyze it. The scheduling engine calculates dates, capacity and the critical path. |
This lets further development build on existing workflows. Learn more about Rillsoft Project, Integration Server and Rillsoft Connect.
What you can do with AI today
The local MCP server in Rillsoft Project 10 is available. Our AI hub documents three tested workflows for a connected assistant, among others:
Summarize project status from the plan
The assistant reads the project structure, conflicts and baseline, then writes a status report. Statements about progress and variances require maintained actual data, a status date and a suitable baseline. The report draws on the information in the project. See the tested workflow.
Staff open roles with reasons for each proposal
Qualifications, availability, free capacity and scheduling conflicts form the basis of a staffing proposal. In the documented workflow, the assistant is instructed to wait for the planner’s confirmation before assigning people. It then checks which needs remain unfilled. Candidate lists and staffing assistants require the relevant license; assignment requires write access. See the staffing workflow.
Check the effects of a schedule change
A specific change can be assessed by comparing the capacity view before and after it. The scheduling engine calculates the effects in the open project or portfolio; the assistant explains the differences. This is today’s foundation for more extensive comparison of alternatives. See the before-and-after example.
These workflows use an external AI client. Each call that makes a change is a separate undo step; read-only mode prevents changes. The MCP server runs locally in the desktop application. What the AI client sends to its provider depends on that client and its settings.
Priority 1: deepen AI assistance in daily planning
Development direction: under review. We want to build on existing workflows, from identifying a bottleneck to explaining staffing proposals and checking the effects of a change. Planners should spend less time gathering separate reports and find it easier to see which decision needs attention next.
One example illustrates this direction: two employees are absent next week. Today, an assistant can query the affected capacity and suitable candidates. The intended next step is to connect these actions into clear proposals: which qualification is missing, who could help, and which needs would remain unfilled even after reassignment?
Rillsoft’s focus is the connection between demand, qualifications and timing in the calculated plan. Existing conflict detection provides the foundation; AI adds value by explaining findings and preparing options. For context on project creation and planning approaches, see the comparison with GanttPRO.
Priority 2: compare alternatives and reschedule selectively
Development direction: under review. A single staffing proposal is often insufficient when someone is absent. We are exploring how to compare several alternatives using the same input data and constraints: assign different people, move work or change its sequence.
The assessment should show how each option affects deadline performance, overload and plan stability. Reducing overload may mean later dates or more changes. These trade-offs should be clear to the planner.
For the two absent employees, the aim is to explore revised plans, preserve committed dates where possible and explain effects on other projects. Fixed assignments and permitted changes must be defined explicitly. If the goals cannot all be met, the proposal should explain the conflict.
Today’s before-and-after workflow checks one specific change. The next step should make several options comparable down to individual activities. The scope of the open project or portfolio remains essential. This does not promise unattended, continuous replanning. The comparison with Meisterplan also discusses the relationship between portfolio decisions and operational planning.
Further direction: learn from plans and actual work
Development direction: under review. Planned and actual project histories could help estimate remaining effort and schedule risks earlier. Feedback available through Integration Server, including data from Rillsoft Connect, is one possible source.
First, we need to establish which histories are available at sufficient quality and how reliable forecasts based on them can be. For planners, the added value would be a reasoned indication of likely developments beyond the current plan. This learning-based feedback process is not a committed product feature today.
In parallel: research into resource optimization
Status: research. Rillsoft studies two tasks separately: assigning employees to activities and distributing resource workloads over time. Generated project plans provide the training and test data.
Whether a method provides better options must be assessed against existing methods. Criteria include conflicts, deadline performance, valid assignments, plan stability and computing time. Research results should be judged against these measures. Our page on AI research for planning optimization explains the methods and evaluation.
Strengthen the product foundation
Reliable calculations, clear interfaces and stable integrations support this development. AI assistance for REST integrations and more targeted fault analysis and test generation are also under review. They should support integration work and quality assurance. Planning with limited resources remains our main functional focus.
Development directions at a glance
| Focus | Aim | Status |
|---|---|---|
| AI access in Project | Report, staff roles, check effects | Available today |
| 1. Assistance in Project | Explain bottlenecks and options | Under review |
| 2. Alternatives in Project | Balance dates and capacity | Under review |
| Plans and actual data | Build a basis for forecasts | Under review |
| Learning methods | Improve staffing and workloads | Research |
This overview sets out our strategic emphasis. Scope and order may change as we learn from development, research and user feedback. For released features, see What’s new in Rillsoft Project 10.
Explore the approach today
Try one of the linked workflows on rillsoft.ai. Our projektbeispiele.de hub provides planning examples from several industries (in German). The comparison overview helps you assess other planning tools.
Want to get to know Rillsoft? Try Rillsoft Project. To share a planning situation that could inform further development, contact us.