Within PMI-CPMAI guidance on AI readiness and capability enablement, a clearly identified gap in data knowledge and experience is treated as a critical skills and competency risk. The framework emphasizes that AI projects are highly dependent on data literacy, understanding of data sources, structure, quality, and regulatory constraints. When such gaps exist, PMI-consistent practice is to bring in specialized expertise to both support the current initiative and uplift the organization’s internal capabilities.

Hiring an external data consultant provides immediate access to deep data expertise, including data modeling, governance, privacy, and AI-specific data requirements. This expert can perform targeted assessments, help define data strategies, guide data preparation, and deliver focused training or coaching to the project team. PMI-CPMAI stresses that leveraging external SMEs is often the most effective way to de-risk complex AI implementations when internal skills are insufficient, especially in early stages or high-stakes domains.

Options such as deploying abstract “frameworks” or “protocols” do not, by themselves, close a human expertise gap. A comprehensive internal data immersion program may be useful long-term, but it first requires guidance on what to learn and how to structure that learning. Therefore, the most effective and actionable solution to proceed with implementation is hiring an external data consultant to provide targeted guidance and training.