Abstract
This project was initiated by the leadership group of The Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI (TRUST) to design and develop a digital platform for collecting, organizing, and monitoring project proposals in the context of TRUST-related research activities. The platform addresses a practical project-management challenge: without a centralized system, proposals would need to be submitted by email or Nettskjema, manually shared with administrators, and organized across cloud folders. Such a workflow makes project development less visible to other teams and to TRUST leadership, while also requiring considerable manual effort to maintain structure, access, and documentation. After evaluating three alternatives—an off-the-shelf solution such as Notion, a fully custom-built project management tool, and a hybrid solution based on existing technologies—the project team selected a hybrid approach built on Microsoft SharePoint. The resulting platform combines structured project registration, shared documentation, access management, automated folder and page creation, and overview lists that provide both granular project-level access and a broader view of ongoing TRUST activities.
Background
The project was initiated to support the organization and visibility of project proposals within TRUST. In the absence of a dedicated platform, proposals would have to be submitted to an administrator through email or Nettskjema and then manually distributed, stored, and organized in a cloud directory. While this approach could work for a small number of projects, it becomes inefficient as the number of proposals, contributors, and project documents increases.
A major limitation of such a manual workflow is that project development remains fragmented. Individual teams may have access to their own files, but other researchers and TRUST leadership have limited visibility into ongoing activities. This makes it difficult to obtain a bird’s-eye view of the project portfolio, identify overlaps between initiatives, follow the development stage of each project, or organize proposals according to thematic areas. In addition, substantial administrative effort would be required to manage folders, update lists, maintain access rights, and ensure that project documents are stored consistently.
To overcome these challenges, three possible solutions were initially investigated. The first was an off-the-shelf solution, such as Notion, which could provide a ready-made workspace but might be limited in terms of institutional integration, access control, and long-term governance. The second option was to develop a tailored project-management tool from scratch, which would provide greater flexibility but require more development time, maintenance, and technical resources. The third option was a hybrid solution, in which a custom project-management workflow would be built on top of already existing institutional technologies.
After a cost–benefit analysis, the team selected the hybrid solution based on Microsoft SharePoint. This approach offered several advantages for project management. First, it provides a shared file system where project members can have flexible access privileges, with standard version control and backup. Second, projects can be organized in list form, giving leadership and participants a comprehensive overview of the project portfolio. Third, project documentation can be stored in a shared file system that allows granular access, review, commenting, and editing. Fourth, projects can be tagged and categorized according to research area, action cluster, and development status. Finally, the platform combines a self-governing front end with a semi-automated back end, where repetitive tasks are performed automatically while privileged users retain access to the overall organization and management of the project space.
Methodology
The conceptual workflow was first designed and presented to the TRUST leadership team. Several rounds of feedback were then collected and incorporated before the workflow was finalized for implementation. As shown in Figure 1, the platform is built inside a SharePoint page where all participants are registered as members. Each participant can use a project proposal form to initiate a new project. Once a proposal is submitted, the system automatically assigns the project a unique ID and creates a dedicated folder for it in the shared file system. This folder functions as the project’s content folder.
Inside the content folder, the system places a proposal template that can be used as a starting point for further project development. In addition, when a project is initiated, a front page is automatically created from a default template. Researchers can later edit this page and adapt it to the specific content of the project. The purpose of the front page is to provide a concise and accessible summary of the project, allowing people outside the immediate domain expertise to form an initial impression without having to read the full project proposal.
Each project in the database is organized using three main attributes: Research Area, Action Cluster, and Status. These attributes are initially provided by the project proposer and can be modified later as the project develops. Together, they help structure the project portfolio according to thematic focus and developmental stage. This makes it possible to filter, group, and review projects in a more systematic way, supporting both day-to-day project management and higher-level strategic overview.
As depicted in Figure 2, the automation layer was implemented using Microsoft Power Automate flows. When a project proposal is submitted, a cascade of automated steps is triggered. These steps include the creation of variables that function as unique identifiers, allowing the system to organize newly created content and associate folders, pages, and metadata with the correct project entry. The flow also includes HTTP requests that automatically create the project front page and content folder and connect them to the project overview table.
Each step in the Power Automate workflow is built on existing actions within the Microsoft flow ecosystem. At the same time, these actions have code-level representations that can be modified to fit the overall workflow. This makes the platform flexible: it relies on stable institutional infrastructure, while still allowing customization of the project-specific logic. The result is a semi-automated system where routine administrative tasks are handled by the back end, while researchers and project administrators interact with a structured and user-friendly front end. The platform was later expanded to include a use-case project area with its own separate overview list and file system. Entries to the use-case list can be created through dedicated submission forms, where users provide a defined Research Area, Action Cluster, and a link to the use-case description.
The platform is hosted under the UiO-owned Microsoft domain and is accessible to all members through secure Microsoft accounts. As of May 2026, the platform contains 75 projects, has 246 members, and has accumulated approximately 15,000 visits over the previous three months.