Coffee & Project Management with Martin Ilumin: AI, Adaptability, and Real-World Wisdom

Bhavana Tadiboina
Apr 3
2 min read

“You can build the perfect plan—but the real world won’t follow it.”That’s one of the many gems I took away from my conversation with Martin Ilumin, PMP®—a Global Portfolio Project Manager at NorthWest Healthcare Properties REIT who oversees 100+ IT projects across 9 countries each year.

And here’s the thing: Martin doesn’t just manage projects—he’s rethinking how they’re done.

☕ The Reality Check Every PM Needs

Martin started our chat with a simple truth: project management is problem-solving at its core. He’s been doing this for nearly 19 years, across industries and continents, and what keeps him going isn’t the frameworks—it’s the puzzles. The mess. The thrill of turning chaos into clarity.

One of his most fulfilling projects? Building a greenfield factory from the ground up—transforming blueprints into real, working infrastructure. “Seeing something go from paper to reality—that never gets old.”

🤖 AI as Your Project Co-Pilot

Martin uses AI like a pro—but not in the flashy, buzzword-y way. He uses it practically.

From summarizing meetings and drafting stakeholder updates to spotting risks and even building a multilingual business communication GPT, Martin treats AI like a second brain.

“I train ChatGPT to sound like me. I feed it context. It helps me write, think, and plan—faster.”

His advice to aspiring PMs? Don’t wait to be technical. Just start. Build something small—a GPT, a report assistant, a workflow hack. Solve one pain point. That’s how you show value.

🧠 Plans Are Fiction. Progress Is Real.

One of my favorite moments? When Martin said this:

“The perfect plan doesn’t exist. People change. Expectations change. Information changes. You adapt.”

He’s not against planning. But he is against rigidity. Young PMs (me included) often obsess over doing it “by the book.” Martin’s advice? Understand the culture. Then improve one thing at a time. That’s how you build trust—and change.

💬 From Theory to Execution

Martin’s story is a masterclass in bridging textbook knowledge with messy, real-world execution. Whether it’s building intake models to prioritize projects or using weekly meetings to align global teams—he’s all about making processes fit people, not the other way around.

🎯 Final Takeaway: Start Small. Stay Curious. Be Adaptable.

Martin didn’t talk down. He didn’t gatekeep. He encouraged. He reminded me—and hopefully you—that it’s okay to not have it all figured out. What matters is moving forward, learning from the chaos, and evolving with it.