Skip to main content

AI Project Assistant Chatbot

The AI Chatbot is ORKSTRA's natural-language interface — a conversational agent that answers project questions, runs quick actions, and drafts narrative content (RFI text, NCR descriptions, toolbox talk topics).

Overview​

The chatbot lives in the bottom-right of every ORKSTRA screen. Open it with Ctrl+/ or by clicking the chat icon. Conversations are persistent per user.

Screenshot: Chatbot panel with conversation history, quick actions, and project context badge

Key concepts​

Quick actions. 20 pre-seeded shortcuts — "summarize this project", "list open NCRs", "draft an RFI for…". Each is a single click.

Context. The chatbot knows your current project (badge at top of the panel). All queries scope to that project unless you switch.

Conversation thread. Each project has its own conversation thread, persisted across sessions.

Backend. Claude (Anthropic) by default, with prompt caching enabled. Tenants can also use OpenAI or Azure OpenAI by switching the provider at Admin → AI → Provider.

Privacy. Conversations are tenant-isolated. Prompts never include data outside the user's RBAC scope. PII fields are redacted in upstream calls.

Step-by-step: ask a question​

  1. Open the chatbot (Ctrl+/).
  2. Type a question in plain English or Arabic.
  3. The chatbot responds, citing the source records it used.
  4. Click any citation to jump to the source record.

Step-by-step: run a quick action​

  1. Open the chatbot.
  2. Click one of the 20 quick actions (e.g., Summarize this project).
  3. The chatbot runs the action and returns a structured response.
  4. You can refine the result with follow-up questions.

Step-by-step: draft narrative content​

  1. Open the chatbot.
  2. Type, e.g., "Draft an RFI text asking the consultant to clarify the basement waterproofing detail at column line C-3."
  3. The chatbot returns a structured RFI draft.
  4. Click Use this draft to open the RFI form pre-filled, then edit and submit.

Common tasks​

  • Reset conversation: Menu → Reset thread clears history.
  • Switch language: the chatbot mirrors the user's UI language.
  • Switch provider: admin sets at Admin → AI → Provider.
  • View token usage: Admin → AI → Usage for cost monitoring.

Troubleshooting​

  • "Chatbot says it can't access X." — Your RBAC doesn't grant access to that data. Ask an admin for the permission.
  • "Responses are slow." — Claude can take 2-10 seconds for complex queries. Streaming response is enabled by default.
  • "Got a 'rate limited' error." — Tenant has hit the daily token cap. Increase quota at Admin → AI → Quotas.
  • "Arabic response is in mixed script." — Switch UI language to Arabic; the chatbot mirrors UI.

Limits​

  • Max message length: 4000 characters.
  • Max thread length: 100 messages.
  • Daily token cap: configurable per tenant.

Permissions reference​

PermissionWho needs it
CHATBOT_USEEveryone
CHATBOT_QUICK_ACTION_RUNEveryone
CHATBOT_PROVIDER_CONFIGURETenant admin
CHATBOT_USAGE_VIEWTenant admin

See also: Predictive Analytics, Cost Estimation.