From AI Experimentation to Real Business Impact
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November 21, 2025
We’re entering a pivotal moment in enterprise transformation, as leaders shift from AI experimentation to delivering real business impact. This week, we’re spotlighting how organizations are operationalizing AI, building agility into every strategy and driving cross-functional collaboration to manage risk and accelerate innovation — setting the tone for what’s next across every function.
Each pick specifies proprietary insights on the issue, why it matters now and what to do next.
AI Leader
- What it’s about: This insights report explains why most organizations fail to scale AI pilots and how AI engineering provides the frameworks, operational foundations and vendor relationships needed to deliver business value.
- Why it matters now: Without a robust AI engineering approach, organizations will continue to waste investments and miss out on AI’s transformative potential as pilot projects stall.
- What to do next: Establish dedicated AI engineering capabilities to operationalize pilots and unlock measurable value from AI investments.
Head of Enterprise Applications
- What it’s about: This insights report provides a seven-step approach to consolidating and decommissioning overlapping applications for cost and efficiency gains.
- Why it matters now: Rising pressure to cut costs and reduce technical debt makes portfolio rationalization a top priority.
- What to do next: Follow the outlined steps to streamline your application landscape and optimize spend.
Chief Financial Officer
- What it’s about: This guidance outlines how CFOs can transform finance into a tech-driven, automated and simulation-ready function by 2030.
- Why it matters now: The shift toward digital finance is accelerating — CFOs who delay risk falling behind as peers invest in advanced capabilities today.
- What to do next: Launch a transformation plan focused on AI-enabled scenario planning, digital talent and governance redesign to lead your enterprise into the future.
Chief Human Resources Officer
- What it’s about: This framework helps CHROs critically evaluate HR AI agent offerings and avoid overpaying for solutions that don’t deliver.
- Why it matters now: The proliferation of “agentic AI washing” in vendor pitches makes it essential to ask the right questions and assess true capabilities.
- What to do next: Use the seven-factor framework to rigorously vet HR AI vendors before making investment decisions.
Chief Marketing Officer
- What it’s about: These insights explore how generative AI is changing customer discovery and purchase behaviors, including the rise of zero-click journeys.
- Why it matters now: Over half of consumers using search for product research now leverage AI-backed features, reshaping the digital path to purchase.
- What to do next: Rethink your digital marketing and commerce strategies to adapt to AI-driven discovery and new customer behaviors.
Chief Sales Officer
- What it’s about: This insights report provides CSOs with strategies to create credible, differentiated revenue plans that withstand CFO scrutiny in a challenging economic environment.
- Why it matters now: Only 39% of CFOs view the external environment as favorable, yet 67% expect over 5% organic growth — intensifying pressure on sales leaders.
- What to do next: Align your growth strategies with financial realities and stakeholder expectations to deliver plans that drive confidence and results.
Chief Supply Chain Officer
- What it’s about: This insights report guides CSCOs to ensure supply chain capabilities are the foundation of annual business planning and investment decisions.
- Why it matters now: Misaligned growth targets and supply chain realities can undermine profitability and resilience in 2026.
- What to do next: Collaborate with finance and commercial leaders to set targets based on supply chain capacity and invest where gaps exist.
Tech General Manager
- What it’s about: This insights report warns general managers of the risks of ignoring new AI-driven competitors and the need for updated competitive strategies.
- Why it matters now: AI is reshaping the competitive landscape, turning partners into rivals and threatening growth for the unprepared.
- What to do next: Broaden competitive analysis and adapt strategies to address emerging threats in the AI era.
Global Procurement Director | Strategic Sourcing Head | CPSM | Direct & Indirect Purchasing | CAPEX | TCO Optimization, Nearshoring, Supplier Development, Risk Mitigation | Automotive | e-Mobility | Manufacturing.
16hInsightful Gartner!!!! AI is moving fast, but the real game changer isn’t more pilots—it’s connecting AI engineering with actual supply chain realities. In manufacturing, value is lost when we chase shiny tech without cross-functional, commercial buy-in. The winners will be those who challenge silos, confront “AI-washing,” and turn talk into measurable results. Who’s ready to disrupt?
Customer Success & SaaS | Net Revenue Retention (NRR) / Expansion | Trusted Advisor to Enterprise Clients | Fortune 1000 | Big Healthcare | Big Pharma | Finance | Insurance | Manufacturing & Distribution | NGO | SAP Alum
16hThe promise and the reality are still far apart. The massive spending on AI may still take years to provide the ROI promised. At present, the spending and the impact of AI is a drag on jobs and the US economy. If Elon Musk is to be believed, there will be no need for human work in a few years. Without humans and the ability to earn a living, to be productive and contribute, what does the world look like? AI can't solve the really big problems like war and abuses of power. Overpromised and underdelivered?
Technology Architect at IAG Transform | Architecture Debt Advocate | Enterprise Architecture | SAP | Data & AI & Innovation | Digital Transformation
19hAbsolutely agree, the transition from AI pilots to tangible business outcomes requires strong alignment between IT and business leaders to drive sustainable value.
Policy Researcher and Institutional Consultant
19hCongratulations for sure footed growth strategy from AI experimentations to implementations.
Service Delivery Manager @ Tata Consultancy Services | ITIL, PRINCE2 Agile
20hGartner Excellent perspective on the necessity of moving past 'demo-ware.' The hardest part of the AI journey is not the model build, but the data governance and operational change management required to scale the impact. Execution dictates value. 👏 #AIStrategy #RealizedValue #DigitalTransformation #Gartner #EnterpriseAI #Execution #ROI