𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗿𝗮

What happens when the timeless discipline of process excellence collides with the exponential pace of AI? In a recent session with a global strategy and operations team, one question stood out: “How do we build process frameworks that won’t become obsolete tomorrow?”

That’s the challenge many operations leaders face today, standardize, automate, modernize while the tech stack changes beneath your feet.

Having spent three decades across industry, I’ve seen how this tension is reshaping the fundamentals of process excellence.

Processes Still Matter: AI doesn’t rewrite your value chain, it enhances it. Your operational DNA still holds the keys to differentiation. But without thoughtful design, AI agents risk becoming opaque, detached, and difficult to govern.

People Know More Than They Can Say: Traditional mapping captures just a fraction of how work really gets done. The real insight lies in tacit actions, exceptions, and informal decisions. With tools like telemetry and process intelligence, we can finally observe work as it happens.

From Process Models to Digital Twins: Assumptions are out. Digital Twins of Work are in, real-time, data-driven models that reflect operational truth. They expose friction, inform orchestration, and ground transformation in reality.

Agentic Automation Needs New Operating Models: Code isn’t enough. We need models that clarify:

‣ What agents handle

‣ Where humans bring oversight

‣ How both work in sync to drive continuous improvement

What Success Looks Like?

Leading enterprises aren’t chasing bots. They’re:

‣ Observing real work

‣ Building digital twins

‣ Integrating ops, data, and AI

‣ Redefining how humans and agents collaborate

‣ Driving outcomes, not just activity

To Ops Leaders Everywhere:

1. Don’t abandon process excellence, evolve it.

2. Build digital twin capabilities that reflect operational truth.

3. Create operating models that define human-agent boundaries.

4. Break organizational silos, AI, data, ops, and process must converge.

5. Preserve human agency, it’s where strategy, resilience, and trust live.

The future is not agentic by default. It’s human + agent, by design. Let’s shape it, together.