Your Processes Aren’t the Problem. Your Operating System Is.

Look beyond the individual process

A process can be well documented and still fail when teams have competing priorities. Examine the decisions, handoffs and information surrounding the work. The friction often sits between functions rather than inside one task.

AI makes the gaps visible

McKinsey’s October 5 article on AI and organization design found that nearly three quarters of AI high performers had substantially redesigned their workflows, compared with about a quarter of other organizations. Only 11% have reached the point of reinventing how they work. BCG reported on September 24 that companies redesigning work around AI beat their peers by more than 11 points in annual shareholder returns.

Adding AI to a broken handoff tends to make the handoff fail faster. The operating system has to change with it.

Start with the decisions that matter most

Accenture’s October 6 piece on operating models recommends designing around the few decisions that matter most, each with clear accountability and a defined role for AI, and organizing work around a small number of end-to-end value streams such as quote-to-cash.

Accountability is the weak point today. Gartner reported on October 6 that only 24% of leadership teams agree on who is accountable for AI agents.

Give every agent an owner

Accenture also advises giving each AI agent a named human owner and including agents in the workforce plan. McKinsey describes a product team that moved from pods of eight to ten people to hybrid teams of four to six supported by agents, and found that coordinator roles grew 1.5 to 2 times faster than line roles over five years. Coordination and handoff work is likely where agents land first, so that is where ownership needs to be clearest.

Build a useful rhythm

Bring the right people together around a small set of operational measures and decisions. Track cost per outcome alongside headcount, keep a record of why key decisions were made, and revise the process based on what the team learns.