Organisations with Strong Process Context Five Times More Likely to Achieve Successful AI Outcomes, Study Finds

Organisations with strong process context are five times more likely to report successful AI outcomes, according to the 2026 Process Context Study by ARIS and The Hackett Group. The study surveyed more than 200 senior business leaders from Global 2000 companies, including participants from the Middle East. The research examines the role of process context in helping organisations move from AI experimentation to wider deployment of agentic AI systems.

While 86% of business leaders surveyed believe AI agents cannot be deployed reliably without process context, only 22% say their organisations have comprehensive, real-time visibility into end-to-end processes. A further 59% report fragmented visibility across systems and functions, while 76% consider process context critical over the next three years.

“This research exposes a clear readiness gap. As AI moves from assisting people to executing work, closing that gap will become increasingly important,” said Rick Gardner, Senior Director, Advisory Market Intelligence, The Hackett Group. “Organizations need to give agents the operational understanding to know not only what they can do, but how work should actually get done.”

Applying AI to business processes
Process context connects workflows, business rules, controls and system interactions to help AI systems understand how work is performed across an organisation. The study identifies several areas where organisations could apply agentic AI to specific workflows, including financial planning and analysis, accounts payable and receivable, procurement, contract management, IT service desks, incident management, recruitment, employee onboarding and customer operations.

Reported business benefits
Respondents identified several areas where process context has contributed to operational improvements:

• 78% reported faster execution and shorter process cycle times.
• 75% achieved a reduction in manual, repetitive tasks.
• 71% experienced improvements in process quality and consistency.
• 69% reported better decision-making across core operations.
• 67% strengthened governance, risk management and compliance enforcement.

The findings cover functions including finance, procurement, IT, supply chain and business operations.

Governance and operational challenges
The study also identified cost, data quality and organisational silos as key barriers to establishing actionable process context, accounting for more than 70% of the primary obstacles reported. Governance remains another challenge. Only 34% of respondents expressed confidence in their ability to govern AI-driven decisions effectively, while 18% said they had mature, enterprise-wide AI governance frameworks in place. In addition, 46% of organisations still place AI accountability solely within IT.

“AI is becoming more capable at extraordinary speed, but capability alone doesn’t create business value,” said Guillaume Bacuvier, CEO of ARIS. “The differentiator will be how effectively organizations put that intelligence to work inside their businesses. Data tells AI things about your business – process context tells AI how your business works.”

Bacuvier added, “The next phase of enterprise AI isn’t simply about deploying more agents. It’s about deploying the right agents into the right processes and giving them the business understanding to perform effectively. The Agentic Enterprise won’t arrive through one giant transformation – it will emerge process by process.”

Relevance to the Middle East
The study’s findings come as countries across the Middle East advance digital transformation and AI adoption initiatives. Ayham Alzaaim, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific and Middle East, ARIS, said, “As the UAE and Saudi Arabia accelerate digital transformation, converting AI ambition into measurable value demands process context and responsible governance. Our research shows that organisations with strong process context are more likely to achieve successful AI outcomes, making it essential for scaling AI responsibly and delivering lasting business impact across the Middle East.”