ARIS and The Hackett Group released new research revealing that organisations with strong process context are five times more likely to report successful AI outcomes. The 2026 Process Context Study, which surveyed more than 200 senior business leaders from Global 2000 companies, including participation from the Middle East, highlights the essential role operational understanding plays in enabling enterprises to move safely from AI experimentation toward Agentic AI at scale.
The findings revealed a significant gap between enterprise AI ambition and operational readiness. While 86% of global business leaders believe AI agents can’t be deployed reliably without process context, just over one in five (22%) say their organisation has comprehensive, real-time visibility into end-to-end process flows. A further 59% describe their current process visibility as fragmented across systems and functions, leaving enterprises with a critical gap to close as 76% view process context as 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. “Organisations need to give agents the operational understanding to know not only what they can do, but how work should actually get done.”
Targeting high-value workflows
Process context provides AI with an understanding of how work actually happens – connecting workflows, rules, controls, and system interactions across the enterprise. Rather than approaching Agentic AI as a massive transformation, the findings point toward targeting high-value workflows to deliver measurable business value from day one:
- Financial planning, analysis, and accounts payable/receivable
- Spend analysis, contract management, and procurement workflows
- IT service desks and automated incident management
- Recruitment, employee onboarding, and customer operations
Unlocking value beyond efficiency
Across Finance, Procurement, IT, Supply Chain and Business Operations, establishing clear operational context allows companies to move past basic automation to achieve high-value outcomes. According to the study, the top sources of business value realised through process context include:
- 78% report faster execution speed and reduced process cycle times
- 75% achieve a reduction in manual, repetitive tasks
- 71% experience improved process quality and consistency
- 69% deliver higher-quality decision-making across core operations
- 67% strengthen governance, risk management and compliance enforcement
Navigating operational friction
While executive interest in Agentic AI is high, organisational and structural roadblocks continue to create friction. Cost, data quality, and organisational silos account for over 70% of the primary obstacles to establishing actionable process context.
Governance is where the gap is widest. Only 34% of organisations are confident in their ability to govern AI-driven decisions effectively, while just 18% have mature, enterprise-wide AI governance frameworks in place today. Meanwhile, 46% of enterprises still place AI accountability solely with IT. The result is a significant gap in business ownership, with most organisations lacking clear accountability for AI-driven decision-making.
“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 organisations 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.”
Highlighting the study’s relevance to the Middle East, Ayham Alzaaim Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific and Middle East, ARIS stated – “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.”
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