Every quarter a supply chain AI program stays in pilot, the cost isn’t static. It compounds.

Not just the direct AI spend. The opportunity cost of delayed productivity gains. The rework when pilots scale on broken processes. The margin erosion that comes from operating without AI-ready governance.

The 5% who broke through invested in readiness first. Structured investment logic. Enterprise value as the success metric. Operational redesign before deployment.

They didn’t spend more on AI. They spent first on making the operation ready for it.

The research maps exactly what that looks like across six operational dimensions.

In this report, you’ll learn:

• Why most organizations are stuck in AI pilot mode—and what it takes to scale
• How operational discipline, not technology, drives real AI success
• Why the biggest barriers to AI are business and workflow challenges—not technical ones
• How leading companies are redesigning work with “Intelligent Value Streams”
• What’s holding organizations back—and how to close the readiness gap for AI adoption