How to shape a successful strategy for your digital transformation

When ChatGPT made headlines in late 2022, organizations across industries scrambled to explore the potential of Generative AI (GenAI). Fast forward to today, and while awareness and experimentation have surged, the question remains: has true adoption and enterprise-wide implementation kept pace?

According to a recent EY study, 90% of organizations are still in the early stages of GenAI maturity limited to pilot programs or isolated use cases within departments.

So much for the workplace “revolution” many predicted and others feared. Still, GenAI is already proving its value. Companies are seeing measurable gains: customer service agents are resolving issues up to 34% faster, software developers are producing 26% more code, and data scientists are completing tasks 10% more efficiently.

But to move from isolated wins to transformative change, organizations must think bigger.

As my colleague James Milligan notes in our latest report, “We need to shift from siloed, AI-enabled efforts that boost individual productivity to enterprise-wide solutions that fundamentally reshape how work gets done.”

The key to unlocking this transformation? A cohesive, forward-looking strategy. Below are five essential elements for building a GenAI strategy that drives real impact across your organization.

Characteristics of a successful strategy:

1. Measurable

U.S. executives are no strangers to ROI. But traditional metrics often fall short when evaluating emerging technologies like GenAI.

Deloitte highlights a common pitfall: many leaders still rely on legacy KPIs that “shortchange the real value” of digital investments. With IT budgets under pressure, it’s critical to capture the full spectrum of GenAI’s impact—including harder-to-quantify workforce metrics like employee retention, internal mobility, and diversity and inclusion.

2. Strategic

Your GenAI roadmap should align with your broader business goals—not just your IT agenda. Too often, digital transformation is treated as a tech upgrade rather than a foundational shift in how the organization operates.

Our report The Future of Work calls for a mindset shift: stop viewing GenAI as an IT initiative, and start seeing it as a catalyst for innovation across your entire workforce.

3. Data-Driven

Poor data quality whether incomplete, biased, or unstructured undermines GenAI performance. Without clean, accessible data, your organization lacks the historical insight needed for future decision-making.

As Nadine Wirkuttis explains in The Future of Work, companies must invest heavily in data readiness: “cleaning and organizing data to ensure it’s in the right format and the right place to deliver the greatest impact.”

4. Pragmatic

GenAI isn’t a silver bullet. It’s a suite of tools that must be integrated thoughtfully into your operations.

Business leaders need to understand the full landscape of AI capabilities before diving in. That means phasing out legacy systems, preparing data, setting ethical guardrails, and building digital literacy across the workforce.

As James Milligan predicts, for most companies, this foundational work will take “five to ten years” before GenAI can be fully embedded.

5. Ambitious

Your GenAI strategy should aim to solve complex, organization-wide challenges—not just today’s pain points.

McKinsey offers a benchmark for ambition: “If your digital transformation isn’t delivering at least a 20% improvement in EBITDA, your roadmap may not be bold enough.”

Technology is accessible to everyone. The differentiator is how you deploy it to create lasting competitive advantage.

Turning Strategy into Action

A strong strategy is essential, but it’s only the beginning. You’ll also need the right talent, structure, and leadership to bring your vision to life.

Our report, The Future of Work: How AI is Impacting your workforce, outlines four key pillars for successful digital transformation, based on insights from hundreds of organizations.

Download your free copy today, or connect with our team to explore how we can help you shape a GenAI strategy that works for your business.