Independent research · Part of the Harvard Business School (HBS) Foundry Bootcamp, Fall 2026

Every project is a game of getting things live. How does yours play?

Every automation, AI agent and agentic workflow should move cleanly from idea to operations and end with value you can prove. In practice, someone builds every record, task, review and status update by hand. In regulated industries, each square must also leave a traceable record of who approved what, when, and why. This benchmark maps how organizations really play, square by square, and where they lose turns.

Take your turn: the 2-minute survey Every participant receives the full benchmark report.

PROJECT: the game of getting things live. 76 seconds, no sound.

The board, and how it changes for AI. Shaded squares are where practices vary most between organizations, and where this study is looking.

AutomationsRule-based, deterministic
  1. Idea
  2. Require­ments
  3. Assess­ment
  4. Feasibility
  5. Platform fit
  6. Develop­ment
  7. Testing
  8. Readiness
  9. Deploy­ment
  10. Hypercare
  11. Operations
AI agentsOne model, tools, goals
  1. Define role
  2. Pin model
  3. Tools & access
  4. Ground in data
  5. Evaluate
  6. Approve
  7. Deploy
  8. Monitor drift
  9. Re-version
  10. Retire
Agentic workflowsMany agents, handoffs
  1. Use case
  2. Autonomy level
  3. Risk class
  4. Orchestrate
  5. Build
  6. Scenario tests
  7. Shadow rollout
  8. Trace handoffs
  9. Re-evaluate
  10. Retire

Why this study

Requests arrive through email, chat and forms. Approvals wait in inboxes. The same work is tracked in several tools, hypercare ends informally, feedback gets lost, and few teams compare the value delivered with the value promised.

Underneath it all, delivery leads spend hours turning requirements into epics, stories and tasks, keeping backlogs current and answering the same status questions for every stakeholder. AI agents and agentic workflows add new stages and new risks on top. This study measures where that time goes and which views teams and leaders actually need.

What you get

  • The benchmark reportAggregated findings across industries and program sizes.
  • Where you standSee how your program's lifecycle maturity compares with peers.
  • Practices that workWhat leaders with mature programs do differently, in their words.

Your turn

Ten quick questions, about 2 minutes, almost all one click, following the same squares as the game. Finish and you get your player card: find out whether your organization plays like a Fast Track, a Steady Climber or an Uphill Champion. Up for more? An optional bonus round unlocks your own scorecard against your peers and early access to the report. It's for anyone who runs, approves or delivers automation, AI or digital initiatives: project managers, project coordinators, scrum masters and product owners, CoE and transformation leaders, PMO and portfolio leaders, AI platform leads, and quality and validation leaders.

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Who is running it?

The Automation & AI Lifecycle Benchmark 2026 is conducted by Serviceiou, an AI value consultancy.

The research is intended to help organizations understand lifecycle management, governance, traceability, and value measurement practices.

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This study is not sponsored or endorsed by Harvard Business School.

Questions: research@serviceiou.com