Operational excellence (OPEX) in 2025 is defined by an unprecedented fusion of human capability, intelligent technology, and data-driven decision-making. No longer focused solely on efficiency or standardization, modern OPEX is a strategic discipline that enables organizations to adapt, learn, and innovate continuously.
At the center of this transformation is artificial intelligence (AI), now deeply embedded in everyday workflows, supply chains, customer interactions, and strategic planning. AI systems in 2025 are not just tools for automation; they act as predictive partners that help leaders anticipate disruptions, optimize resources, and elevate quality with precision.
This week, PEX Network hosted All Access: OPEX Operational Excellence 2025. The event brought together business and thought leaders to discuss the trends shaping OPEX in 2025 and reflect on why OPEX is no longer a static framework but a dynamic capability.
Here are six key takeaways from the event that shine a light on the evolving relationship between OPEX and AI.
1. The power of AI and continuous improvement
The relationship between AI and continuous improvement is evolving into a powerful partnership that drives OPEX. While the ultimate business objectives of delivering value and meeting strategic goals remain unchanged, the methods are transforming. Continuous improvement approaches like Lean have established a foundation of eliminating waste and optimizing value, and AI is now accelerating these processes exponentially.
Phil Samuel, senior director AI and continuous improvement at Microsoft, emphasized that AI represents a significant shift in how quickly organizations can implement improvements. “Processes or steps that took 200 days and 190 days, we can now get done in a matter of a few days.” However, successful AI implementation requires understanding core processes first. Ask what’s important to the business, what creates customer value, and where waste exists.
Christina Duta, senior director operations and intelligent automation at Fortrea, noted a shift in focus from processes to data quality. “You see this shift from processes a lot towards the data,” fixing the data first, she said. “This data-first approach enables more effective AI implementation and faster decision-making capabilities.”
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2. Practical AI implementation transforms OPEX
AI transforms OPEX through practical, everyday applications rather than futuristic concepts. That was a key takeaway from a panel discussion featuring Sarah Jade Gatt, director OPEX at IQVIA Laboratories and Nida Jabrani, director, OPEX at CIBC.
The pair reflected on how effective AI implementation focuses on removing friction from daily work rather than implementing exotic solutions and why starting small with targeted pain points delivers more value than attempting large-scale transformations. They also outlined how simple, widely-available tools like GPT-style copilots trained on company SOPs can dramatically reduce time spent searching for information.
Gatt emphasized taking an experimental, playful approach to AI adoption, starting with small projects that address clear pain points. She recommended focusing on high-volume, high-error processes and repetitive manual tasks while ensuring good data quality.
Jabrani noted that adoption happens when “users personally feel the benefit” through fewer steps, faster approvals, or fewer mistakes in their daily work. Practical applications that immediately improve work experience include:
- Writing assistance and standardized templates.
- Report collation and presentation creation.
- Customer service chatbots and virtual assistants.
- Training and mentoring through knowledge-based AI agents.
- Data analysis and predictive analytics.
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3. Build foundations before AI implementation
Organizations that successfully leverage AI start by establishing strong process foundations. Joy Shelledy and Amanda Swearengen, strategic change enablement directors at AbbVie, tackled the challenge of fragmented processes across their clinical trial operations. Before implementing AI, they focused on documenting and standardizing their end-to-end processes, creating a single source of truth that now serves over 5,000 users globally.
“In the absence of information, people tell stories,” noted Shelledy, highlighting how process visibility enables data-driven decision-making. AbbVie’s approach includes working with BusinessOptix to map both regulated and operational processes, providing unprecedented visibility into cross-functional workflows.
Lukas N.P. Egger, VP of product strategy and innovation at SAP Signavio and Jack Moloney, senior director, global strategic customer transformation at SAP, also emphasized that organizations must understand their current processes before attempting AI implementation. “If you just put it in there, what we see with our customers is that they don’t get the value out. It actually kind of reduces efficiency and makes them less productive.”
4. Strategic initiatives evolve into operating model shifts
Sunny Lu, senior transformation executive at Rolls-Royce, discussed how strategic initiatives evolve into operating model shifts and outlined the role risk frameworks, management systems, and commercial optimization play as critical levers for change. These concepts were brought to life through real examples drawn from her experience leading complex, cross-functional programs at Rolls-Royce.
Lu also reflected on the intersection of OPEX and transformation, outlining how individuals and organizations can simplify complexity, build trust, and embed change that lasts.
“Effective organization design goes beyond ‘boxes and lines’ and addresses strategy, structure, processes, and people,” Lu said. To achieve successful transformation and OPEX, strategize first, understand the ‘why,’ plan and execute collaboratively, focus on your culture and talent, implement strong governance, and own the process, Lu added.
5. Process-driven AI delivers ROI
Organizations are realizing significant ROI by applying AI to well-understood processes, according to Jonathan Schwartz, director of global demand and supply planning at Bumble Bee Foods. He demonstrated how AI-enabled improvements to demand forecasting and inventory management delivered substantial financial benefits.
By implementing AI tools to optimize inventory, Bumblebee Foods identified potential for US$10 million in one-time inventory reduction and $1.8 million in recurring annual savings through improved carrying costs and reduced obsolescence.
G7 Tech Services helped Bumblebee analyze social media data across 300,000 people and 700,000 posts to better understand consumer behavior patterns, enabling more accurate demand forecasting despite rising prices for products like salmon. This AI-driven approach to demand planning has contributed to Bumblebee’s OPEX.
Elsewhere, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority implemented an AI-powered contract management solution from Pantheon that streamlined procurement processes across the organization. Mike Giardina, procurement technology programs leader, explained how the solution standardized contracting procedures, resulting in more efficient operations and better decision-making through AI-assisted legal review capabilities.
As organizations continue to integrate AI and continuous improvement, the key to success remains building visibility and structure before implementation, focusing on processes that deliver clear business value, and maintaining a relentless focus on data quality and cross-functional alignment.
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6. Humans remain central to OPEX
Despite the vast advancements in AI and automation, humans remain central to OPEX, according to Tony Saldanha, co-founder of Inixia and PEX Certification trainer.
Saldanha emphasized that operational agility contributes approximately one-third of a company’s competitive advantage, highlighting the strategic importance of OPEX. He advised leaders to focus on developing talent by moving people up the value chain faster rather than worrying about entry-level job displacement.
The future skills shortage will be in ‘right-brain’ capabilities like creativity rather than technical skills while understanding business processes and company operations remains a distinctively human capability, Saldanha suggested. Transformation leaders need three key skills: deep process knowledge, technology understanding, and change management expertise, he added.
His discussion, which also featured Cathy Gu, deputy divisional director at IQPC, concluded with a vision of human-AI collaboration where work becomes more outcome-centered, with flexibility in both location and tool selection based on what delivers the best results for specific tasks and industries.
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