Independent research · HBS Foundry Bootcamp, Fall 2026

Your pizza tells you where it is. Your projects make you ask.

With a pizza you know where it is, when it will arrive and what you paid, without asking anyone.

With most projects, someone has to chase the answer. And “what did it cost, and was it worth it?” can take days.

Take your turn: 2 minutes →Anyone who works on or around projects can answer. No technical knowledge needed.

You’ve lived this

Think of a home renovation, or any big job with a crew.

Before anyone starts, weeks go into lists, plans and paperwork. Every Friday you ask, “How’s it going?” and get a slightly different answer.

When it’s done, you like the result. But nobody can say exactly what each part cost. And if an inspector asks for proof, it takes days to dig up.

That’s how most teams run their technology projects. With AI, there are more of them every month.

Two people, one blind spot.

THE PERSON PAYING

What did we get for our money?

THE PERSON RUNNING IT

Hours every week setting up and reporting, instead of moving the work.

Your tools track tasks. They don’t show what it was worth.

It adds up quietly.

25 h

to set up one project by hand

× 20

projects in a year

500 h

about three months of one person’s year, before the real work starts

An example. This research measures the real number.

More than half the workday goes to “work about work”: updates, chasing, meetings about meetings.
Asana Anatomy of Work, 2021 · 13,000+ workers

80% say AI makes them more productive. 37% see it in their company’s results.
McKinsey, The State of AI, 2026

It’s not your people. It’s the board they’re playing on.

Every project is a game, from idea to done to “was it worth it?” Some squares cost every team turns.

  1. Idea
  2. Requirements
  3. Project setupLose a turn
  4. Build
  5. Status updatesLose a turn
  6. Testing
  7. ApprovalsLose a turn
  8. Go-live
  9. Proof for the auditorLose a turn
  10. Was it worth it?Lose a turn

How many turns is your team losing?

10 questions · 2 minutes · mostly one click.

Your player card at the end:

Fast TrackSteady ClimberUphill Champion

For anyone who runs, builds or funds automations, AI agents or agentic workflows.

Loading the survey. If it does not appear, use the hosted survey link below.

Your answers help other teams get their time back.

Trouble with the form? Open the survey in a new tab.

FOR THE CURIOUS

The board, and how it changes for AI

Automations, AI agents and agentic workflows each play their own version of the game.

Shaded squares are where practices vary most between organizations, and where this study is looking.

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

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
What do these words mean?
Automation
software that does repetitive tasks, like copying data between systems.
AI agent
an AI assistant that can take actions on its own.
Agentic workflow
several AI agents working together and handing work to each other.
Backlog, epics, stories
the to-do lists teams use to plan project work.
Approvals
the sign-offs needed before something can go live.
Hypercare
the extra support period right after something goes live.

Why we’re asking

Most teams can get an automation or AI project live. The hard part is everything around it: requests arriving from everywhere, hours spent building backlogs and chasing status, approvals that stall, and once it’s live, no clear answer to “was it worth the money?”

Ask a leader “Where does every initiative stand right now, what has it cost, and what is it returning?” and the honest answer is usually “Give me a few days.”

This survey maps where that pain sits, square by square, across automations, AI agents and agentic workflows. Your answers shape a solution being explored: one live view of every initiative’s status, approvals, spend and value, available at any moment, without a status meeting.

What you get

  • Your player card, instantly
  • A summary of findings by email when the study closes
  • A private walkthrough of what we’re building, if you’d like one

What if projects were as easy to follow as your pizza?

The plan sets itself up from what you need. Progress, cost and results update from the work itself, so a glance replaces the meeting. You can still ask. You just won’t have to. Less reporting, not more watching.

We’re exploring this as part of the research. It’s easier to show than to explain.

See it live: 30 minutes →Private. No slides. No follow-up unless you ask.

THE RESEARCH QUESTION

Where do teams lose time between an idea and a result they can prove, and what would it take to see it as it happens?

How your answers are used

  • Confidential. Results are published only in aggregate.
  • Name, email and company stay confidential and are never published.
  • Quotes or credit by name only with your explicit permission.
  • We’ll contact you only if you leave your email or book a walkthrough.
  • All responses are deleted by March 31, 2027. Ask us to delete yours sooner anytime: [email protected].
  • Hosted by Tally. Tally privacy policy.

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Findings describe participants, not a representative benchmark. Player cards are self-reported, not a validated maturity rating.

Who is running it?

An independent researcher with 20+ years in software engineering and enterprise AI, including a decade leading automation and RPA programs.

Independent research by a participant in the HBS Foundry Bootcamp, Fall 2026. Not conducted, sponsored, endorsed or approved by Harvard Business School or HBS Foundry.

Also exploring Serviceiou, an early-stage concept for making AI and automation value visible.

Questions? [email protected]