Agentic AI needs process context
For many organizations, generative AI has so far primarily been an area of experimentation. The next step is Agentic AI – more autonomous AI systems capable not only of providing answers, but also of performing tasks and participating directly in business processes.
The new Process Context Study 2026, developed by The Hackett Group and ARIS, focuses on how prepared organizations are to move beyond AI experimentation and deploy AI agents reliably, securely and at scale.
One of the central topics of the study is process context – understanding how the organization actually works. For an AI agent to act correctly and safely, access to data alone is not enough. It also needs to understand processes, roles, responsibilities, business rules and their relationships.
The study focuses in particular on:
- the readiness gap emerging as enterprises move towards Agentic AI,
- why understanding how the business actually works is critical to successfully deploying AI agents,
- the relationship between process context, AI governance and greater autonomy,
- what distinguishes organizations already seeing a return on their AI investments from the rest.
The combination of process management and AI governance is likely to become increasingly important as enterprises move into the next phase of AI adoption. The more autonomy organizations give to AI agents, the more important clearly defined and governed processes, responsibilities, rules and controls become.
In this context, ARIS provides a platform for capturing, analysing and governing business processes and their relationships. Process models can therefore become more than documentation for people – they can also provide valuable context for future AI solutions.
The Process Context Study 2026 is scheduled for official release on September 29, 2026.
