CASE STUDY

From GenAI Hype (and Hope) to Scalable Strategy – in Four Weeks

Summary

The CEO was all in. The CIO was ready to lead. But the organization – like so many others – was stuck between ambition and execution. Past digital improvement efforts had their problems. Early GenAI tools like MS Copilot hadn’t yet delivered. Trust was low. Teams were skeptical. Without the right strategy and structure, GenAI was on track to become another overpromised investment. InTension was engaged to make sure that didn’t happen.

focus areas

Challenge

While sponsorship was strong, the company lacked the right strategy, approach, and design for successful execution and adoption. GenAI efforts were scattered and employees’ AI personas unclear. Governance foundations existed – but without shared or aligned clarity across people, processes, and policies, GenAI risked becoming another stalled enterprise initiative.

Solution

InTension led Phase 1 of its four-phase GenAI Execution Model: Strategy & Readiness.

Over four weeks, we:

  • Facilitated leadership alignment to surface GenAI roles, risks, and readiness – using persona-based frameworks to build shared understanding, support adoption, and lay behavioral foundations for success
  • Co-created governance structures with executives and teams – anchored in enterprise digital strategy and designed for clarity, accountability, and scale
  • Mapped ~30 business processes from the bottom up to assess activities, tasks and subtasks to target for GenAI amenability
  • Used a five-dimension scoring model – strategic fit, ROI, feasibility, adoption readiness, scalability – to prioritize opportunities
  • Built mini-business cases and micro-project plans leaders could act on immediately
  • Designed  an agile backlog to deliver quick wins and sustained momentum

Supported by our exclusively licensed GenAI Empowerment Lab (IGEL), the strategy was governance-first, human-centered, and execution-ready from day one.

Results

  • Governance-aligned GenAI strategy tied to enterprise objectives.
  • 25+ validated opportunities across business functions, sequenced 5 fully scoped, owned, and prioritized pilots ready for launch for 2025.

  • Agile, execution-ready backlog built to scale value in waves.

  • Enterprise momentum unlocked – in weeks, not quarters

Case Study

From GenAI Hype (and Hope) to Scalable Strategy – in Four Weeks