What AI projects teach us about successful digitization
The recent MIT study on success and failure with AI shows that it is not technology, but the approach and early involvement of employees that makes the difference. As many as 95% of initiatives fail at this point! The learning points from this study are very recognizable for LeanForms and explain why our customers do succeed in successfully digitizing business processes.
Collaboration wins over self-building
The MIT research shows that companies that buy AI tools and work with specialized partners are twice as likely to succeed as those that want to build everything themselves.
The same also applies to process optimization and automation. When you combine the best available knowledge from multiple disciplines, different perspectives are considered early on. In many cases, this prevents mistakes or unexpected surprises during implementation.
LeanForms offers a proven, ready-to-use platform developed with years of hands-on experience. Organizations do not have to develop complex IT logic themselves, but can start immediately with a reliable solution that adapts to their way of working.
Where generic AI tools often provide an empty canvas, LeanForms delivers structured intelligence. Not experimentation with prompts or uncertain outputs, but clear processes with built-in quality and compliance.
Employees on the ball
MIT emphasizes that adoption only works when the business itself takes ownership. In other words, only when users experience the added value does real support emerge.
So a “handy guy” who is good with an AI tool should not be left to build it alone. Instead, involve a selection of core users from the beginning. In addition to contributing requirements and wishes from practice, they will later act as ambassadors when the updated digital solution is put into use.
LeanForms is designed on exactly that principle. Almost anyone in the organization, from the sales department to operations, can configure smart forms with workflows without IT dependence. As a result, ownership naturally lies with the team members doing the real work, and adoption becomes a natural consequence rather than a challenge.
AI tools are often tested solistically by innovation experts or data scientists, leaving a great distance from the shop floor. LeanForms actually makes automation accessible to the people who work with processes every day, increasing the likelihood of true adoption.
“Generic tools like ChatGPT are widely used. Yet custom solutions stall due to integration complexity and lack of fit with existing workflows.” – MIT NANDA, The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025 (p. 3)
Why real value only comes from integration
The third learning from the MIT research is that solutions that are deeply embedded in processes and can easily adapt to change ultimately deliver the most value. In a world of continuous change, a rigid structure quickly works against you. Customization of complex ICT software is also expensive and time-consuming.
However, a tool like LeanForms grows with your organization and effortlessly adapts to new processes, rules and data without a complete rebuild.
Many AI solutions remain isolated experiments. Useful, but not structural. Instead, LeanForms is designed to be part of the daily operation. Where an AI tool helps for a while, LeanForms provides the stable foundation on which processes run and improve.
In summary, you may conclude that AI is not a panacea for optimizing and digitizing business processes. Humans are still important to get the maximum return from AI. Therefore, our expectation is that many organizations can make large efficiency layers with small steps in digitization, if they make maximum use of the knowledge and skills of employees in the process.
Want to know more? Get in touch
Do you have questions or are you curious how LeanForms can support your organization? We are ready to answer all your questions! Get instant specialized advice on the best solution for your specific situation.
Related items
Advanced workflows step by step
Digitization does not stop at replacing paper forms with a digital alternative. The real gain comes when processes become smarter. Workflows play a key role in this: By setting up digital forms intelligently, the system automatically streamlines the follow-up based on the answers. This gives your organization grip, speed and peace of mind and makes digitization work for you.
Guide to optimizing processes
Process optimization as a continuous improvement process. Process optimization is a continuous improvement process that not every organization is proactively working on yet.
RI&E: From obligation to dynamic tool
Preparing a risk inventory and evaluation (RI&E) has been a legal requirement for some time, but despite this, many companies struggle to set up their RI&E correctly.
The digital workplace, organizing with 5S
One of the methods within LEAN is the 5S Workplace Inspections, better known as 5S. It is often used to establish and maintain a tidy and orderly physical workplace.
