Build once, Pivot often: The “Adaptive Enterprise” playbook

By Krunal Patel, Managing Director, NTT DATA Business Solutions

Math is breaking enterprise IT in 2026. Bain & Company studied 24,000 transformation initiatives and found 88% failed to achieve original ambitions. Poor execution? One prime reason was poor preparation for the future.

Today, companies average multi-year transformation timelines while market conditions shift in quarters. By the time transformation completes, the problem usually evolves beyond recognition. This timeline has only accelerated with the advent of AI.

The industry is changing as we speak. At present, business verticals need to pivot within a quarter, sometimes even weeks, or risk becoming irrelevant before the next board meeting – a modern-day dinosaur.

The AI acceleration problem
MIT’s recent study quantifies the current crisis. 95% of enterprise GenAI pilots deliver zero measurable P&L impact. S&P Global estimated 42% of companies abandoned most AI initiatives in 2025, double the rate from just ...