Process transformation leads digital investment wave

To what extent, if at all, is your company planning to invest in transformation in the following areas in the next three years?

The acceleration of digital transformation has reached a critical inflection point, with business process transformation emerging as the clear priority for C-suite leaders. Our analysis of the 2025 CEO Survey data reveals that 43% of companies are planning significant or very significant investments in business process transformation over the next three years – the highest among all transformation categories studied.

While previous waves of digital transformation often focused on customer-facing initiatives or isolated technology implementations, business leaders are now recognising that sustainable competitive advantage requires fundamental process reinvention.

The data exposes a concerning gap: while process transformation leads investment priorities, only 36% of organisations are planning similar levels of investment in business model reinvention. This disconnect suggests many organisations risk optimising existing operations without adequately preparing for disruption to their core business model.

The path forward requires strategic, concerted action:

• First, leaders must ensure process transformation initiatives are aligned with broader business model reinvention. Process optimisation should create flexibility for future business model pivots, not entrench legacy approaches.
• Second, organisations need to balance their transformation portfolio. While 40% of companies are planning moderate HR transformation investments, only 2% indicate very large-scale workforce initiatives. This underinvestment in human capital could limit the impact of process improvements.
• Finally, transformation initiatives must be integrated across domains. The data shows varying investment intensities across functions – from finance to customer operations – potentially creating organisational silos that could hinder enterprise-wide transformation.

Process transformation is essential, but insufficient on its own. Success requires coordinated investment across business model, workforce and operational dimensions to create truly resilient organisations.