The Elusive AI ROI | Elder Research

Building the Right Conditions for Real Business Return

The Elusive AI ROI Guide Cover We’ve all seen the headlines:

“85% of AI projects fail to deliver on their promises.”

“95% of organizations report zero ROI from AI.”

“80% aren’t seeing tangible enterprise impact from GenAI.”

Those aren’t just scary stats; they’re frustrating proof that something’s broken. Deploying successful AI solutions can be incredibly challenging. And that’s why we created this guide.

Through practical tips, tools, and team exercises, this guide will help you identify where ROI is being lost and shape AI and analytics initiatives that really move the needle.

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About the Guide

Turn AI Investment into Real Business Impact

In our experience, we’ve found that there are four key areas organizations must consider to ensure AI and analytics initiatives aren’t shelfware but drivers of real impact.

These areas—Business Strategy, Resource Allocation, Project Execution, and Strategic Deliverables—are all part of our Business Transformation Framework, and this guide dives into each of them.

Business Transformation Framework

Key Takeaways

Start with the Business

AI and analytics only create value when they’re tied to real business decisions. Clarifying objectives before initiating projects helps you avoid the trap of activity without impact.

Address Gaps Early

Even strong initiatives fail without the right mix of data readiness, skills, ownership, and adoption planning. Address gaps before they become time-consuming, costly roadblocks.

Make Insights Actionable

ROI comes from insights that are trusted by teams, aligned to a single source of truth, and clearly connected to business goals.

Why Is ROI So Elusive?

The short answer boils down to this:

Organizations aren’t fully aligning AI and analytics initiatives to the decisions, priorities, and changes that drive the business.

For the past 30 years, Elder Research, a MANTECH company, has helped hundreds of organizations capture the elusive ROI. The result? 90% of our solutions are implemented, adopted, and delivering tangible results, compared to roughly 20% across the industry.

This guide walks you through the critical questions your team should be asking to ensure valuable ROI isn’t left on the table. We hope you’ll use it as a starting point for honest, open conversations with your team about where your organization is today and what it will take to get to the next level.