ICONnect Newsletter 3

From Pilot to Production: How Leaders Like GM and Walmart Are Scaling AI Right

72% of companies have adopted AI, yet 88% of pilot projects never reach production. Over half say they are no further along than they were a year ago, despite increased investment and executive urgency.

It is not just messy data or a lack of talent. The real issue is structural. Many organizations treat AI like it can install itself, depriving it of the support it needs to succeed.

Leaders like Walmart, GM, and UPS are showing what works: aligning strategy, upskilling teams, and building lightweight structures for speed and scale.

As experts Melissa Reeve and Karen Siers emphasize, the key to success is not more AI, but better foundations. If your progress is stalled, look beyond the tech to how you are set up to support it.

Want More Information?

Consider joining us for a practical webinar designed to help you break through the barriers holding your AI efforts back. “Why Your AI Efforts Are Stuck—and What to Do About It” takes place on Wednesday, August 27 at 12:00 PM EST.

Reserve your spot today—and learn what it takes to go from stuck to scaling with AI.

👉 For more information or to register for 27 August AI Webinar

Rethink, Realign, Revive: The New Playbook for Sustainable Agile Transformation

The 2025 SAFe® Summit is where the next generation of lean-agile transformation takes shape—and ICON Agility Services will be there to help you stay ahead.

September 8-12, 2025 | Gaylord Rockies, Denver
https://safesummit.com

As the market demands faster decisions, measurable results, and leaner operations, organizations are rethinking how they scale agility across portfolios, teams, and geographies. ICON’s team of SPCTs, SAFe Fellows, and senior enterprise coaches are ready to share how we’re helping clients:

Use Gen-AI to improve portfolio flow and forecasting
Shift from project to product with business-aligned value streams
Visualize and remove delivery bottlenecks at scale
Build change strategies that reduce resistance and drive adoption

If you're attending the Summit and facing stalled initiatives, disconnected teams, or transformation fatigue, this is the right time to connect. ICON doesn’t offer one-size-fits-all coaching—we solve real problems with practical, proven strategies.

Schedule time with our team to explore how ICON can help you move beyond frameworks and deliver results that matter with daylon.walton@iconagility.com and stella@iconagility.com

From Ideas to Impact: How AI Is Transforming Product Development Before Code Even Begins

Strategic AI is redefining how teams align around customer value by enabling rapid persona validation and AI-assisted value mapping. Design AI now generates user experiences that anticipate needs before a single line of code is written. Coding AI and Quality AI work in tandem to embed best practices and real-time test coverage into the development process. And most importantly, Outcome AI ensures that teams can measure business impact from day one, eliminating the wait for post-launch metrics. This new wave of AI empowers organizations to innovate faster, smarter, and with greater precision.

Experience It for Yourself. Join us for a free 3-hour virtual session where we’ll demonstrate how AI can drive real results across strategy, design, engineering, and outcomes. This hands-on workshop will walk you through AI-assisted tools and techniques, showing exactly how to align teams, accelerate delivery, and measure impact—live and in real time. Whether you’re a leader, developer, or innovator, you’ll leave with actionable insights and a clear view of what’s possible with AI-powered development.

Reserve your spot. Register for the next free AI Innovation Workshop - September 3, 2025

AI That Actually Works: Lessons from a Retailer Who Got It Right

When a global retailer faced mounting pressure to “do something with AI,” they took an unexpected approach. They paused. Instead of rushing into pilots, they asked: “What are we actually ready for?” A six-week internal assessment revealed scattered efforts, unclean data, and misaligned leadership. That clarity became their foundation. They launched low-risk pilots, upskilled leaders, improved their data infrastructure, and introduced light-touch governance. One year later: 20% better forecasting, 12% less waste, and a scalable AI model that actually worked.

ICON can help you build and execute a scalable AI model that is grounded in strategy, driven by data, and designed for real business impact. Our AI Readiness Cohorts give your team a clear roadmap, practical tools, and expert guidance across the 10 dimensions of AI readiness from strategy alignment to data infrastructure and governance. You’ll leave with a custom action plan, shared leadership vision, and the confidence to execute.

Join one of our upcoming AI Readiness Cohorts (only $495 for a limited time) or contact us directly info@iconagility.com for a private cohort for your organization.

Agile for Hardware? Yes, It Works—Here’s How the Best Are Doing It

Hardware organizations face unique challenges when adopting Agile techniques, primarily because Agile was originally designed for software development, which is inherently more flexible than hardware. Philips, Tesla, Bosch, Rivian, and many others are trailblazing in these areas. They recognize Agile applied to hardware requires:

Modular design to enable incremental builds
Early simulations to catch physical flaws
Parallel software + hardware sprints
Quick prototyping (3D printing, mock PCBs)
Hybrid Agile/Stage-Gate processes for compliance

Hardware teams can learn and apply these techniques to be successful. SAFe for Hardware Teams is a 2-day course that delivers hardware-specific examples and practices tailored for mechanical, electrical, and systems engineering teams. Its goal is to provide hands-on guidance for applying Lean-Agile practices in complex hardware environments where traditional Agile approaches fall short.

Review the course here and schedule a meeting about Agile transformation for your hardware teams: info@iconagility.com

Webinar Recap - Learn the latest in AI and Scaling on ICON’s YouTube Channel

Check out ICON’s YouTube channel and when you find what you need, contact us to arrange a private presentation at your company.

AI Upskilling, Assessments, Strategic Workshops & Role-Specific Micro Training

Comprehensive AI and SAFe skills enhancement on-site or virtual.

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