The execution gap in digital adoption
Your organization has a digital adoption strategy. You’ve invested in tools, people, and planning. Yet progress still feels slow.
The finding:
Forrester reports that while 58 % of organizations claim an enterprise-wide strategy, 41 % remain at the earliest stage of maturity.
The difference:
The top 22 %—Trailblazers—focus on execution. They launch lean, functional programs, demonstrate results quickly, and expand with structure.
Speed to value is the prize. High-maturity customers make faster time-to-value their most critical focus. Large, bureaucratic CoEs are slow to form and even slower to prove impact. Lean, functional CoEs accelerate adoption without the extra layers.
— Forrester
Start Light, Scale Intentionally, Prove Strategic Value, commissioned by WalkMe, August 2025
Forrester research provided with permission. © 2025 Forrester, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Forrester is a registered trademark of Forrester, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
64% of organizations report higher engagement with digital tools after building a CoE.
53% say their CoE aligns with enterprise transformation.
How functional CoEs change the game
Forrester highlights three practices that set high-maturity programs apart from those that stall.
Start lean and build credibility
Trailblazers launch in under six months with small, focused teams. Early wins build momentum and earn the mandate to scale.
Measure outcomes that matter
Advanced programs track time-to-value and enterprise impact, not activity or usage metrics. They link every initiative to clear business results.
Scale with structure, not complexity
Mature CoEs expand beyond training into automation, change management, and AI. They use light but consistent governance to stay agile while maintaining alignment.
What you’ll learn
This research offers a benchmark for leaders who want to build digital adoption programs that deliver measurable enterprise value.
- Why lean, functional CoEs accelerate maturity and ROI
- The four common challenges that limit adoption, and how mature teams overcome them
- How leading organizations align business and IT around shared outcomes
- A phased path from Stand Up → Scale → Transform
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