Case Studies in Process Reimagination with AI

Nearly three years after the launch of OpenAI’s flagship ChatGPT model, AI has become synonymous with the goals of industrial engineers and business leaders: reducing costs, saving time, scaling operations, and driving efficiency. Yet, many corporations struggle to realize tangible returns on AI investments. Research from MIT reveals that approximately 95% of AI pilots stall, often due to poorly designed workflows that fail to capture AI’s benefits while mitigating risks.

This abstract highlights three case studies from West Monroe’s work leveraging generative AI to reimagine processes and deliver measurable business outcomes. The first two focus on streamlining the creation of SOPs and process maps, where generative AI reduced completion times by 50%. The third case study demonstrates generative AI’s potential in complex business functions, showcasing how prompt-engineering approaches shortened vendor risk assessments by 20%.

A key takeaway from these projects is the importance of prompt engineering for driving meaningful outputs and efficiency gains. With AI technology evolving rapidly, use cases that seemed unattainable six months ago are now within reach. West Monroe’s industrial engineering team continues to collaborate with the Technology Solutions team to explore emerging applications of agentic AI systems. Additional case studies may be incorporated into this presentation before the annual conference.

Nathan Crabel is a Senior Manager with West Monroe’s Operations Excellence practice. He collaborates with subject matter experts to optimize clients' operations and maximize asset performance. ​

Most recently, he led teams at a cybersecurity provider, achieving a 29% reduction in ticket resolution time, a 30% improvement in service levels, and identifying 10% in productivity gains and cost savings. ​

He also managed engineering teams for a healthcare payer, creating resource models that uncovered 20% open capacity, translating into an $8 million savings opportunity.​

Nathan joined West Monroe in 2013 after earning a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University.​

Nathan Crabel is the ex-President of the Chicago Chapter of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, promoting and mentoring in the profession. In his personal time, he enjoys downhill skiing and has a coffee table book of 200 trail map paintings.​

Where Nathan makes an impact​

With a background in engineering, Nathan integrates engineering principles with business acumen, emphasizing process optimization, analytics, and the human element. He excels in collaborating with diverse groups, from the production floor to the C-suite.​