PEX Network’s weekly news bulletin rounds up the latest from the process community including operational excellence (OPEX), digital transformation, business process management (BPM), process mining, artificial intelligence (AI) and much more.
This week includes:
- McDonald’s targets operational efficiency, scraps diversity goals
- AI agents a multi-trillion opportunity says Nvidia CEO
- Formula E supercharges performance with generative AI
- RWTH Aachen University launches object-centric process mining course
- Under Armour drives growth with OPEX
- Experts discuss top BPM topics of 2025
McDonald’s targets operational efficiency, scraps diversity goals
McDonald’s is running internal competitions designed to improve operational efficiency by encouraging traffic growth, speed of service and digital execution. Meanwhile, the fast-food giant announced that it is scaling back some of its diversity goals, joining a raft of major companies to retreat from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.
Although the details of the OPEX competitions are not mentioned, customer satisfaction scores and service times have improved tremendously, according to analysis by Selendis Research. “Additionally, McDonalds will continue to optimize costs through strategic transformation and investments that will bring about operational efficiency. The company has also reiterated its stances in cost discipline and will control spending in areas such as travel, meetings and other services.”
As for DEI, McDonald’s stated it will no longer set “aspirational representation goals” and will instead focus on continuing to embed inclusion practices that grow the business into its everyday process and operations. What’s more, McDonald’s will retire its pledge to diversify suppliers. The firm joins the likes of Ford and Walmart that have recently announced similar DEI climb-downs.
Watch Cherise Crenshaw-Holmes PhD, founder of Modern Work Consultancy, discuss the importance of building inclusion into digital transformation
AI agents a multi-trillion opportunity says Nvidia CEO
AI agents are a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity and the age of AI agentics is here, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Huang spoke this week at the CES 2025 technology event in Las Vegas where he unveiled the company’s next generation of graphics processing units (GPUs). His keynote opened with a video demonstrating AI’s growing role in everyday life and painted a picture of AI agents becoming integrated into healthcare, mobility and personal wellbeing. AI is advancing at an “incredible pace,” Huang told an audience of over 6,000. “It’s been an incredible year,” Huang added, highlighting Nvidia’s major achievements including Blackwell systems, physical AI foundation models and breakthroughs in agentic AI and robotics.
McKinsey forecasts that AI agents will replace 70 percent of office work in the next decade while Goldman Sachs estimates that AI agents will add US$7 trillion to the global economy.
Watch Andreas Welsch, author of the AI Leadership Handbook, explore the future of agentic AI
Formula E supercharges performance with generative AI
Formula E, the motorsport championship for electric cars, aims to use generative AI to revolutionize driver performance analysis, delivering personalized insights and real-time feedback to empower drivers. Formula E is collaborating with Google Cloud in a new multi-year AI and technology partnership.
“Transformational data insights will be game-changing for enhancing driver skill and access to top-tier driver coaching, summarizing vast amounts of car and track data that can support a driver’s racing style and tire and energy strategies,” according to a press release. This technology will fuel engineering innovation, optimize driver development and democratize access to cutting-edge tools, fostering a more competitive landscape in the future, it added.
Beyond the racetrack, Google Cloud’s generative AI-ready, unified data platform, BigQuery, will connect to Formula E’s customer relationship management (CRM) systems to generate personalized fan experiences and provide a platform for deeper insights into race predictions for TV graphics.
“Partnering with one of the most forward-thinking companies in the world will deliver a step-change for the series in how we’re able to continue producing some of the most exciting and innovative racing in the world,” commented Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E. “New technology and solutions developed alongside Google Cloud will further enhance the performance and potential of our race cars, providing even faster, closer and more action-packed racing for our fans.”
Watch Tyrone Smith Jr, founding member of the Society of People Analytics (SPA), discuss building trust in AI
RWTH Aachen University launches object-centric process mining course
On January 13, RWTH Aachen University will launch a new online course on object-centric process mining. Led by Professor Wil van der Aalst, the course explores the evolution of process mining, tackling complex, multi-object processes and equipping learners with cutting-edge tools and insights to solve real-world challenges. “In classic process mining, we typically focus on a single process and track the cases flowing through that process. With object-centric process mining (OCPM), on the other hand, we are no longer limited to a single process, and we can track any number of objects,” said van der Aalst.
The course is one of four new online learning events being launched by RWTH Aachen University offering content such as video sequences, serious games and e-tests or scripts, combined with opportunities for interaction and discussion in the form of forums, chats and social networks.
Watch Madison Lundquist, principal research lead at APQC, reflect on team structures for process excellence
Under Armour drives growth with OPEX
American sportswear company Under Armour, Inc. is positioning itself for growth and market differentiation by focusing on operational efficiency and global expansion, according to Zacks Equity Research. In a recent investor meeting, Under Armour laid out its vision, emphasizing product innovation, OPEX and regional market strategies as the key drivers of long-term value for shareholders.
The company achieved a 13 percent year-over-year reduction in adjusted SG&A, aided by lower marketing expenses, headcount reductions and insurance recovery for legal fees, Zacks Equity Research stated. “These actions highlight Under Amour’s disciplined approach to cost management while driving operational efficiency. The company’s emphasis on customer loyalty, streamlined operations and reduced reliance on discounting enhances profitability.”
Watch Pradheep Kileti, director at National Grid, discuss balancing operations and innovation
Experts discuss top BPM topics of 2025
Business process experts discussed the biggest BPM topics of 2025 in the latest episode of the New Process Podcast. Contributors included hosts Caspar Jans, Russell Gumersall, van der Aalst, BPM professor and thought leader Pedro Robledo, Martin Holling, head of BPM at KEMNA BAU, and Roland Woldt, host of the What’s your Baseline? podcast. Unsurprisingly, the use and integration of AI was one of the top trends discussed, as were the convergence of BPM and process mining, object-centric process mining, people-centric BPM culture, market consolidation and process automation.
Register for All Access: Future of BPM 2025
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