The Hackett Group® Launches AI XPLR™ 4.0 — Driving Faster, Measurable ROI from Generative AI
Next-Generation Platform Delivers Industry-Tailored Gen AI Solutions in Days, Not Months
The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT), a global leader in generative AI consulting and enterprise digital transformation, today unveiled AI XPLR™ 4.0 — a revolutionary platform that redefines how enterprises design, deploy, and realize measurable value from generative AI. Unlike conventional AI tools that offer one-size-fits-all use cases, AI XPLR™ 4.0 is engineered to deliver client-specific, industry-aligned solutions that drive tangible ROI — fast.
“Too many vendors approach AI with a hammer looking for a nail,” said Ted Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of The Hackett Group®. “They push generic use cases that ignore the client’s unique business processes, application landscape, and data environment — leading to costly failures. Our approach flips that model. We start with the client’s reality — their industry, systems, and workflows — and build Gen AI solutions tailored precisely to their needs. That’s why we succeed where others fail.”
At the core of AI XPLR™ 4.0 is The Hackett Group’s proprietary Solutioning Language Model (SLM) — a specialized AI trained on decades of enterprise transformation data, business process benchmarks, and implementation IP. This enables the platform to compress traditional AI design cycles from months to mere days, while delivering unprecedented accuracy and ROI specificity.
Why Enterprises Struggle — And How AI XPLR™ 4.0 Solves It
Generative AI holds immense promise: automating cognitive tasks, accelerating decision-making, and unlocking new revenue streams. But most organizations struggle to move beyond pilot purgatory. Why? Because they lack the tools to identify the right use cases, integrate with existing systems, or measure ROI.
AI XPLR™ 4.0 solves this with three breakthrough capabilities:
1. Comprehensive Technology Landscape Intelligence
Before building anything, AI XPLR™ 4.0 maps and analyzes a client’s entire enterprise application ecosystem — from ERP and CRM systems to legacy databases and cloud platforms. It doesn’t just catalog systems; it evaluates their embedded automation potential and data richness. This allows clients to:
- Identify underutilized automation capabilities already present in existing systems.
- Discover high-value data sources — both structured and unstructured — across internal and external environments.
- Avoid redundant or incompatible AI investments by aligning new solutions with current infrastructure.
Unlike generic discovery tools, this intelligence is filtered through industry-specific lenses — whether you’re in manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, or retail — ensuring recommendations are contextually relevant and technically feasible.
2. Advanced AI Ideation Engine
Powered by The Hackett Group’s SLM, the platform’s ideation engine simulates thousands of potential AI solutions based on a client’s actual business processes and tech stack. It doesn’t guess — it models.
The engine evaluates:
- Process-specific automation potential — Which workflows can be augmented or fully automated?
- Data source optimization — Where are the hidden, high-impact data assets — including public, unstructured, or siloed internal data?
- Industry-vertical alignment — What use cases have proven ROI in your sector?
- Security, compliance, and feasibility — Which solutions are not only valuable but viable?
The result? A shift from speculative brainstorming to precision-guided solution discovery — surfacing high-impact, high-feasibility Gen AI opportunities with surgical accuracy.
3. Complete Solution Architecture — Ready for Build
Once the right opportunities are identified, AI XPLR™ 4.0 generates full solution blueprints — not conceptual slides, but executable architectures. These include:
- Optimized end-to-end workflows — With embedded ROI modeling and risk mitigation strategies.
- Intelligent agentic designs — Multi-agent architectures for automation, decision support, and human-AI collaboration.
- Technical specifications — Functional designs ready for immediate handoff to development teams.
- Integration assessments — Detailed compatibility checks with existing systems and data pipelines.
- Native tech recommendations — Guidance on leveraging current platforms (e.g., SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow) to reduce cost and complexity.
“This isn’t theory — it’s production-ready,” said Akash Takyar, Executive Vice President and CEO of ZBrain™, The Hackett Group’s AI orchestration platform. “AI XPLR™ blueprints can be directly built in ZBrain™, using pre-built agentic workflows or custom designs. Enterprises go from validated concept to working orchestration in record time — with no translation loss between design and execution.”
Why This Changes Everything
Traditional AI projects stall because they’re built in isolation — divorced from business context, technical reality, or measurable outcomes. AI XPLR™ 4.0 eliminates that gap. By grounding every solution in client-specific processes, systems, and data, it ensures Gen AI delivers real business value — not just technological novelty.
Moreover, the platform’s speed is transformative. What used to take cross-functional teams months of workshops, prototyping, and revisions now takes days. This acceleration isn’t just convenient — it’s competitive. In a market where AI adoption is accelerating, enterprises can’t afford to wait.
The Bottom Line
AI XPLR™ 4.0 isn’t another AI tool — it’s an enterprise-grade solutioning engine built for the real world. It turns the promise of generative AI into measurable, scalable, and sustainable business outcomes. Whether you’re looking to automate customer service, optimize supply chains, accelerate financial close, or reimagine product development, AI XPLR™ 4.0 gives you the precision, speed, and ROI clarity you need to win.
To learn more about AI XPLR™ 4.0 and The Hackett Group’s end-to-end AI transformation services, visit www.thehackettgroup.com.
About The Hackett Group®
The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT) is a Gen AI strategic consulting and executive advisory firm that enables Digital World Class® performance. Using AI XPLR™ and ZBrain™ – our ideation through implementation platforms – our experienced professionals help organizations realize the power of Gen AI and achieve quantifiable, breakthrough results, allowing us to be key architects of their Gen AI journey.
Our expertise is grounded in unparalleled best practices insights from benchmarking the world’s leading businesses – including 97% of the Dow Jones Industrials, 90% of the Fortune 100, 70% of the DAX 40 and 51% of the FTSE 100. Visit us at www.thehackettgroup.com.
