Guidehouse, a global AI-led professional services firm, has released its latest flagship report, The Managed Services Guide, which spotlights a transformative new model for managed services built on intelligent operations. The report details how the convergence of AI, automation, and specialized expertise is shifting service delivery from traditional, transactional outsourcing to performance-driven and adaptive systems. This new approach is designed to help organizations scale their unique strengths while achieving measurable impact, resilience, and continuous improvement.
Quick Intel
Guidehouse has released a new report on the future of managed services.
It introduces an "intelligent operations" model powered by AI and automation.
The model shifts the focus from tracking hours to delivering specific outcomes.
It is based on four principles, including using data as a control layer.
Key trends include agentic AI and outcome-based pricing models.
The model uses digital workers to amplify human expertise.
Shifting from Process to Performance
The intelligent operations model represents a fundamental evolution in managed services. It moves beyond simply tracking hours and following processes to a focus on delivering concrete business outcomes. By integrating automation, AI, and human expertise into modular systems, organizations can build a strategic operating model that is transparent, resilient, and capable of adapting to changing demands.
"Intelligent operations represent a model for managed services that is built for performance, not just process," said Ali Bokhari, Managed Services Leader at Guidehouse. "It's a shift from tracking hours to delivering outcomes. By combining automation, AI, and human expertise into modular, repeatable systems, organizations can scale what makes them distinct while driving measurable impact."
The Four Principles and Future Trends
The report outlines four core principles that define intelligent operations: designing for outcomes and unique strengths, using digital workers to amplify human impact, making data the control layer for visibility, and configuring to fit instead of customizing. It also highlights key directional trends, such as digital workers appearing on organizational charts, the rise of agentic AI in decision-making, the expansion of services into front-office functions, and a shift toward outcome-based pricing models.
"AI is no longer just a tool. It's a teammate," said Stuart Brown, Technology Leader at Guidehouse. "Digital workers handle volume and surface insights, allowing people to focus on what they do best: nuanced decisions, exception handling, and strategic oversight."
Developed through expert interviews across industries, the guide provides a forward-looking view of how modern managed services create value. Guidehouse will host a webinar on November 6, 2025, to discuss these insights further.
Guidehouse is a global AI-led professional services firm delivering advisory, technology, and managed services to the commercial and government sectors. With an integrated business technology approach, Guidehouse drives efficiency and resilience in the healthcare, financial services, energy, infrastructure, and national security markets. Built to help clients across industries outwit complexity, the firm brings together approximately 18,000 professionals to achieve lasting impact and shape a meaningful future.
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