Study Data · Part 2 · Indicator Deep-Dive Analysis

Rate the effectiveness of your employer’s process and leadership development programs

Indicator C118 · By Phil Hatch · Akholi · October 9, 2026

Indicator Specification

Table 1. Indicator specificationTable
FieldValue
Indicator codeC118
Question as askedRate the effectiveness of your employer’s process and leadership development programs.
Failure categoryVendor capability
Place in the surveyChallenge Deep Dive > 5.2 Vendor > Leadership and Management Effectiveness
Indicator classRespondent level
Indicator typeRated, POS
Response scale1 to 10, higher is the better outcome
Answering base803 of 850 respondents, across 150 of 150 engagements
Non-answersI do not know 0, I prefer to not answer 0, blank 47
Written responses coded to the indicator7 responses from 7 respondents on 7 engagements (7 primary, 0 secondary)

Summary of Findings

Table 2. Key results: association of the indicator with the four study measuresTable
MeasureFormnr95% CIp
Cancellation rateDescriptive contrast150 engagements−0.59−0.69 to −0.48< 0.001
Customer satisfactionClean estimate94 engagements0.690.57 to 0.78< 0.001
Engagement indicator meanLeave-one-out150 engagements0.850.80 to 0.89< 0.001
Intent to leaveRespondent level, clustered753 respondents−0.61−0.67 to −0.53< 0.001

Ratings of the effectiveness of the employer’s process and leadership development programs (mean 3.7, median 4.0, n = 803 respondents) were associated with all four study measures. Engagements with higher ratings were canceled less often (r = −0.59, 95% CI −0.69 to −0.48, p < 0.001, n = 150 engagements). Higher ratings came with higher customer satisfaction on active engagements (r = 0.69, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.78, p < 0.001, n = 94 active engagements). Ratings rose with the engagement indicator mean, computed with this item left out (r = 0.85, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.89, p < 0.001, n = 150 engagements). Respondents who gave higher ratings reported lower intent to leave (r = −0.61, cluster bootstrap 95% CI −0.67 to −0.53, p < 0.001, n = 753 respondents). Ratings differed after Holm control by engagement status and lifecycle stage (Welch F 31.56, Holm p < 0.001, omega squared 0.342) and by respondent role (Welch F 7.48, Holm p 0.006, omega squared 0.014).

The indicator had 7 written responses coded to it, from 7 of 850 respondents on 7 of 150 engagements. Negative responses numbered 4 of the 7 scored responses. The strongest negative score, −10, was carried by 1 of the 7 scored responses. Every response was a primary response, written in answer to a question in the indicator’s own survey section. The rating of respondents who wrote was not compared with that of respondents who did not, because 7 respondents wrote, fewer than 10.

Distribution of Ratings

Table 3. Distribution of ratings, respondent levelTable
AnswerRespondentsShare of answered (base 803)Cumulative shareEngagements with at least oneShare of 150 engagementsDistressed
115419.18%19.18%6342.00%Yes
210813.45%32.63%6845.33%Yes
313116.31%48.94%7852.00%Yes
411414.20%63.14%7550.00%No
513416.69%79.83%8154.00%No
69812.20%92.03%5033.33%No
7435.35%97.38%3120.67%No
8172.12%99.50%117.33%No
940.50%100.00%32.00%No
1000.00%100.00%00.00%No
I do not know0Not in baseNot in base00.00%Not applicable
I prefer to not answer0Not in baseNot in base00.00%Not applicable
Answered, total803100.00%150100.00%
Table 4. Distribution of ratings, engagement levelTable
Engagement level summaryEngagementsMean of engagement meansSDMinMedianMaxEngagements with a distressed meanShare of engagements distressed
Engagement means, goodness view1503.71.71.03.58.06442.67%

The study set mean was 3.7 on 803 answering respondents, with a median of 4.0. 393 answers, 48.94% of the 803, were at the distressed end. A distressed engagement mean was recorded in 64 of 150 engagements.

Coverage and Origin of Written Responses

Figure 1. Written responses coded to the indicator, by the question answered and by written score (n = 7 responses)Exhibit
02468C135 (primary)33Written responses−10 Strongly negative−5 Negative0 Neutral+5 Positive+10 Strongly positive
Note: Primary responses were written in answer to a written-answer question in the indicator’s own survey section. Secondary responses were written in answer to a question outside that section and coded to the indicator because their content addressed it. Segments run from −10, strongly negative, in full amber at the left to +10, strongly positive, in the darkest gray at the right. Segments of 3 or more responses are labeled with their count where the drawn segment can hold the label. C135 asked: “Add any comments on your employer that the ratings in this section do not capture.”
Table 5. Written responses by originTable
OriginResponsesRespondentsEngagementsNegativeStrongest negative (−10)PositiveMean written score
Primary7774 of 71 of 73 of 7‡
Secondary000a
All responses7774 of 71 of 73 of 7‡
Note: ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported. a No scored responses.

All 7 responses were primary responses.

Distribution of Written Sentiment

Figure 2. Distribution of written sentiment (n = 7 scored responses)Exhibit
1 of 7−10 Stronglynegative3 of 7−5 Negative0 of 70 Neutral3 of 7+5 Positive0 of 7+10 Stronglypositive
Note: Column height is the count of scored responses. With fewer than 10 scored responses, labels give counts only.

The distribution was reported as counts only, because fewer than 10 responses carried a score. Of the 7 scored responses, 4 were negative, 1 carried the strongest negative score and 3 were positive.

Descriptive Statistics by Segment

Table 6a. Descriptive statistics by segment, part 1 of 2Table
SegmentBaseAnsweredAnswer rateEngagementsMean95% CISD
Study set85080394.47% of 8501503.73.5 to 3.82.0
Outsourcing model
CXM23222195.26% of 232423.93.7 to 4.22.2
ITO24422893.44% of 244403.73.4 to 3.91.9
BPO20920196.17% of 209373.53.2 to 3.71.9
KPO16515392.73% of 165313.63.2 to 3.91.9
Institution type
Asset management13211889.39% of 132243.53.1 to 3.92.2
Wealth management and private banking14013596.43% of 140233.73.4 to 4.01.8
Investment banking (advisory and capital-markets origination)10510095.24% of 105192.92.6 to 3.21.6
Insurance (life, property and casualty, health)787697.44% of 78143.63.2 to 4.01.8
Commercial and business banking827895.12% of 82134.13.7 to 4.62.0
Payments and merchant acquiring (networks, acquiring, processing)716388.73% of 71133.93.4 to 4.52.3
Credit card and payments issuing737197.26% of 73123.32.9 to 3.71.7
Retail and consumer banking737197.26% of 73124.43.9 to 4.92.2
Markets and trading (sales and trading, global markets)575392.98% of 57114.33.8 to 4.81.9
Private equity and private capital393897.44% of 3993.32.6 to 4.02.1
Process family
Corporate and back-office functions24823895.97% of 248473.43.1 to 3.62.0
Technology engineering and operations20419394.61% of 204354.03.8 to 4.32.0
Client servicing and communications948994.68% of 94163.63.1 to 4.02.0
Trade, settlement and reconciliation807492.50% of 80153.32.9 to 3.81.9
Payments, cards and disputes737197.26% of 73124.23.8 to 4.61.8
Credit, underwriting and suitability575392.98% of 5794.43.9 to 4.91.8
Regulatory, audit, tax and legal514792.16% of 5193.32.7 to 3.81.8
Financial crime and client onboarding433888.37% of 4373.12.6 to 3.61.4
Class of work
LOB Operational45142594.24% of 451763.73.5 to 3.92.0
Corporate Functional39937894.74% of 399743.63.4 to 3.82.0
Engagement status and lifecycle stage
Active, Build-Out17516594.29% of 175314.54.2 to 4.81.8
Active, Transition/Cut-Over25023895.20% of 250434.34.1 to 4.61.8
Active, Production1039491.26% of 103204.74.3 to 5.11.9
Canceled32230695.03% of 322562.42.2 to 2.61.6
Respondent role
Individual Contributor66762193.10% of 6671493.63.4 to 3.72.0
Engagement Manager150150100.00% of 1501504.03.6 to 4.31.9
Portfolio Director3131100.00% of 31314.74.0 to 5.31.8
Customer Management Executive211 of 21‡
Vendor type
IT services major31629994.62% of 316593.53.3 to 3.71.9
BPO specialist19819196.46% of 198373.53.2 to 3.82.0
Consulting firm11710791.45% of 117233.83.4 to 4.22.1
Boutique or specialist provider878395.40% of 87174.13.6 to 4.62.2
Pure-play agentic AI firm757296.00% of 75144.23.7 to 4.72.0
Not reported, recovered by engagement575189.47% of 57433.53.0 to 4.01.8
Note: ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported.
Table 6b. Descriptive statistics by segment, part 2 of 2Table
SegmentMinQ1MedianQ3MaxDistressed nDistressed %
Study set1.02.04.05.09.039348.94%
Outsourcing model
CXM1.02.04.06.09.09944.80%
ITO1.02.03.05.08.011550.44%
BPO1.02.04.05.09.09748.26%
KPO1.02.03.05.08.08253.59%
Institution type
Asset management1.01.03.05.08.06353.39%
Wealth management and private banking1.02.04.05.09.05943.70%
Investment banking (advisory and capital-markets origination)1.01.03.04.07.06666.00%
Insurance (life, property and casualty, health)1.02.03.05.08.03951.32%
Commercial and business banking1.03.04.06.08.03038.46%
Payments and merchant acquiring (networks, acquiring, processing)1.02.04.05.09.03149.21%
Credit card and payments issuing1.02.03.04.07.04157.75%
Retail and consumer banking1.02.55.06.08.02433.80%
Markets and trading (sales and trading, global markets)1.03.04.05.09.01833.96%
Private equity and private capital1.01.33.05.07.02257.89%
Process family
Corporate and back-office functions1.01.03.05.09.013155.04%
Technology engineering and operations1.03.04.06.09.07940.93%
Client servicing and communications1.02.03.05.08.04853.93%
Trade, settlement and reconciliation1.02.03.05.07.03952.70%
Payments, cards and disputes1.03.04.05.08.02433.80%
Credit, underwriting and suitability1.03.05.06.08.01935.85%
Regulatory, audit, tax and legal1.02.03.05.07.03063.83%
Financial crime and client onboarding1.02.03.04.06.02360.53%
Class of work
LOB Operational1.02.04.05.09.020949.18%
Corporate Functional1.02.04.05.09.018448.68%
Engagement status and lifecycle stage
Active, Build-Out1.03.05.06.08.04929.70%
Active, Transition/Cut-Over1.03.05.05.09.08033.61%
Active, Production1.03.05.06.09.02627.66%
Canceled1.01.02.03.07.023877.78%
Respondent role
Individual Contributor1.02.03.05.09.031650.89%
Engagement Manager1.02.04.05.09.06946.00%
Portfolio Director1.03.55.06.08.0825.81%
Customer Management Executive‡ n = 1
Vendor type
IT services major1.02.03.05.09.016454.85%
BPO specialist1.02.03.05.09.09951.83%
Consulting firm1.02.04.05.08.04743.93%
Boutique or specialist provider1.02.04.06.08.03137.35%
Pure-play agentic AI firm1.02.85.06.08.02433.33%
Not reported, recovered by engagement1.02.03.04.57.02854.90%
Note: ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported.

Figures are respondent level. Means are on the goodness view. A level under 30 prints no interval and a level under 10 prints counts only.

Tests of Difference Between Segments

Table 7a. Tests of difference between segments, part 1 of 2Table
Segment familyWelch FdfpHolm pOmega squared90% CI
Outsourcing model0.203, 79.20.8981.000−0.0160.000 to 0.010
Institution type1.438, 49.50.2090.8370.0170.000 to 0.099
Process family1.314, 41.00.2830.8480.0060.000 to 0.078
Class of work0.161, 146.70.6931.000−0.0060.000 to 0.025
Engagement status and lifecycle stage31.563, 56.9< 0.001< 0.0010.3420.246 to 0.435
Respondent role7.482, 76.70.0010.0060.0140.004 to 0.033
Vendor type2.575, 229.50.0280.1380.0110.002 to 0.029
Table 7b. Tests of difference between segments, part 2 of 2Table
Segment familyKruskal-Wallis HpDistressed chi-squaredfpCramer’s VLevels left out
Outsourcing model0.310.9590.7530.8620.07None
Institution type10.580.2276.0980.652, simulated0.21a
Process family5.410.2485.7140.2220.21b
Class of work0.100.7520.0410.8500.02None
Engagement status and lifecycle stage55.23< 0.00152.013< 0.0010.59None
Respondent role13.94< 0.0018.1020.0170.10c
Vendor type13.630.01818.1050.0030.15None
Note: a Private equity and private capital, n = 9. b Credit, underwriting and suitability, n = 9, Regulatory, audit, tax and legal, n = 9, Financial crime and client onboarding, n = 7. c Customer Management Executive, n = 1.

Engagement families were tested on engagement means, and respondent role and vendor type were tested on respondents. A distressed p marked exact is a Fisher exact test for a two by two table, and one marked simulated is a Monte Carlo test run until its p is stable to the third decimal, both used where an expected count is under 5. Engagement status and lifecycle stage differed after Holm control (Welch F 31.56, Holm p < 0.001, tested on engagement means). In Descriptive Statistics by Segment, Active, Production had the highest mean, 4.7 (n = 94 respondents), and Canceled the lowest, 2.4 (n = 306 respondents). Respondent role differed after Holm control (Welch F 7.48, Holm p 0.006, tested on respondents). In Descriptive Statistics by Segment, Portfolio Director had the highest mean, 4.7 (n = 31 respondents), and Individual Contributor the lowest, 3.6 (n = 621 respondents). No difference held after Holm control for outsourcing model, institution type, process family, class of work and vendor type.

Association with Cancellation Rate

The share of engagements canceled on the study date, measured at engagement level (base 150 engagements, 56 canceled). The association is a descriptive contrast, inflated because canceled engagements were rated after cancellation, and is not predictive.

Table 8a. Association with cancellation rate by segment, part 1 of 2Table
SegmentEngagementsCanceledCancellation ratePoint-biserial r95% CIpHolm p
Study set1505637.33% of 150−0.59−0.69 to −0.48< 0.001< 0.001
Outsourcing model
CXM421535.71% of 42−0.57−0.74 to −0.32< 0.0010.001
ITO401537.50% of 40−0.56−0.74 to −0.30< 0.0010.003
BPO371437.84% of 37−0.65−0.80 to −0.41< 0.001< 0.001
KPO311238.71% of 31−0.63−0.81 to −0.36< 0.0010.002
Institution type
Asset management241354.17% of 24−0.72†< 0.0010.001
Wealth management and private banking23834.78% of 23−0.55†0.0060.054
Investment banking (advisory and capital-markets origination)19947.37% of 19−0.58†0.0100.075
Insurance (life, property and casualty, health)14535.71% of 14−0.67†0.0090.075
Commercial and business banking13430.77% of 13−0.58†0.0370.128
Payments and merchant acquiring (networks, acquiring, processing)13323.08% of 13−0.36†0.2210.221
Credit card and payments issuing12541.67% of 12−0.64†0.0260.128
Retail and consumer banking12433.33% of 12−0.84†< 0.0010.007
Markets and trading (sales and trading, global markets)11327.27% of 11−0.66†0.0260.128
Private equity and private capital922 of 9‡
Process family
Corporate and back-office functions471940.43% of 47−0.60−0.76 to −0.38< 0.001< 0.001
Technology engineering and operations351028.57% of 35−0.49−0.71 to −0.190.0030.027
Client servicing and communications16956.25% of 16−0.59†0.0150.092
Trade, settlement and reconciliation15853.33% of 15−0.72†0.0020.025
Payments, cards and disputes12216.67% of 12−0.50†0.1000.199
Credit, underwriting and suitability911 of 9‡
Regulatory, audit, tax and legal944 of 9‡
Financial crime and client onboarding733 of 7‡
Class of work
LOB Operational763039.47% of 76−0.57−0.70 to −0.39< 0.001< 0.001
Corporate Functional742635.14% of 74−0.63−0.75 to −0.46< 0.001< 0.001
Engagement status and lifecycle stage
Active, Build-Out3100.00% of 31Not computable, no variation in cancellation
Active, Transition/Cut-Over4300.00% of 43Not computable, no variation in cancellation
Active, Production2000.00% of 20Not computable, no variation in cancellation
Canceled5656100.00% of 56Not computable, no variation in cancellation
Note: † Base under 30. No interval is reported. ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported.
Table 8b. Association with cancellation rate by segment, part 2 of 2Table
SegmentOdds ratio per point95% CIAUCRate, distressed engagementsRate, other engagementsFisher pTOST p
Study set0.310.21 to 0.460.8670.31% of 6412.79% of 86< 0.0011.000
Outsourcing model
CXM0.380.21 to 0.700.8670.59% of 1712.00% of 25< 0.0010.982
ITO0.340.16 to 0.700.8462.50% of 1620.83% of 240.0180.973
BPO0.190.06 to 0.550.8972.22% of 185.26% of 19< 0.0010.997
KPO0.300.13 to 0.690.8876.92% of 1311.11% of 18< 0.0010.989
Institution type
Asset management0.22† n = 240.9190.91% of 1123.08% of 130.0010.997
Wealth management and private banking0.38† n = 230.856 of 914.29% of 140.0230.921
Investment banking (advisory and capital-markets origination)0.22† n = 190.8672.73% of 111 of 80.0200.918
Insurance (life, property and casualty, health)0.19† n = 140.914 of 61 of 80.0910.949
Commercial and business banking0.32† n = 130.863 of 310.00% of 100.0140.870
Payments and merchant acquiring (networks, acquiring, processing)0.52† n = 130.772 of 61 of 70.5590.590
Credit card and payments issuing0.00† n = 120.945 of 60 of 60.0150.909
Retail and consumer banking0.15† n = 120.973 of 31 of 90.0180.997
Markets and trading (sales and trading, global markets)0.02† n = 110.963 of 40 of 70.0240.916
Private equity and private capital‡ n = 9
Process family
Corporate and back-office functions0.340.18 to 0.640.8770.83% of 248.70% of 23< 0.0010.995
Technology engineering and operations0.420.21 to 0.820.8045.45% of 1120.83% of 240.2270.902
Client servicing and communications0.34† n = 160.837 of 82 of 80.0410.911
Trade, settlement and reconciliation0.24† n = 150.907 of 81 of 70.0100.982
Payments, cards and disputes0.06† n = 120.982 of 30 of 90.0450.761
Credit, underwriting and suitability‡ n = 9
Regulatory, audit, tax and legal‡ n = 9
Financial crime and client onboarding‡ n = 7
Class of work
LOB Operational0.310.17 to 0.540.8572.73% of 3313.95% of 43< 0.0010.998
Corporate Functional0.300.17 to 0.520.8867.74% of 3111.63% of 43< 0.0011.000
Engagement status and lifecycle stage
Active, Build-OutNot computable, no variation in cancellation
Active, Transition/Cut-OverNot computable, no variation in cancellation
Active, ProductionNot computable, no variation in cancellation
CanceledNot computable, no variation in cancellation
Note: † Base under 30. No interval is reported. ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported.

The study set r was −0.59 (95% CI −0.69 to −0.48, Holm p < 0.001, n = 150 engagements). Of the 20 tested segment levels, 11 held after Holm control.

Association with Customer Satisfaction

The satisfaction score recorded against each engagement on a 100-point scale. The primary estimate uses the 94 active engagements. A descriptive contrast uses all 150 engagements.

Table 9a. Association with customer satisfaction by segment, part 1 of 2Table
SegmentActive engagementsClean r95% CIpHolm pSpearman rhop
Study set940.690.57 to 0.78< 0.001< 0.0010.68< 0.001
Outsourcing model
CXM270.70†< 0.001< 0.0010.69< 0.001
ITO250.80†< 0.001< 0.0010.79< 0.001
BPO230.65†< 0.0010.0060.66< 0.001
KPO190.69†0.0010.0070.73< 0.001
Institution type
Asset management110.78†0.0040.0170.670.025
Wealth management and private banking150.37†0.1710.3410.360.190
Investment banking (advisory and capital-markets origination)100.40†0.2500.3410.320.362
Insurance (life, property and casualty, health)9‡
Commercial and business banking9‡
Payments and merchant acquiring (networks, acquiring, processing)100.83†0.0030.0140.660.039
Credit card and payments issuing7‡
Retail and consumer banking8‡
Markets and trading (sales and trading, global markets)8‡
Private equity and private capital7‡
Process family
Corporate and back-office functions280.63†< 0.0010.0030.65< 0.001
Technology engineering and operations250.84†< 0.001< 0.0010.84< 0.001
Client servicing and communications7‡
Trade, settlement and reconciliation7‡
Payments, cards and disputes100.70†0.0260.0770.580.081
Credit, underwriting and suitability8‡
Regulatory, audit, tax and legal5‡
Financial crime and client onboarding4‡
Class of work
LOB Operational460.770.62 to 0.87< 0.001< 0.0010.75< 0.001
Corporate Functional480.590.37 to 0.75< 0.001< 0.0010.59< 0.001
Engagement status and lifecycle stage
Active, Build-Out310.700.46 to 0.84< 0.001< 0.0010.70< 0.001
Active, Transition/Cut-Over430.700.51 to 0.83< 0.001< 0.0010.70< 0.001
Active, Production200.67†0.0010.0070.650.002
Canceled0a
Note: † Base under 30. No interval is reported. ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported. a No clean estimate, canceled engagements fall outside the active population.
Table 9b. Association with customer satisfaction by segment, part 2 of 2Table
SegmentSlope, points per rating point95% CIR squaredTOST pAll engagementsDescriptive rp
Study set5.344.18 to 6.500.481.0001500.72< 0.001
Outsourcing model
CXM5.11† n = 270.490.997420.72< 0.001
ITO5.68† n = 250.641.000400.68< 0.001
BPO5.34† n = 230.430.983370.74< 0.001
KPO5.84† n = 190.480.985310.76< 0.001
Institution type
Asset management4.61† n = 110.610.983240.77< 0.001
Wealth management and private banking2.58† n = 150.140.613230.590.003
Investment banking (advisory and capital-markets origination)3.76† n = 100.160.621190.640.003
Insurance (life, property and casualty, health)‡ n = 9
Commercial and business banking‡ n = 9
Payments and merchant acquiring (networks, acquiring, processing)6.07† n = 100.690.991130.670.012
Credit card and payments issuing‡ n = 7
Retail and consumer banking‡ n = 8
Markets and trading (sales and trading, global markets)‡ n = 8
Private equity and private capital‡ n = 7
Process family
Corporate and back-office functions4.74† n = 280.390.983470.72< 0.001
Technology engineering and operations5.68† n = 250.701.000350.68< 0.001
Client servicing and communications‡ n = 7
Trade, settlement and reconciliation‡ n = 7
Payments, cards and disputes6.50† n = 100.480.927120.700.010
Credit, underwriting and suitability‡ n = 8
Regulatory, audit, tax and legal‡ n = 5
Financial crime and client onboarding‡ n = 4
Class of work
LOB Operational6.394.79 to 7.990.601.000760.72< 0.001
Corporate Functional4.172.47 to 5.870.350.993740.72< 0.001
Engagement status and lifecycle stage
Active, Build-Out4.672.85 to 6.490.490.998310.70< 0.001
Active, Transition/Cut-Over6.194.21 to 8.170.491.000430.70< 0.001
Active, Production4.64†0.450.981200.670.001
Canceledno clean estimate, canceled engagements fall outside the active population
Note: † Base under 30. No interval is reported. ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported.

The study set r was 0.69 (95% CI 0.57 to 0.78, Holm p < 0.001, n = 94 engagements). Of the 16 tested segment levels, 13 held after Holm control.

Association with the Engagement Indicator Mean

The mean of an engagement’s 100 indicator ratings, measured at engagement level (base 150 engagements). Where this indicator is one of the 100, the mean is recomputed without it.

Table 10a. Association with the engagement indicator mean by segment, part 1 of 2Table
SegmentEngagementsLeave-one-out r95% CIpHolm pSpearman rhop
Study set1500.850.80 to 0.89< 0.001< 0.0010.85< 0.001
Outsourcing model
CXM420.840.72 to 0.91< 0.001< 0.0010.83< 0.001
ITO400.870.77 to 0.93< 0.001< 0.0010.82< 0.001
BPO370.790.62 to 0.89< 0.001< 0.0010.80< 0.001
KPO310.920.85 to 0.96< 0.001< 0.0010.94< 0.001
Institution type
Asset management240.94†< 0.001< 0.0010.92< 0.001
Wealth management and private banking230.73†< 0.001< 0.0010.71< 0.001
Investment banking (advisory and capital-markets origination)190.79†< 0.001< 0.0010.70< 0.001
Insurance (life, property and casualty, health)140.72†0.0040.0070.710.004
Commercial and business banking130.93†< 0.001< 0.0010.91< 0.001
Payments and merchant acquiring (networks, acquiring, processing)130.82†< 0.0010.0030.660.013
Credit card and payments issuing120.79†0.0020.0070.690.013
Retail and consumer banking120.95†< 0.001< 0.0010.91< 0.001
Markets and trading (sales and trading, global markets)110.87†< 0.0010.0020.840.001
Private equity and private capital9‡
Process family
Corporate and back-office functions470.800.67 to 0.89< 0.001< 0.0010.83< 0.001
Technology engineering and operations350.890.80 to 0.94< 0.001< 0.0010.83< 0.001
Client servicing and communications160.93†< 0.001< 0.0010.90< 0.001
Trade, settlement and reconciliation150.88†< 0.001< 0.0010.87< 0.001
Payments, cards and disputes120.78†0.0030.0070.800.002
Credit, underwriting and suitability9‡
Regulatory, audit, tax and legal9‡
Financial crime and client onboarding7‡
Class of work
LOB Operational760.890.83 to 0.93< 0.001< 0.0010.87< 0.001
Corporate Functional740.830.74 to 0.89< 0.001< 0.0010.83< 0.001
Engagement status and lifecycle stage
Active, Build-Out310.790.61 to 0.90< 0.001< 0.0010.81< 0.001
Active, Transition/Cut-Over430.710.53 to 0.84< 0.001< 0.0010.68< 0.001
Active, Production200.84†< 0.001< 0.0010.80< 0.001
Canceled560.780.65 to 0.87< 0.001< 0.0010.75< 0.001
Note: † Base under 30. No interval is reported. ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported.
Table 10b. Association with the engagement indicator mean by segment, part 2 of 2Table
Segmentr with indicator includedChange in rSlope95% CIR squaredTOST pEquivalent
Study set0.860.000.760.68 to 0.830.731.000No
Outsourcing model
CXM0.850.000.730.58 to 0.870.711.000No
ITO0.870.000.700.57 to 0.840.761.000No
BPO0.790.000.710.52 to 0.900.621.000No
KPO0.930.000.900.76 to 1.040.851.000No
Institution type
Asset management0.940.000.77† n = 240.891.000No
Wealth management and private banking0.740.000.69† n = 230.540.998No
Investment banking (advisory and capital-markets origination)0.790.000.66† n = 190.620.999No
Insurance (life, property and casualty, health)0.720.000.77† n = 140.520.976No
Commercial and business banking0.930.000.84† n = 130.861.000No
Payments and merchant acquiring (networks, acquiring, processing)0.820.000.68† n = 130.670.996No
Credit card and payments issuing0.790.000.90† n = 120.620.989No
Retail and consumer banking0.960.000.81† n = 120.911.000No
Markets and trading (sales and trading, global markets)0.870.000.86† n = 110.760.998No
Private equity and private capital‡ n = 9
Process family
Corporate and back-office functions0.810.000.710.55 to 0.870.651.000No
Technology engineering and operations0.890.000.680.56 to 0.800.801.000No
Client servicing and communications0.930.000.89† n = 160.871.000No
Trade, settlement and reconciliation0.890.000.76† n = 150.781.000No
Payments, cards and disputes0.780.000.81† n = 120.610.987No
Credit, underwriting and suitability‡ n = 9
Regulatory, audit, tax and legal‡ n = 9
Financial crime and client onboarding‡ n = 7
Class of work
LOB Operational0.890.000.830.73 to 0.930.791.000No
Corporate Functional0.830.000.700.59 to 0.810.681.000No
Engagement status and lifecycle stage
Active, Build-Out0.800.000.580.41 to 0.750.631.000No
Active, Transition/Cut-Over0.72−0.010.600.41 to 0.790.511.000No
Active, Production0.840.000.69† n = 200.711.000No
Canceled0.79−0.010.480.37 to 0.580.611.000No
Note: † Base under 30. No interval is reported. ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported.

The study set r was 0.85 (95% CI 0.80 to 0.89, Holm p < 0.001, n = 150 engagements). Of the 24 tested segment levels, 24 held after Holm control.

Association with Intent to Leave

The respondent’s stated likelihood of leaving the current job within 12 months, rated 1 to 10 (C019). Measured at respondent level on up to 798 respondents, with the engagement-level form reported alongside.

Table 11a. Association with intent to leave by segment, part 1 of 2Table
SegmentRespondentsr95% CICluster bootstrap 95% CIpHolm p
Study set753−0.61−0.65 to −0.56−0.67 to −0.53< 0.001< 0.001
Outsourcing model
CXM204−0.61−0.69 to −0.52−0.75 to −0.43< 0.001< 0.001
ITO219−0.59−0.67 to −0.49−0.71 to −0.42< 0.001< 0.001
BPO188−0.60−0.68 to −0.50−0.70 to −0.49< 0.001< 0.001
KPO142−0.64−0.73 to −0.54−0.77 to −0.48< 0.001< 0.001
Institution type
Asset management109−0.74−0.81 to −0.64−0.85 to −0.52< 0.001< 0.001
Wealth management and private banking127−0.50−0.62 to −0.36−0.66 to −0.30< 0.001< 0.001
Investment banking (advisory and capital-markets origination)94−0.50−0.64 to −0.33−0.70 to −0.23< 0.001< 0.001
Insurance (life, property and casualty, health)69−0.51−0.67 to −0.31−0.78 to −0.19< 0.001< 0.001
Commercial and business banking72−0.54−0.69 to −0.35−0.77 to −0.25< 0.001< 0.001
Payments and merchant acquiring (networks, acquiring, processing)61−0.54−0.70 to −0.33−0.77 to −0.17< 0.001< 0.001
Credit card and payments issuing68−0.56−0.71 to −0.38−0.72 to −0.34< 0.001< 0.001
Retail and consumer banking65−0.67−0.79 to −0.51−0.85 to −0.43< 0.001< 0.001
Markets and trading (sales and trading, global markets)51−0.74−0.84 to −0.58−0.85 to −0.53< 0.001< 0.001
Private equity and private capital37−0.71−0.84 to −0.50§ n = 9< 0.001< 0.001
Process family
Corporate and back-office functions216−0.60−0.68 to −0.50−0.74 to −0.42< 0.001< 0.001
Technology engineering and operations184−0.57−0.66 to −0.46−0.70 to −0.40< 0.001< 0.001
Client servicing and communications84−0.64−0.75 to −0.49−0.82 to −0.25< 0.001< 0.001
Trade, settlement and reconciliation70−0.70−0.80 to −0.55−0.84 to −0.42< 0.001< 0.001
Payments, cards and disputes68−0.53−0.69 to −0.34−0.69 to −0.27< 0.001< 0.001
Credit, underwriting and suitability49−0.49−0.68 to −0.24§ n = 9< 0.0010.001
Regulatory, audit, tax and legal45−0.71−0.83 to −0.52§ n = 9< 0.001< 0.001
Financial crime and client onboarding37−0.68−0.82 to −0.45§ n = 7< 0.001< 0.001
Class of work
LOB Operational399−0.63−0.68 to −0.56−0.70 to −0.54< 0.001< 0.001
Corporate Functional354−0.58−0.65 to −0.51−0.69 to −0.45< 0.001< 0.001
Engagement status and lifecycle stage
Active, Build-Out157−0.55−0.65 to −0.43−0.67 to −0.40< 0.001< 0.001
Active, Transition/Cut-Over225−0.47−0.57 to −0.37−0.62 to −0.32< 0.001< 0.001
Active, Production86−0.47−0.62 to −0.29−0.68 to −0.19< 0.001< 0.001
Canceled285−0.01−0.12 to 0.11−0.14 to 0.130.9170.917
Respondent role
Individual Contributor571−0.61−0.66 to −0.55−0.68 to −0.53< 0.001< 0.001
Engagement Manager150−0.61−0.70 to −0.50−0.70 to −0.52< 0.001< 0.001
Portfolio Director31−0.47−0.71 to −0.14−0.74 to −0.100.0070.014
Customer Management Executive1‡
Vendor type
IT services major286−0.52−0.60 to −0.43−0.63 to −0.39< 0.001< 0.001
BPO specialist176−0.63−0.71 to −0.54−0.74 to −0.47< 0.001< 0.001
Consulting firm100−0.71−0.80 to −0.60−0.82 to −0.56< 0.001< 0.001
Boutique or specialist provider75−0.66−0.77 to −0.51−0.85 to −0.36< 0.001< 0.001
Pure-play agentic AI firm69−0.67−0.78 to −0.52−0.84 to −0.47< 0.001< 0.001
Not reported, recovered by engagement47−0.57−0.74 to −0.34−0.76 to −0.32< 0.001< 0.001
Note: § Too few engagements for a cluster bootstrap interval. ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported.
Table 11b. Association with intent to leave by segment, part 2 of 2Table
SegmentSpearman rhopShare at 7 or above, distressedShare at 7 or above, otherEngagementsEngagement level r95% CITOST p
Study set−0.60< 0.00180.49% of 36429.56% of 389150−0.68−0.76 to −0.581.000
Outsourcing model
CXM−0.60< 0.00169.66% of 8921.74% of 11542−0.67−0.81 to −0.470.999
ITO−0.55< 0.00184.82% of 11237.38% of 10740−0.69−0.83 to −0.480.999
BPO−0.61< 0.00182.02% of 8930.30% of 9937−0.67−0.82 to −0.440.998
KPO−0.64< 0.00185.14% of 7429.41% of 6831−0.71−0.85 to −0.480.999
Institution type
Asset management−0.70< 0.00191.07% of 5637.74% of 5324−0.76†0.999
Wealth management and private banking−0.51< 0.00178.95% of 5725.71% of 7023−0.54†0.908
Investment banking (advisory and capital-markets origination)−0.47< 0.00177.42% of 6243.75% of 3219−0.54†0.884
Insurance (life, property and casualty, health)−0.53< 0.00175.00% of 3630.30% of 3314−0.54†0.835
Commercial and business banking−0.52< 0.00180.00% of 2529.79% of 4713−0.68†0.952
Payments and merchant acquiring (networks, acquiring, processing)−0.49< 0.00170.00% of 3038.71% of 3113−0.61†0.898
Credit card and payments issuing−0.56< 0.00171.05% of 3833.33% of 3012−0.80†0.992
Retail and consumer banking−0.64< 0.00190.48% of 2118.18% of 4412−0.75†0.979
Markets and trading (sales and trading, global markets)−0.70< 0.00183.33% of 1821.21% of 3311−0.87†0.998
Private equity and private capital−0.67< 0.00195.24% of 2112.50% of 169‡‡
Process family
Corporate and back-office functions−0.59< 0.00178.45% of 11630.00% of 10047−0.63−0.78 to −0.420.998
Technology engineering and operations−0.57< 0.00177.92% of 7729.91% of 10735−0.66−0.81 to −0.420.997
Client servicing and communications−0.51< 0.00188.64% of 4437.50% of 4016−0.73†0.988
Trade, settlement and reconciliation−0.62< 0.00197.30% of 3736.36% of 3315−0.80†0.997
Payments, cards and disputes−0.53< 0.00150.00% of 2217.39% of 4612−0.70†0.951
Credit, underwriting and suitability−0.47< 0.00164.71% of 1731.25% of 329‡‡
Regulatory, audit, tax and legal−0.66< 0.00186.21% of 2918.75% of 169‡‡
Financial crime and client onboarding−0.64< 0.00190.91% of 2233.33% of 157‡‡
Class of work
LOB Operational−0.60< 0.00183.51% of 19428.78% of 20576−0.73−0.82 to −0.601.000
Corporate Functional−0.59< 0.00177.06% of 17030.43% of 18474−0.64−0.75 to −0.481.000
Engagement status and lifecycle stage
Active, Build-Out−0.54< 0.00148.89% of 4516.96% of 11231−0.58−0.78 to −0.290.970
Active, Transition/Cut-Over−0.46< 0.00152.63% of 7614.77% of 14943−0.46−0.67 to −0.180.878
Active, Production−0.47< 0.00145.45% of 2215.63% of 6420−0.45†0.768
Canceled0.000.994100.00% of 221100.00% of 64560.12−0.15 to 0.370.082
Respondent role
Individual Contributor−0.59< 0.00181.18% of 28730.63% of 284149−0.66−0.75 to −0.561.000
Engagement Manager−0.62< 0.00179.71% of 6924.69% of 81150−0.61−0.70 to −0.501.000
Portfolio Director−0.440.013‡ n = 834.78% of 2331−0.47−0.71 to −0.140.862
Customer Management Executive‡ n = 1
Vendor type
IT services major−0.53< 0.00175.80% of 15729.46% of 12959−0.55−0.71 to −0.340.990
BPO specialist−0.60< 0.00180.68% of 8835.23% of 8837−0.75−0.87 to −0.571.000
Consulting firm−0.70< 0.00188.64% of 4419.64% of 5623−0.73†0.997
Boutique or specialist provider−0.63< 0.00185.71% of 2836.17% of 4717−0.70†0.983
Pure-play agentic AI firm−0.60< 0.001100.00% of 2221.28% of 4714−0.82†0.998
Not reported, recovered by engagement−0.56< 0.00172.00% of 2536.36% of 2240−0.54−0.73 to −0.280.966
Note: † Base under 30. No interval is reported. ‡ Base under 10. No statistic is reported.

The study set r was −0.61 (95% CI −0.65 to −0.56, Holm p < 0.001, n = 753 respondents). Of the 37 tested segment levels, 36 held after Holm control.

Comparison of Associations Across the Four Measures

Table 12. Associations across the four measuresTable
MeasureFormUnitnr95% CIpEquivalent to zeroRank among the four
Cancellation rateDescriptive contrastEngagement150−0.59−0.69 to −0.48< 0.001No4
Customer satisfactionClean estimateEngagement940.690.57 to 0.78< 0.001No2
Engagement indicator meanLeave-one-outEngagement1500.850.80 to 0.89< 0.001No1
Intent to leaveRespondent level, clusteredRespondent753−0.61−0.67 to −0.53< 0.001No3
Table 13. Pairwise comparison of associationsTable
Pair comparedDifference in rSteiger zpHolm pReading
Cancellation rate and customer satisfaction−0.12−5.73< 0.001< 0.001Differ
Cancellation rate and engagement indicator mean−0.26−7.17< 0.001< 0.001Differ
Cancellation rate and intent to leave−0.08−2.100.0360.072Do not differ
Customer satisfaction and engagement indicator mean−0.14−5.51< 0.001< 0.001Differ
Customer satisfaction and intent to leave0.041.590.1120.112Do not differ
Engagement indicator mean and intent to leave0.186.61< 0.001< 0.001Differ

Pairs were compared on the engagement level form of every measure, each turned so that a higher value was the better outcome, on the 150 engagements where the indicator and all four measures existed. Of the 6 pairs, 4 differed after Holm control.

Clustering and Effective Sample Size

Table 14. Clustering and effective sample sizeTable
StatisticValueReading
Clusters (engagements)150Engagements with at least one answer.
Mean respondents per engagement5.4Answers per engagement with at least one answer.
ICC(1)0.61Share of variance between engagements.
Design effect3.671 plus (mean cluster size minus 1) times ICC.
Nominal respondent n803Respondents who answered.
Effective n219Nominal n divided by the design effect.
Cluster bootstrap appliedYesApplied to every respondent level CI where the ICC is 0.05 or above.

Clustering reduced the 803 respondent answers to about 219 independent answers. Respondent level intervals therefore used the cluster bootstrap, and respondent level tests on intent to leave used cluster-robust errors.

Equivalence Tests of Null Results

Table 15. Equivalence tests of null resultsTable
MeasurenrEquivalence boundTOST p, lowerTOST p, upperEquivalent to zeroAchieved powerMDE at power 0.80Detection floor for this n
Cancellation rate150−0.59|r| < 0.301.000< 0.001No0.960.230.23
Customer satisfaction940.69|r| < 0.30< 0.0011.000No0.840.290.23
Engagement indicator mean1500.85|r| < 0.30< 0.0011.000No0.960.230.23
Intent to leave753, effective 205−0.61|r| < 0.301.000< 0.001No0.990.190.23

No measure showed a tested null. No result was inconclusive. The detection floor column is the study floor at 150 engagements. Intent to leave was tested on its effective n.

Robustness Checks

Table 16. Robustness checksTable
CheckMeasurePrimary rCheck r95% CIChangeConclusion holds
Rank correlation in place of PearsonCancellation rate−0.59−0.61a−0.01Yes
Rank correlation in place of PearsonCustomer satisfaction0.690.68a−0.01Yes
Rank correlation in place of PearsonEngagement indicator mean0.850.85a−0.01Yes
Rank correlation in place of PearsonIntent to leave−0.61−0.60a0.01Yes
Non-answers excluded, then imputed at the engagement meanIntent to leave−0.61−0.60a0.00Yes
Active engagements onlyEngagement indicator mean0.850.770.67 to 0.84−0.09Yes
Active engagements onlyIntent to leave−0.61−0.50−0.57 to −0.430.10Yes
Most influential engagement removed (largest Cook’s distance)Cancellation rate−0.59−0.61−0.70 to −0.49−0.01Yes
Most influential engagement removed (largest Cook’s distance)Customer satisfaction0.690.710.59 to 0.800.02Yes
Most influential engagement removed (largest Cook’s distance)Engagement indicator mean0.850.860.82 to 0.900.01Yes
Most influential engagement removed (largest Cook’s distance)Intent to leave−0.61−0.61−0.65 to −0.560.00Yes
Engagements weighted by respondent countCancellation rate−0.59−0.60a0.00Yes
Engagements weighted by respondent countCustomer satisfaction0.690.68a−0.01Yes
Engagements weighted by respondent countEngagement indicator mean0.850.86a0.00Yes
Bootstrap of engagementsCancellation rate−0.59−0.59−0.69 to −0.500.00Yes
Bootstrap of engagementsCustomer satisfaction0.690.690.57 to 0.790.00Yes
Bootstrap of engagementsEngagement indicator mean0.850.850.80 to 0.900.00Yes
Bootstrap of engagementsIntent to leave−0.61−0.60−0.67 to −0.530.00Yes
Thin-base segments removedCancellation rate−0.59−0.57−0.70 to −0.400.03Yes
Thin-base segments removedCustomer satisfaction0.690.720.56 to 0.830.03Yes
Thin-base segments removedEngagement indicator mean0.850.840.76 to 0.89−0.02Yes
Thin-base segments removedIntent to leave−0.61−0.59−0.65 to −0.520.02Yes
Note: a No interval for this check.

Each change was computed before rounding, so it can differ by 0.01 from the difference of the two printed values.

Every check held. A check holds when its test lands on the same side of 0.05 as the primary test and, where the primary test is below 0.05, its r keeps the primary sign. Thin-base rule: engagements in any level under 30 engagements of outsourcing model or process family removed. Institution type is not used, because every one of its levels is under 30.

Measure Independence and Part-Whole Correction

Each of the four measures was computed from data this indicator does not contain, so each result is a finding rather than an arithmetic consequence. This indicator is one of the 100 components, so the engagement indicator mean was recomputed without it, and the correction changed r by 0.00, from 0.86 to 0.85.

Comparison with the Study Norm

Table 17. Comparison with the study normTable
MeasureThis indicator, oriented rStudy median, oriented rDeviationFisher zpHolm p
Cancellation rate0.590.600.00−0.090.9291.000
Customer satisfaction0.720.720.00−0.100.9201.000
Engagement indicator mean0.850.840.020.740.4571.000
Intent to leave0.670.71−0.04−0.880.3801.000
Spread of deviations0.06
VerdictTYPICAL

Each deviation was computed before rounding, so it can differ by 0.01 from the difference of the two printed values.

The comparison ran on 150 engagements. The indicator followed the study’s typical pattern on every measure.

Co-Occurring Indicators and Themes

Figure 3. Other indicators and themes coded in the same written responses (n = 7 responses)Exhibit
C0171 of 7C0351 of 7C0361 of 7C1221 of 7C1271 of 7C1291 of 7C1311 of 7C1321 of 7C1471 of 7C2111 of 7Theme: Human rework absorbs the failure1 of 7Theme: Raised it, nothing came back1 of 7Theme: Liability or regulatory accountabilityunclear1 of 7Theme: Root cause reordered1 of 7Theme: Respondent proposes a remedy1 of 7C1392 of 7C1233 of 7C1303 of 7C1574 of 7
Note: Gray bars are other indicators coded in the same responses. Amber bars are themes of the coding rulebook, which carry no score. Labels give counts. Every co-coded indicator and every theme at or above the fifth-highest count of its kind is shown, ties included. C157: “Rate the factual reliability of the AI tools’ outputs on this engagement before any human review.” C123: “Rate the adequacy of your employer’s investment in training its workforce.” C130: “Rate your employer’s readiness to take accountability when an agent it operates makes a costly error.” C139: “Rate how clearly accountability lands on one firm when an agent’s action causes a problem in this engagement.” C017: “Where did you gain your AI knowledge?” C035: “How long ago did this specific engagement start, in months?” C036: “What stage is the engagement in?” C122: “Rate your employer’s current supply of qualified agentic AI talent against what its engagements need.” C127: “Rate your employer’s quality assurance capability for agents whose outputs are not identical every run.” C129: “Rate how well the technical platforms your employer builds or licenses are optimized for agentic AI outsourcing.” C131: “Rate the depth of your employer’s knowledge of agentic AI.” C132: “Rate the depth of your employer’s experience running agentic AI systems in live production, beyond pilots.” C147: “Rate how well human review points are placed across the two firms at the moments where agent errors would matter most.” C211: “I have altered AI outputs.”

The responses coded to the indicator were most often also coded to “Rate the factual reliability of the AI tools’ outputs on this engagement before any human review” (C157, 4 responses). The second-highest count was shared by “Rate the adequacy of your employer’s investment in training its workforce” (C123, 3 responses) and “Rate your employer’s readiness to take accountability when an agent it operates makes a costly error” (C130, 3 responses). The same responses carried 5 themes of the coding rulebook, each in 1 response.

Interpretation of the Data

Distressed answers made up less than half of the study set (393 of 803 answers, 48.94%). Active, Production had the highest mean by lifecycle stage (mean 4.7, n = 94 respondents), and Canceled had the lowest (mean 2.4, n = 306 respondents). Portfolio Director respondents gave the highest ratings by role (mean 4.7, n = 31 respondents), and Individual Contributor respondents gave the lowest (mean 3.6, n = 621 respondents). The associations held under every robustness check run on this item (22 of 22 checks).

The written responses were not set against the rating, because fewer than 10 responses carried a score. Written responses were voluntary. They recorded what the respondents who wrote reported, and how common it was is measured by the ratings. The analysis of the written responses rested on 7 responses, a base of anecdote strength.

Limitations

The evidence is reported experience: what the delivery team said about its own engagement, gathered in one cross-section. The figures showed associations, not causes. Indicators about the financial institution were reported at second hand by vendor staff. Cancellation is a descriptive contrast, because canceled engagements were rated after they ended.

Tests across respondent role and vendor type were run at respondent level and treated respondents as independent. The section Clustering and Effective Sample Size states whether, and by how much, clustering within engagements reduced the information in respondent level figures.

Customer Management Executive answers were at anecdote strength (n = 1). Answers clustered within engagements, which reduced the effective number of independent answers (ICC 0.61, 803 answers worth about 219 independent answers).

Fewer than 10 responses carried a score, so written sentiment was reported as counts, with no statistic. Coding was performed by AI coders under a fixed rulebook. No response coded to the indicator fell in the sample second-coded under rulebook 0.5, so agreement on whether a response was coded to the indicator could not be assessed. No response coded to the indicator was second-scored under rulebook 0.5, so agreement on the score could not be assessed.

Definitions

Table 18. DefinitionsTable
TermDefinition
Response scaleRatings run from 1 to 10. Where a high rating is the worse outcome, the analysis uses the goodness view, 11 minus the raw rating.
DistressedA rating of 3 or below on the goodness view. At engagement level, an engagement mean of 3 or below.
Answering baseRespondents who gave a rating from 1 to 10.
Non-answers“I do not know” and “I prefer to not answer” are counted separately and are excluded from the mean.
Indicator classRespondent level: a value recorded for each respondent and computed across the respondents who answered.
Failure categoryOne of the five failure categories of the Study Taxonomy, section 3.
Engagement indicator meanThe mean of an engagement’s 100 indicator ratings. The indicator is one of the 100, so the mean is recomputed without it.
Written responseA coded written answer about the respondent’s own engagement. Non-answers and answers about another engagement are excluded.
Primary and secondaryPrimary responses were written in answer to a written-answer question in the indicator’s own survey section. Secondary responses were written in answer to a question outside that section and coded to the indicator because their content addressed it.
Written sentiment scaleFive fixed values of the coding rulebook: −10, −5, 0, +5, +10. The sign is the direction and the magnitude is the strength.
CodingResponses were coded under rulebook 0.5. Scores were added under rulebook 0.6 to every mark and every quote, with the score rulings of rulebook section 21. AI coders worked under a fixed rulebook. A sample of records was second-coded. Score agreement across all indicators was Krippendorff’s alpha 0.969 on the 0.5 scores and 0.930 on the scores added in 0.6.

Sources and Provenance

Table 19. Sources and provenanceTable
ItemValue
Study dataStudy Data.xlsx, Data sheet, column C118, sha256 219eba0457274d04
Statistics enginecompute_statistics.py, sha256 738319eef764602b
Statistics recordComputed Statistics.json, record C118, sha256 e405f65a43e37a6e
ComputedOctober 8, 2026, 01:38 UTC
TemplateIndicator Statistical Analysis Template, version 1.1 of 2026-10-06
Figures placed by script2,412 of 2,412
Study metadataStudy Meta.md, sections 10.4 and 10.4.1, coder agreement across all indicators
Coded written responsesQuotes Master.jsonl, sha256 27da38085e2b13fd. Quote Coding Rulebook, version 0.6 with section 21
Written-response computationqa_stats.py, sha256 74a61f3a96169da9. wfacts.py, sha256 b85fae20adf812a1. prose_gen.py, sha256 c277d2c752f8d88f. build_indicator.py, sha256 da3473bd56a4a7b9
Written-response recordsC118.qa.json, sha256 15e3db90fa3f5fd7. C118.wfacts.json, sha256 a2b10da0b51faf82. Prose C118.json, sha256 0d27cbf7aff019e7

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Overview

Executive Summary

Four findings from 150 engagements

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Introduction

Introduction

Scope, evidence, and how the report is organized

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Part 1

Engagement Outcomes

Poor results on every measure, and what separates them

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Part 2

The Five Failure Categories

Where failure concentrates, category by category

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Part 3

Governance, Oversight, and Control

Controls that existed in name only

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Part 4

The Delivery Workforce

Early in their careers, dissatisfied, and many intending to leave

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Part 5

Manual Alteration

How the delivery team altered the work to sustain it

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Part 6

Executive Action Plan

Seven immediate actions and a first-year plan

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Appendices

Appendices

Definitions, indicator inventory, method, and disclosures

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Data

Study Data

Deep-dive analyses of the study indicators, published in stages

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