The CWE 2026 Workshop made one thing clear. The connected worker space is moving out of the experimental phase and into real execution.
The conversations weren’t about what could be done. They were about what is actually working, what scales, and what delivers measurable results.
The Shift Toward Proven, Scalable Solutions
A consistent theme throughout the workshop was the need for proven solutions.
Companies are no longer interested in trying out early-stage tools just for the sake of innovation. They want to know what has already been deployed, how it performs at scale, and whether it can support large, complex operations.
The questions being asked are very direct. Are there live deployments? How big are they? How many sites and users are involved? Can this scale across an enterprise, especially in industries like energy?
There is a clear shift happening from experimenting with technology to operationalizing it.
Organizational Change Management Is the Real Challenge
…the tools and tech need to be useful for the workers. It should be that "they want to use it". She continued that they want to understand (and improve) the entire work process of their workers from when they arrive onsite, to the PPE they don, to what they carry with them around on the job, to how they get the work done.
~ Katelyn DuBois, Dow Inc.
Another strong takeaway is that connected worker transformation involves both technology and people.
Success depends just as much on how organizations support and engage their workforce as it does on the tools they implement.
Adoption only happens when tools are genuinely useful for frontline workers. Not something they are required to use, but something they want to use because it makes their job easier.
That means really understanding the day-to-day reality of the worker. What their shift looks like, what they carry, how they move through a site, and how they do the work and get work done. Solutions that fit naturally into that experience are the ones that stick.
Bridging Generational Expectations
… their workforce as group with less than 5 years of experience working in plants with 100 years of heritage. Need to figure out how to meet their expectations with technology, or what are their tech-pectations.
~ Katelyn DuBois, Dow Inc.
There is also a noticeable shift in the workforce.
Many organizations now have employees with only a few years of experience working in environments that may have decades, sometimes even a century, of legacy processes behind them.
That creates tension. Newer workers expect intuitive, modern tools, while the environment they are stepping into is often anything but that.
Bridging that gap is becoming critical. Technology needs to meet those expectations while still supporting the realities of established operations.
Addressing Resistance Early Not After the Pilot
A lot of pilots fail because you aren't looking at the resistance up front. You need to look for the resistance much earlier than the pilot. POCs are important: "fail fast", "kill it fast"
~ Ram Seetepalli, Motiva Enterprises
One of the more practical insights discussed was around resistance to change.
Too many initiatives struggle because resistance is discovered too late. Teams launch pilots, only to realize afterward that adoption is going to be a challenge.
The better approach is to surface that resistance early. Understand where the friction is before scaling anything. Use early evaluations and proofs of concept to test assumptions and be willing to move on quickly if something is not working.
That discipline can make a big difference in long-term success.
From Capability to Measurable Value
Another important point was the difference between capability and value.
Just because a tool exists does not mean it is delivering impact. The real value comes from connecting what happens in the field to actual outcomes.
Organizations that are seeing results are the ones creating a feedback loop. They capture what is happening during execution, learn from it, and use those insights to continuously improve how work gets done.
That is where measurable impact starts to show up.
Emerging Opportunity: Digitalization Assessment
If you're not using co-pilot, you're missing out.
~ Katelyn DuBois, Dow Inc.
There was also an interesting idea around assessing digital readiness.
Before scaling, there is value in taking a step back and evaluating existing procedures, inspections, and workflows. Understanding how effective they are today can help organizations prioritize where to focus and where improvements are needed.
It is a more structured way to approach transformation rather than jumping straight into deployment.
Where ATR Fits In
What organizations are asking for is clear. Proven scale, consistent execution, and measurable outcomes.
ATR is built for exactly that.
It provides a governed system for how work gets done, ensuring procedures are executed consistently across sites while capturing the data needed to continuously improve. The result is not just deployment, but adoption and sustained impact.
For organizations looking to move beyond pilots, ATR helps turn connected worker initiatives into something that actually scales and delivers value.
Closing Thought
The space is maturing quickly.
The focus is shifting away from what is possible and toward what is proven. Companies are looking for solutions that scale, drive adoption, and deliver real outcomes.
The organizations that get this right will be the ones that balance technology with people, focus on execution, and build systems that continuously improve over time.
That is where real progress is happening.