As we wrapped our final RevOps Leader Roundtable of 2025, one thing was clear: the pressure on revenue teams isn’t going away. The leaders in this conversation aren’t just supporting execution, they’re reengineering it to meet rising growth expectations without expanded budgets or headcount.
The discussion reflected the evolving challenges RevOps teams face heading into 2026. Many are managing frequent leadership transitions, leaner operating teams, and ongoing tech stack transformations, all while trying to “keep the lights on” and avoid disruption to revenue.
The group tackled shared challenges across planning cadence, productivity barriers, and the operationalization of AI all through the lens of performance pressure and resource constraints. As complexity increases, so does the need for RevOps to reduce friction, improve execution rhythms, and create systems that scale.
Planning Through Noise Without Losing the Signal
A clear consensus emerged: the traditional annual planning model is no longer sufficient. Leaders shared how rolling, quarterly-based planning rhythms are giving their teams the flexibility to respond to constant change without derailing long-term goals. Confidence-weighted scenarios and hybrid top-down/bottom-up planning are helping GTM teams pressure-test assumptions and stay aligned, even as priorities shift.
This shift is especially important as RevOps leaders face prioritization fatigue where too many initiatives landing simultaneously with limited guidance on what truly moves the needle. Several participants discussed the importance of sequencing work around a core execution plan that aligns with financial and strategic outcomes.
Planning is also becoming more cross-functional. Teams are finding success by linking territory and capacity models to broader commercial motion to ensure that Sales, Marketing, Product, and Finance are aligned on where and how to deploy resources.
Redesigning for Productivity: Tech, Talent, and Territory
Productivity surfaced as a critical concern, not at the individual rep level, but in how roles, systems, and support structures are designed. Leaders discussed the complexity of managing performance across multiple seller roles, especially as overlay models grow and specialist motions become more nuanced.
Several teams are revisiting role clarity, rebalancing overlays, and redesigning territories based on rep capacity rather than static growth targets. Tech audits are also gaining momentum, not just to trim costs but to reduce seller friction and improve flow. One participant noted, “We’re trying to rationalize tools while also rolling out new systems without breaking what’s already working.” That tension of modernizing while doing no harm was a shared operational reality.
With many teams operating lean, there was strong agreement that operating model changes must go hand-in-hand with technology shifts. Otherwise, systems become shelfware, and frontline teams are left to interpret fragmented processes on their own.
AI Is Here. Making It Stick Requires a Shift in Thinking
Nearly every leader shared that AI is no longer a theoretical conversation—it’s live. From pricing guardrails to contract analysis to pipeline simulations, AI is showing real promise. But adoption is uneven, and execution readiness is the constraint, not the AI tools.
A key insight from the session came from a discussion about moving away from “tool-first” thinking and returning to design thinking principles. Start with what are we trying to solve, and then determe where AI can add leverage in a "magical world" of new capabilities. The message: don’t chase shiny features. Start with the friction, then design for impact.
Leaders emphasized that capturing mindshare from the broader buying decision team (BDT) is also crucial for success. One participant noted that while the tech works, it often lacks visibility and support from leaders outside of Sales. Others shared how they’re working with Enablement to build role-specific training, usage metrics, and AI competency models to drive adoption and value.
And while excitement about AI is high, teams acknowledged that without clearly defined ownership and upfront alignment, AI programs can become just another distraction layered on top of an already overloaded Ops function.
So What? Three Things to Own in 2026
As we look ahead to FY26, the most effective RevOps teams aren’t just adapting, they continue to expand by linking strategic planning, commercial productivity, and technology adoption into a unified growth engine.
Here’s what they’re owning:
RevOps has become the control tower of go-to-market execution. And in 2026, the winning teams will be the ones who simplify complexity, prioritize flow over force, and execute with speed and precision.
Let’s keep the conversation going for 2026. Contact us if you'd like to discuss RevOps strategies for next year.