Zero Trust remains more buzzword than reality for most organizations due to the gap between strategy and operationalization. The core problem is that authentication is often strong but authorization stays static and coarse-grained. Adaptive access control using ABAC and policy-based dynamic authorization closes this gap by evaluating user, device, behavior, and context at every access decision rather than just at login. A five-level maturity model is outlined, from traditional perimeter trust (Level 0) to fully pervasive adaptive access (Level 4). Practical guidance covers adaptive MFA as a first step, externalizing authorization logic via policy engines, handling legacy systems with proxies, and managing organizational change. Policy-as-code tools allow security teams to write human-readable, version-controlled policies that enforce context-based rules across microservices without modifying each application. The key takeaway is that Zero Trust is a continuous program requiring cross-functional ownership, not a one-time product deployment.