Week 1 · Define and prepare
Confirm the workflow, available data, access and acceptance criteria. Identify dependencies that could change the delivery window.
A focused first step
One real problem. A useful piece of evidence.
A pilot is a bounded engagement to test a workflow, integration or technical assumption. It gives both teams a clearer basis for deciding what to build next.
Scope a pilotStart with a question
What does this pilot need to prove?
Choose one outcome your team can evaluate. Keep the environment and users specific. Agree what evidence would support continuing, changing direction or stopping.
A pilot should not become an unfinished version of every feature on the roadmap. Useful examples include connecting one equipment signal, simplifying one administrative handoff or evaluating AI on an agreed set of documents.
An illustrative four-week shape
A short cycle. Clear checkpoints.
Week 2 · Build the core slice
Implement the main workflow or connection. Review the approach with the people who will evaluate it.
Week 3 · Test in context
Exercise representative cases and exceptions. Record findings against the agreed baseline and acceptance criteria.
Week 4 · Review and decide
Walk through the working scope, limitations and evidence. Agree the next phase, further discovery or a stopping point.
Agree before starting
Know what the engagement includes.
- A defined workflow, environment and responsible counterpart
- Deliverables, exclusions and acceptance criteria
- Required access, data permissions and dependencies
- Fees, ownership, documentation and handover terms
- A review point and an explicit decision about next steps
Before we begin
Questions, answered.
Is every pilot exactly four weeks?
No. Four weeks is an illustrative delivery shape for a prepared, bounded scope. Hardware procurement, vendor access, data preparation and review requirements can change the timeline.
Is the pilot free?
A delivery pilot is a paid engagement with scope and fees agreed in advance. An initial enquiry helps establish whether a pilot is the right next step.
Do we have to commit to a full project afterwards?
A pilot has its own agreed scope. The review informs a separate decision about further work; any continuation is scoped and agreed explicitly.
Can any of the six industries use this approach?
Yes. The useful first question changes by industry, but a bounded scope, named owner and measurable review apply across all six.
Start a conversation
What is the first thing worth proving?
Tell us what you want to improve. We’ll help turn the problem into a practical engineering scope.
Discuss a pilot