Team Tip “If you really want to do your project, dedicate your best team to the pilot, even if they will not be involved in the full project.” |
PR “Performing a pilot project can provide a public relations advantage – will you get some press recognition by doing something innovative?” |
Success “Performing a pilot project can provide a public relations advantage – will you get some press by doing something innovative?” |
Beta vs. Pilot “Pilot projects can be confused with technical betas. The difference between the two is that pilots encompass the business with specific measurable criteria.” |
Risk Identification “Sometimes a pilot project serves to identify or manage risks that will be faced in a full scale project.” |
Tools “Consider the use of logs, templates, performing test results, surveys, and documenting perceptions, requirements and preferences during the pilot” |
Requirements “It is very common not to have all of the requirements for performing a technical pilot. Many of the details not previously identified will be discovered during the pilot” |
Period “Although a pilot can go on for any period of time, the pilot’s duration should be defined within the project charter or whatever initiated and defined the pilot” |
Goals “Should goals be scaled down versions of the goals of a full project? Maybe, but goals should be uniquely specific to the pilot.” |
POC – Test “Proof of concept (POC) or test cases can be used within a pilot project” |
Workshops “Pilot project plans should contain workshops — workshops should gather input from all stakeholders, the various levels of management, and the user community” |
Sales Approach “Although a pilot project is an experiment, one may find that the best approach is a sales pitch.” |