Give your pilot
a question to answer.

A pilot is most useful when everyone knows which decision it is intended to inform.

“Try it and see” leaves too much open. A focused evaluation begins with a question, a defined scope and a shared view of the evidence that would be useful.

1. Write the question first

State what the evaluation should help establish. Keep it specific to the task and the development stage. If the question is too broad, divide it into smaller questions and choose which one comes first.

2. Set the boundary

Record the agreed application, location, materials, participants and conditions. Identify what the evaluation covers and what remains outside it. Changes to this boundary should be discussed and recorded.

3. Agree how evidence will be recorded

Define what will be observed, who records it and how the team will interpret it. Include relevant context so that findings are not separated from the conditions that produced them.

Comparisons require a clear baseline and comparable conditions. Avoid promising an improvement before it has been measured in the intended context.

4. Assign responsibilities

Confirm who coordinates the work, who supplies the necessary information and who can make the next decision. Applicable site assessments, permissions and operational arrangements need to be resolved by the responsible parties before any equipment use.

5. Make room for an inconclusive result

An evaluation may reveal that more information is needed, that a concept should change or that the opportunity is not suitable for further development. These can all be useful outcomes when the original question is clear.

Close with a written next step

Summarise the findings and agree whether to refine the concept, investigate further or stop. Any new development scope, commercial terms and responsibilities should be agreed separately.

This guide organises a planning conversation. It is not an operating procedure, machine specification or site approval.