When you are ready to begin your Pilot Project—often accomplished through Proof of Concept sessions—you should conduct it in a non-production environment that mirrors the production environment as closely as possible. If mirroring is not used, the results of the Pilot Project could be flawed. The results of the Pilot Project will confirm that the requirements either can or cannot be met and will give you the information and data to readjust your project plan and schedule as needed.
A Trial Implementation is a small-scale implementation planned before the main rollout of a project. In doing so, Trial Implementations can expose deficiencies in the project plan before exposing the entire project to unintended consequences that could occur after a full implementation. Trial Implementations can be very useful as a component of the User Acceptance Testing process, where a trial set of application functionality can be scripted, executed, and the results evaluated.
The intention of a Trial Implementation is to test the project plan while controlling the outcomes and evaluating the results. If you invest something, make sure the vendor supports the entire thing, from the base software to any integrations you add. Sometimes, a pilot works on a small scale, but it crumbles in a wider, more complex environment. Pilots use up money, time, and other resources. First, set clear goals and define success.
Work out why you want to trial this new technology or process. Could it save you money? Make it easier for people to do their jobs? Could it improve communication? Next, decide how long you want the pilot project to run. Make sure you factor in set-up, plus a good amount of time for people to use it both normally, and in special circumstances. The goal is to get as full a picture as possible. It should include a good mix of people who will use the product or process regularly. The size of your group depends on the size of your organization and how many people you can spare, but between is a rough guide.
Before you get started on the pilot, onboard your testers as you would on a full-scale rollout. They need to know how to use it confidently. They can help others get to grips with it and help them understand its value.
You can also learn lessons from this onboarding stage that will help guide you when you roll it out for real. Throughout all of this, gather as much feedback as you can. Give project participants the opportunity to share their thoughts via surveys and discussions, one-on-ones, brainstorming sessions, etc. Were there any challenges?
Introducing pilot studies in project management A pilot study, often referred to as a pilot project, is essentially a mini-version of a project that tests the viability of executing the project at full scale. Why are pilot projects useful? What is the difference between a project trial and a project study? How to conduct a pilot study There are five key steps to conducting a pilot study or project pilot.
Create the pilot plan Just like a regular project has a plan, your pilot project needs a plan, too. The pilot plan should include a timeline, the resources needed, any training that will be required, and a communication plan to ensure that all stakeholders are kept informed along the way. Kick it off with a meeting with all participants to share the purpose of the study as well as your expectations.
Pilot project plan example Since a pilot project is essentially a miniature version of a project, a pilot project plan will follow a very similar structure to a regular project plan. Tweet Share Share Send. Comments 0. Save for later. The definition of pilot and trial is often not clear and the purpose of this web briefing is to propose a standard meaning and offer some guidance regarding best practice for both activities.
The pilot project is an initial small-scale implementation that is used to prove the viability of a project idea. This could involve either the exploration of a novel new approach or idea or the application of a standard approach recommended by outside parties but which is new to the organisation. An example of this would be the standard implementation approach for a new off-the-shelf package.
The pilot project enables an organisation to manage the risk of a new idea and identify any deficiencies before substantial resources are committed. The trial forms part of a committed project and is intended to manage the risk of implementation roll out.
It tests the implementation approach and its purpose is to manage the risk of implementation. As with all project activities success is founded on clarity of objectives and outcomes, clear communication with the team and thorough expectation setting with stakeholders. The use of pilot and trial stages can —if managed properly- significantly improve the chances of success. With a pilot study there is generally a high degree of uncertainty and there needs to be recognition on the part of both the project team and the governing stakeholders that the purpose of the pilot stage is primarily to prove viability, not deliver an agreed outcome.
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