This lesson helps innovators prepare their innovation for a pilot implementation with one or more initial users or groups. By refining the solution, defining the team, and assessing demand, innovators can ensure successful implementation.
Skills: [Pilot Implementation Planning] [Solution Refinement] [Team and Resource Alignment] [Success Metric Definition] [User Readiness Assessment] [Demand Validation] [Iterative Learning]
Time of lesson: 7 min 12 sec
Overview:
Imagine you’ve developed a wearable device to monitor Airmen’s health during field exercises. Before rolling it out widely, you prepare for a pilot implementation. You refine the solution by incorporating user feedback to improve comfort and reliability. Next, you define team roles—assigning a lead for data collection, a tech specialist for troubleshooting, and estimating expenses for deployment.
You set success metrics, like achieving a 90% adoption rate and collecting consistent health data over two weeks. Finally, you assess readiness by surveying users and securing leadership buy-in.
When the pilot succeeds, you have a clear path forward, ready to scale confidently. 🛠️📊
Key Concepts Covered:
- Refining the Solution: Ensuring the innovation is ready for pilot use by addressing feedback and fine-tuning functionality to meet user needs.
- Defining Team Roles and Resources: Clearly assigning roles, estimating expenses, and aligning resources to ensure smooth implementation.
- Success Metrics: Establishing measurable goals to evaluate the pilot’s effectiveness and collect actionable insights.
- Assessing External Demand: Gauging user interest and readiness to adopt the solution during the pilot phase.
- Learning and Iteration: Using pilot results to validate assumptions, refine the solution further, and plan for broader deployment.
👉 Log in to Productable to make the case that your innovation is ready for a pilot implementation!
Want to learn more?:
Check out these resources!
- “Implementing Pilot Projects: Purpose, Process, and Best Practices” by LogRocket - This article provides a step-by-step approach to running pilot projects, including setting objectives, defining success metrics, and learning from pilot feedback to refine your solution for broader implementation
- "Six Questions to Help Set Up an Effective Pilot and System Rollout" by Unisys - This Unisys guide outlines how to validate systems and processes through pilot projects. It includes planning tips, team roles, and how to measure success, ensuring smooth transitions from pilot to full rollout.
About the instructor: 
Nick Chagin brings a unique blend of intrapreneurial education and operational wherewithal to the Productable Success Team to help users both understand how to use the software and the methodology.
Prior to joining Productable, Nick facilitated entrepreneurship education programs for over 2000+ young aspiring entrepreneurs across 16 different countries, working with over 50 American and international universities and 11 U.S. Embassies spanning five continents. He led international partnership development, connecting bridges between entrepreneurially ecosystems. He developed high-level U.S. Department of State programs for initiatives like the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) and Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) while facilitating corporate innovation workshops for organizations like Dell.
He volunteers on the Board of Advisors for the ENACTUS social entrepreneurship club at the University of Illinois and teaches high school entrepreneurship programs with TiE Young Entrepreneurs Foundation.