The big idea: Decide what success looks like before the pilot starts, so the results give your client a clear answer and a reason to keep funding the idea.
In 60 seconds
- A pilot is a small, real launch with success measures agreed before it starts.
- Measure a baseline first, then set targets across desirable, feasible and viable.
- Count outcomes, not just outputs, and plan who funds the idea after the pilot.
Do this: write a pilot scope, 3 to 6 success measures and a theory of change for your HCD Technical Report.
How a pilot and success measures work
A pilot is a small, real launch with a start date, an end date and success measures agreed in advance. It answers the question your client will ask before investing: does this work here, at a cost we can carry, for long enough to matter?
Scope it
One place, one group, a set time. Small enough to manage, real enough to trust.
Example: one production line, new hires for 12 weeks.
Set the baseline
Measure how things work today, before anything changes.
Example: new hires take 15 days to work on their own.
Run and monitor
Launch, then check the numbers on a set rhythm and keep getting feedback.
Rhythm: a weekly check and a mid-point review.
Evaluate
Compare results with the targets you set before you started.
Ask: what moved, what did not and why?
Decide
Scale it, adjust it or stop it. All three are good outcomes if the evidence is clear.
You deliver: a recommendation backed by data.
Define success across three lenses
Desirable
Do people want it and use it? Adoption, repeat use, satisfaction, the key behavior from testing.
Measure: percent of users who do the key behavior.
Feasible
Can the client run it? Time per use, errors, staff hours, how often it breaks down.
Measure: minutes of staff time per week.
Viable
Does it pay for itself or last? Savings, revenue, retention, cost per user.
Measure: cost per user compared with the old way.
Outputs count what you did
- Buddies trained. Useful for tracking the rollout.
- Cards handed out. Shows reach, not results.
- Sessions held. Proves effort, not change.
Outcomes count what changed
- New hires working on their own sooner. The change the client cares about.
- Applicants arriving with every document. Behavior, not activity.
- Fewer people leaving in 90 days. Value the client can put a number on.
Theory of change: one sentence that ties it together
Your HCD Technical Report template suggests this pattern: If we [take this action], then [this outcome] becomes more likely for [this group], because [your key insight]. Every success measure should test some part of that sentence.
Funding strategy and sustainable revenueHow the idea keeps going after the pilot
A pilot can run on goodwill. Year two needs a plan. Look for the source that matches who benefits.
Budget line
The client funds it as part of normal operations.
Choose it when: it saves time or solves a problem leaders already track.
Cost savings
The idea pays for itself by reducing waste, errors, overtime or turnover.
Choose it when: you can measure the cost of the problem today.
Earned revenue
Fees, sales, memberships or sponsorship packages.
Choose it when: users or partners get enough value to pay.
Partner or grant
Another organization, a sponsor or a grant covers some costs.
Choose it when: the idea serves the partner’s mission. Plan what happens when the grant ends.
Also ask who benefits and who bears the cost. Your report asks this under Viability.
Monitor, evaluate and keep getting feedbackSet the rhythm before launch
- Decide who collects each number and where it comes from (a log, a survey, a system report).
- Check weekly, but do not overreact to one bad week. Look for trends.
- Run a mid-point review with your client contact: keep going, adjust or stop early?
- Keep a feedback channel open for users and frontline staff, so you hear the why behind the numbers.
- Compare two versions when you can (A/B testing): two shifts, two locations or two weeks, one change apart.
Sustainability and ethicsPeople, planet and long-term responsibility
Your report template asks you to look beyond money using the triple bottom line:
- People: social impact, inclusion and unintended consequences. Who could be left out or burdened?
- Planet: environmental effects, if they apply (paper, energy, waste, travel).
- Prosperity and continuity: who maintains it when the champion leaves or the pilot team is gone?
Also ask what ethical tradeoffs your measures create. Measuring speed alone can pressure staff to rush.
Try it: Success Metrics Builder
Tool · BUAD 497
Success Metrics Builder
Decide what success means before the pilot starts, across all three lenses.
- 1Build measures
- 2Check
- 3Share
Theory of change
All checks
Put it to work: Define Success in your report and presentation
Define Success is a named part of your HCD Technical Report checklist (the Impact Assessment phase), and viability, funding and sustainability belong in the Desirability, Viability, Feasibility, Sustainability and Ethics section of the report and your EUReCA poster. A clear pilot plan also makes the strongest next-steps slide in your Final Prototype Presentation.
Scope the pilot
Choose one place, one group and a start and end date your client agrees to.
Your deliverable: a one-sentence pilot scope: where, who, how long.
Write 3 to 6 success measures
At least one outcome for each lens, each with a baseline, target, timeframe and data source.
Your deliverable: a success scorecard table for your report.
Write the theory of change
One sentence that links your action to the outcome through your key insight.
Your deliverable: the optional Theory of Change line in your report’s Key Takeaway section.
Plan monitoring and feedback
Set the check-in rhythm, who collects what and the mid-point review.
Your deliverable: a short monitor and evaluate plan.
Show what sustains it
Name who funds or maintains it after the pilot and who benefits.
Your deliverable: the revenue or funding model in your Viability section.
Do this, not thatHabits that make success measurable
Do this
- Agree on targets with your client before the pilot.
- Measure a baseline first.
- Balance the three lenses.
- Name the data source for every number.
- Report results as they are, including misses.
Not that
- Counting only outputs, like flyers handed out.
- Setting targets after you see the results.
- Tracking 15 measures nobody has time to collect.
- Relying on one-time grant money with no plan for year two.
- Calling a pilot a failure when it gave you a clear answer.
Before you submitCheck your pilot and success plan
- [ ] The pilot has a place, a group, a start date and an end date.
- [ ] You have 3 to 6 measures with at least one outcome per lens.
- [ ] Every measure has a baseline, a target, a timeframe and a data source.
- [ ] Targets move in the right direction and you can explain why they are realistic.
- [ ] Your theory of change sentence is complete.
- [ ] You name at least one way the idea is funded or maintained after the pilot.
- [ ] You note who benefits, who bears the cost and any ethical tradeoffs.
Go deeper
Back to all BUAD 497 topics · Next: The Weekly Consulting Brief
In-class team activity · 25 min
Prove It in 12 Weeks
By the end: A pilot scope, three to five success measures across the three lenses with baselines and targets, and a theory of change for your client project. Your instructor will give you the password in class.
Part of the Smith GLS human-centered leadership sequence: IB 407, BUAD 317 and BUAD 497, toward the Human Centered Consulting Certificate.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pilot program?
A pilot is a small, real launch with a start date, an end date and success measures agreed in advance. It answers the question a client asks before investing: does this work here, at a cost we can carry, for long enough to matter? A pilot runs in one place, with one group, for a set time.
How do you define success for a pilot?
Write 3 to 6 success measures with at least one outcome for each lens: desirable, feasible and viable. Every measure needs a baseline, a target, a timeframe and a data source. Agree on targets with your client before the pilot starts, so the results give a clear answer instead of an argument after the fact.
What is the difference between outputs and outcomes?
Outputs count what you did, and outcomes count what changed. Buddies trained, cards handed out and sessions held are outputs: they track a rollout and prove effort. New hires working on their own sooner, applicants arriving with every document and fewer people leaving in 90 days are outcomes, the changes a client cares about.
How do you write a theory of change statement?
Use one sentence: If we take this action, then this outcome becomes more likely for this group, because of your key insight. The HCD Technical Report template suggests this pattern, and every success measure should test some part of the sentence. It goes in the optional Theory of Change line of the report's Key Takeaway section.
How does a pilot keep going after it ends?
Match the funding source to who benefits. Options are a budget line in normal operations, cost savings from less waste, errors, overtime or turnover, earned revenue from fees or sponsorships, and a partner or grant. A pilot can run on goodwill, but year two needs a plan, including what happens when a grant ends.