Step 08 · Pilot
Prove Value Before Asking for a Bigger Commitment
A pilot compares the customer's current workflow with the FAI-assisted one, on measures you agree before it starts.
Current Workflow
The customer's own process, as they describe it
- Drawing
- Characteristics
- Ballooning
- Characteristic table
- Form 3
- Review
FAI-Assisted Workflow
FAI Engineer, as it works today
- Drawing opened in the browser
- Balloons placed and renumbered
- Linked characteristic table
- Form 3-oriented export
- Review
Measure both, the same way
- Time
- Preparation time per drawing
- Manual work
- Steps done by hand, and re-typing
- Review effort
- Time spent checking before submission
- Corrections
- Errors found in review
- User feedback
- What the people doing the work say
Agree success criteria before starting. A pilot that cannot fail cannot prove anything.
Step 08
Pilot / Proof of Value
Compare the current workflow with the FAI-assisted workflow on measures agreed with the customer.
Do
- Agree success criteria before starting.
- Measure the current workflow first: that is the baseline.
- Measure time, manual work, review effort, corrections and user feedback.
- Collect the customer's own feedback.
Avoid
- Don't start without written success criteria.
- Don't claim a result the pilot did not measure.
ResultPilot evidence the customer agrees with.
Learn More
The evidence ladder
How sure are we? Every claim starts as an assumption and moves up only with evidence.
- AssumptionBelieved but not validated.
- ResearchSupported by secondary research.
- Customer ValidatedConfirmed through customer conversation.
- Pilot ValidatedMeasured in an agreed evaluation or pilot.
- Commercial ProofSupported by a purchase, paid pilot, renewal or contracted outcome.
Pilots / proof of value
Success criteria, baseline and the decision rule agreed before starting.
Can fail honestly · Measured, not felt · Decision date