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These simple rules exist to prevent pilots from stalling and to ensure they lead to a clear commercial outcome.

Pilot projects (a.k.a. pilots or POCs) are one of the most resource-intensive phases for a startup.

Without clear boundaries, they create activity without traction and distort how progress is perceived internally.

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🎯 What a pilot project is for

A pilot is a commercial phase, not technical support and not open-ended experimentation.

A pilot is successful only if it ends with one of the following outcomes:

• a paid follow-up, serial contract, or Purchase Order (PO)
• an explicit commitment to a next commercial step toward scaling
• a clear decision to stop or pause

Anything else is movement without outcome.

01 Every pilot must point to a decision

Before a pilot starts, the following must be clear:

• what decision the pilot is meant to support
• who will make that decision on the customer side
• when that decision is expected

If the next commercial decision cannot be named, the pilot should not start.

02 Ownership never “moves to R&D”

During a pilot:

• commercial ownership remains with the deal owner
• pilots do not run on autopilot
• the next commercial step is prepared before results arrive