Pilot Phase
The pilot phase is the staged build of a working AI system on a narrow, real workflow with real data, evaluated against success criteria agreed in discovery.
What is Pilot Phase?
A pilot is not a demo. It runs on production-shape data, produces auditable outputs, and is measured by the same metrics that will govern the live system. A typical pilot lasts 4-8 weeks and ends with a decision: promote, iterate, or stop. The pilot phase de-risks both technical assumptions and organisational fit before larger investment.
How does Pilot Phase apply to enterprise AI?
Enterprise AI procurement increasingly insists on a paid pilot before a long-term contract. The pilot is the cheapest insurance against shipping a system that does not survive contact with real users.
Related terms
- Discovery Phase - The discovery phase is the first stage of an AI engagement, in which scope, data, workflows, success criteria, and constraints are mapped before any system is built.
- Production Phase - The production phase is the deployment, operation, and continuous improvement of an AI system in live use, with the controls and monitoring required for the workflow's risk class.
- Evaluation Harness - An evaluation harness is the test framework used to measure an AI system against a fixed set of inputs, expected outputs, and metrics, run on every change.
- TRACE Methodology - TRACE is Impetora's four-pillar methodology for delivering enterprise AI in regulated industries: Trust, Readiness, Architecture, Citations.
External references
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