A 30-Day AI Pilot Plan for Your Business Team

Choose one workflow with a clear owner

An AI pilot is easier to assess when it focuses on one repeated task. Select a workflow that has an identifiable input, output and reviewer. Examples include drafting an internal meeting summary, preparing a first version of a customer response or explaining an approved spreadsheet. Avoid starting with an autonomous action that changes records, makes payments or sends unreviewed communications.

Days 1–5: Set the baseline and boundaries

Name the business owner, pilot users, reviewer and IT or data contact. Describe the current process in plain language. Record how long the work normally takes and the checks needed before the output is usable. Choose a small set of representative examples. Define what good quality means, such as factual accuracy, completeness, tone and correct calculations. Confirm approved accounts and data-handling rules.

Days 6–10: Build a repeatable instruction

Create a prompt that explains the role, task, source material, output format and review requirements. Ask the tool to identify missing information rather than invent it. Test the instruction on approved examples. Keep the prompt and any templates in a location the pilot team may use. Document feature or access differences so the method does not depend on one person's account.

Days 11–20: Run a small supervised trial

Have pilot users repeat the workflow during normal work, using the approved process. Require human review for every output. Record the time spent preparing inputs, prompting, checking and correcting the result. Log failures and the circumstances that caused them. Do not count only the time taken to produce the first draft; the useful measure is the effort required to reach an acceptable final output.

Days 21–25: Examine quality and recurring problems

Compare the reviewed results with the baseline examples. Look for omissions, unsupported statements, incorrect calculations and inconsistent formatting. Ask users which steps were helpful and which added work. Separate access problems from instruction problems. If the same error keeps appearing, revise the workflow or choose a different approach before adding more users.

Days 26–30: Make a documented decision

The sponsor and reviewer should decide whether to stop, revise, continue testing or expand the pilot. A useful result may be a narrower task than originally planned. Record the evidence behind the decision and the work required to support it. Expansion needs a clear owner, approved access, support arrangements and a review process.

Use this pilot action list

1. Select one workflow and name its owner.
2. Record the existing process and a practical quality baseline.
3. Confirm approved tools, accounts and practice data.
4. Define success criteria and conditions that require stopping.
5. Prepare one repeatable prompt and an output template.
6. Test representative examples before normal use.
7. Review every result and log corrections.
8. Measure total effort through the final approved output.
9. Compare quality and effort with the baseline.
10. Document the decision, responsibilities and next review.

Use evidence when discussing results

Report what was actually observed in this pilot. Distinguish measured outcomes from user impressions and avoid projecting a small trial across the whole organisation. Consider operating costs and reviewer workload alongside any time saved.

Prepare your team's pilot

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