Pilots are useful. They reduce risk, build trust, and give you a real-world story. They can also drift and consume huge amounts of time and effort which is wasted when they stall and fizzle out. We see this often with our mentees: a well-meant “trial” that runs long, measures too much, and ends with a shrug rather than a signature. Don’t fall into this trap. Treat the pilot as a short, paid proof with success criteria and a pre-agreed route to contract. This week’s Monday Masterclass shows you how.
Why pilots stall and how to avoid it
Free or poorly defined pilots send the wrong signal. If you do not price your time, the buyer assumes the product is not ready or that support will be limited. Vague goals make it hard for a budget holder to sign a contract later. Every extra KPI increases the chance that someone objects at the end.
A good pilot is tight on scope, modestly priced, and time-boxed. It measures one or two outcomes that matter to the service. It includes the future price and a simple “if this, then that” clause that converts the agreement to a paid contract when those outcomes are met.
We coach founders to plan the conversion on day one. When you do that, the final meeting is a formality rather than a fresh negotiation.
Define the pilot properly: scope, price, time
Be specific about what will happen and when.
- Scope. Name the pathway or clinic, the sites involved, and the maximum number of patients or users. Keep it small enough to run cleanly, large enough to be meaningful.
- Time. Eight to sixteen weeks is typical. Put a start date and an end date in the paperwork.
- Price. Charge a modest pilot fee. It covers support and signals value. Free should be the exception, not the rule.
- Deliverables. List what you will deliver: training, go-live plan, weekly check-ins, and an end-of-pilot report.
This helps clinical leads and managers explain the plan internally. It also makes it easier for procurement to approve.
Choose KPIs that are simple and defensible
Pick one or two measures the service already tracks. They should be easy to audit from routine data and clearly linked to your product.
Here are a few simple examples which may help:
- Access and flow: time to first appointment, backlog cleared, Did Not Attend rate.
- Safety and quality: unplanned admissions, 30-day readmissions, escalation compliance.
- Productivity: clinic time returned, calls avoided, length of stay in a virtual ward.
Set targets as a range rather than a single point. “A 10–15 percent reduction” is safer than a hard 15 percent promise. It reflects normal variation and keeps the conversation realistic.
Data and evidence: ready on day one
Decide how you will measure success before the pilot begins.
- Baseline. Agree the baseline period and the source of truth for each KPI.
- Data owner. Name the person who will pull the numbers and how often they will do it.
- Measurement plan. Keep it in a simple dashboard that both sides can see.
- Governance. Confirm data protection requirements and any information governance steps.
- Clinical safety. Identify the clinical safety lead, the responsibilities, and how issues will be recorded.
If you are working in the NHS, reference DTAC and DCB0129/0160 in your plan. In other health systems, signpost the local standards. You do not need to write a textbook. A short paragraph that shows you know your duties is enough for a pilot.
The commercial backbone: terms that make conversion automatic
Keep the commercial model and pricing easy to understand, and easy to say yes to! Buyers should be able to explain it without a long meeting. See our previous article on pricing if you want to go deeper). Here are some key points to consider:
- Model. Most teams use a small implementation fee plus a simple annual licence or a per-patient price with a cap.
- Future price. Put the post-pilot price and term in the pilot agreement. If the KPIs are met, there is no new haggling.
- Conversion clause. Make the path explicit.
Example wording you can adapt
“Pilot runs for 16 weeks across two clinics, up to 250 patients. Success criteria: a) 20 percent reduction in urgent appointments in the pilot cohort versus the prior 12-week baseline; and b) 10 percent reduction in 30-day readmissions. On achievement, this agreement converts on 1 April to a 24-month licence at £48,000 per year per organisation, including support, training and agreed integrations. If KPIs are not met, parties will meet within 10 working days to review data and agree next steps.”
Add clear payment terms and basic service levels so finance can approve without delay.
Fit the process, not just the product
Every health system has its own routes to contract. Map yours.
- Procurement route. Use a recognised framework or the local route your buyer prefers.
- Delegated limits. Keep the pilot fee within common approval thresholds when you can.
- Timing. Align the finish and conversion dates to budget cycles. End-of-year underspend and new-year budgets both help.
- Stakeholders. Know who signs what: clinical lead, service manager, finance, procurement, IT, information governance, clinical safety. Book the meetings early.
These unglamorous details decide whether a good pilot turns into a proper contract or becomes a waste of precious time and effort.
Run the pilot with a steady cadence
Keep it light and predictable. Book meetings well in advance and get agreement on who will attend from the client side.
- Kick-off. Agree objectives, timelines, roles, risks, and the measurement plan.
- Weekly check-ins. Troubleshoot any issues, make sure data is being captured, listen to users and stakeholders.
- Mid-point review. Check KPI trajectory, clear any blockers, rehearse the conversion steps and dates.
- End-of-pilot pack. Share a short report: baseline versus pilot outcomes, user feedback, and the go-live plan with dates.
The aim is to make the final decision easy. No surprises, no new asks.
Present the decision on one slide
Help your sponsor make the case in five lines to get internal sign-offs over the line.
- The problem in their language.
- KPI results with absolute numbers.
- The economic logic in two lines.
- The pre-agreed price and term.
- The implementation timeline and who does what.
End with the ask: confirm conversion to a full contract on the agreed date.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Free pilots that drift. Time-box and charge a small fee. All too often we see founders getting excited by the interest in their product and rushing into a free pilot without putting in place the right documentation or getting agreement on the next phase. It can be tempting to try and shortcut and get going quickly, but you’ll live to regret in the end… Less haste, more speed.
- Too many KPIs. Pick one or two that matter and stick to them. Choose something important to the service and something that you have a decent chance of impacting.
- No defined ‘next step’. Ok we sound like a broken record by now, but seriously do not start a pilot unless you have a clearly defined and agreed next step, ideally with a paid contract.
- Re-negotiating the price at the end. Avoid this by agreeing the future price up front.
- Governance as an afterthought. Signpost standards at the start, build compliance into your delivery plan, name owners, and maintain good documentation. Done right this builds trust and credibility.
A short example: remote monitoring for COPD
Baseline. A service runs a respiratory virtual ward. Nurses phone high-risk patients weekly. Data sits in spreadsheets. Readmissions are higher than they should be.
Pilot. Twelve weeks. Two clinics. Two KPIs: a modest reduction in nurse triage time and a modest fall in 30-day readmissions. Small pilot fee with a pre-agreed annual licence on success.
Results. Time returned to nurses each week. A clear fall within the KPI range. The economic logic is simple: the licence costs far less than the saved staff time and avoided readmissions.
Outcome. Contract converts on the set date. Roll-out plan agreed. No fresh negotiation.
How we can help
We see smart founders and teams getting stuck in pilot purgatory all the time. We coach founders to set tight scopes, choose clean KPIs, and write conversion terms that stick. If you have a pilot planned or are in initial conversations trying to get something off the ground, drop us an email here to book a short call with one of our mentors. We will stress-test your plan and help you to avoid some of the classic mistakes.
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Compliance note
This article is educational, not legal or commercial advice. Always check local governance and clinical safety duties in your health system. If you work in the NHS, that includes DTAC, DSPT and DCB0129/DCB0160.