Pilot Outcome Review Worksheet
Compare a limited software pilot with its agreed task, actual outcomes and founder assistance before deciding whether to continue, change scope or stop.
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When to use this template
Use this at the agreed review point after a participant attempted the pilot task. Bring the original scope and actual records, including failures and founder assistance.
Choose another approach when: You want to declare product-market fit from a friendly pilot, change the success criteria after seeing results, or convert an assisted demonstration into an unassisted-use claim.
Gather these inputs
- The original pilot task, expectations, exclusions and review date.
- Observed attempts, completed outcomes and unresolved blockers.
- Founder assistance, participant effort and any unplanned work.
Copy and adapt the template
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Worked example
Illustrative example, not a Crany customer result. Replace every example detail with facts you can verify.
Fictional pilot aimed to prepare a sample client handoff. The participant completed it only after the founder reorganized notes manually and clarified an access requirement. The review records a completed assisted task, not effortless automation. It proposes a narrower retest of the access instructions and keeps custom invoicing out of scope. The participant’s positive comment is not published as a testimonial. Continued use, purchase and permission to name the customer remain separate unanswered questions.
How to use it
- Compare observed outcomes with the original scope rather than rewritten goals.
- Account for manual work, effort and alternative explanations.
- Agree a limited next decision or close the pilot, keeping any public reference approval separate.
Check before using it
- Assistance is visible in the outcome statement.
- Criteria are not moved after the result to manufacture success.
- Continuation and new commitments require an actual agreement.
What to measure
Track task evidence, delivery effort and what a subsequent retest resolves. A pilot outcome can inform a next decision without proving repeat purchases, durable retention or a scalable market.
Research and sources
The founder sources discuss learning through early service and avoiding purely one-off product work. The comparison record is original and does not establish financial return or legal/commercial commitments.
- Y Combinator: The Delicate Balance of B2B Sales — checked 2026-10-24. Historical founder discussion of early customer feedback and the risk of one-off work; not legal guidance or a claim that pilots establish product-market fit.
- Paul Graham: Do Things That Do Not Scale — checked 2026-10-24. Historical founder essay on manual recruitment and learning from early users; not a universal acquisition benchmark.
About Crany
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