Never quite landing

Taking new products to market or new ideas to management, there comes a moment.

Exciting and a little scary.

They.

Say.

“Yes!”

Tentative, qualified, “let’s set up a pilot and see how it goes.”

But we got a Yes, and it feeeeels gooooood.

The first job of a pilot it prove the technical efficacy – that it works. And that should be the end of the game. But it rarely is.

Pilots have a habit of never quite landing.

One month, three, six months, two years later: a tweak and a tuck, you’re on the seventh go-round. It looks good, but not how they’d like it.

If this was public sector, you’d say the Politicians were getting in the way. If this is the private sector, they probably still are, just spelt with a small p.

Pilots have two jobs: to prove the thing works, and to give you a chance to learn the organisation.

Skippy Strategy: When you get asked for a pilot, don’t imagine it’s only about the product.

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Category:
Innovating