Crafting a Successful Pilot Project
As a paradigm changing technology, we’ve had significant experience with Pilot Projects. These would be deployments where the goal is to “try it out” before making a long-term commitment.
Here are our thoughts on how to ensure your Pilot Project succeeds!
1) Metrics of Success
To gauge success, you need to define what "success" means from the start. Two of the most common metrics for us relate to financial and capacity benefits.
Financial success might stem from automating roles such as receptionists who check in patients or escorts who guide patients to rooms. Capacity success could involve enabling clinics to operate efficiently with fewer rooms, opening up opportunities to add more doctors and serve more patients.
In either situation, clinics should have a target operational structure in mind (E.g. 3 instead of 4 receptionists; 1 instead of 2 patient escorts; 20 instead of 24 rooms in use). Achieving this target operational state is then the clear measure of the pilot project’s success.
2) Managed Expectations
In most situations, CHIME doesn’t deliver a large direct benefit for physicians in particular, in contrast to technologies such as AI scribes.
This is because CHIME primarily automates tasks already handled by staff, such as patient check-ins and escorts. In this way, CHIME dramatically reduces the cost of meeting status quo physician expectations; it is unlikely to directly transform a given physician’s day to day life for the better.
Instead, the benefits to physicians are more indirect and long-term. For example, resources can be reinvested to support them in other ways, such as hiring additional clinical staff, or savings can be used to maintain or reduce overhead costs.
In other words, be prepared to receive somewhat negative and/or lukewarm responses from physicians. If you ask non-managing physicians - those not directly responsible for managing budgets and staff - don’t be surprised if they provide neutral or negative feedback.
3) Preconditions of Success
Every pilot needs a solid foundation to thrive. Just because it’s a pilot, don’t ignore the details because major roadblocks might be difficult to address once the pilot is already underway.
For CHIME, this means thinking through the new target operational structure in detail. Assume CHIME works as promised (it does - trust us!) and work through all the user journeys of all the various stakeholders to flag likely problems that can must be solved, especially those that might become future deal-breakers.
Iteration during the pilot is of course encouraged, but it’s best to minimize unexpected problems where possible.
4) Clear Timeframe
Pilots can’t go on forever. Define a start and end date so you’re working within a structured timeline. This clarity keeps your team focused and ensures you’ll have actionable results to evaluate when the pilot wraps up.
An ideal timeframe allows enough room to test the technology, gather data, and make adjustments, but isn’t so long that enthusiasm wanes. Set milestones along the way to keep progress on track.
5) Significant Change
A pilot isn’t just a casual experiment; it’s a precursor to transformation. Our experience is that a successful pilot requires people to be willing to invest the time to learn the updated processes and tools.
A pilot where CHIME operates in a sort of purgatory where old processes are retained while new processes are mixed in is particularly challenging, especially if people are expected to know and remember two different ways of doing the same thing in parallel. This approach often results in a net decrease in efficiency and productivity, and an increase in cognitive load - it’s the worst of both worlds.
This issue is particularly evident when it comes to how physicians manage their patient flow. Without CHIME, physicians typically use their EMR. Adopting CHIME requires a key shift in this behavior, even during a pilot project. Attempting to maintain the status quo while using CHIME in parallel has been a recipe for disaster.
Engage your team early and often, emphasizing that the pilot is part of a bigger vision. Small wins during the pilot can help ease the transition to broader adoption.
6) Leadership Time and Effort
Pilots thrive under strong leadership. Leaders need to champion the project, allocate resources, and keep the team motivated. Without dedicated leadership, even the most promising pilots can falter.
Remember, your involvement as a leader signals the importance of the project. Stay engaged and accessible, and encourage regular check-ins to address concerns and celebrate progress.
7) Engaged Stakeholders
Start small and focused. Pilots work best with a core group of enthusiastic stakeholders who are willing to collaborate and provide honest feedback. Choose people who are invested in the project’s success and will advocate for it within their networks.
First impressions are often the last impressions, so it’s crucial to avoid involving individuals who are particularly averse to change. These individuals may form an initial negative opinion that can be extremely difficult to reverse. Instead, focus on stakeholders who are open-minded and willing to engage with the technology.
Limiting the scope of your pilot ensures that you’ll get meaningful insights without the complications of a larger rollout. Once the pilot proves its value, you can expand confidently, knowing you have buy-in from key stakeholders.