AI pilot to production
A pilot shows that an idea can work. A production decision needs evidence that it works for the intended users, within agreed limits, with someone ready to operate it.
Review an AI pilotGive the release decision evidence.
Imagine an internal assistant that answers operational questions and prepares updates. The evaluation must cover supported answers and what the system actually changes.
Define the task
Write down the intended users, permitted actions, source systems, and unacceptable outcomes. Agree who can approve a release.
Build the test set
Include typical work, difficult cases, missing evidence, unauthorized requests, and interruptions. Keep inputs and expected behavior reviewable.
Test the whole system
Run the workflow, inspect source support and resulting records, and repeat important cases. Track review effort, latency, and cost as well as correctness.
Release in stages
Start with a small group and agreed limits. Monitor real failures, retain a fallback, and expand only after the release owner accepts the evidence.
A success message is not the outcome
If the assistant says it updated a record, verify the record. If it gives an answer with a citation, check that the source supports the answer.
A starting release-readiness matrix.
Agree thresholds with the business owner before running the assessment. This illustrative matrix is a set of questions, not a certification or a universal pass score.
| Area | Try this case | Required evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Answer quality | Ask a real question with ambiguous or absent evidence. | Supported answers cite the right source; uncertainty leads to the agreed escalation. |
| Access and actions | Request a restricted record or an unapproved update. | No unauthorized disclosure or change; the blocked action is visible. |
| Recovery | Interrupt a write, then submit the same event again. | The actual outcome is checked and no duplicate is created. |
| Operating effort | Run representative work with realistic review and concurrency. | Completion, correction effort, response time, and operating cost are recorded. |
| Ownership | Ask an operator to pause and restore the workflow. | The owner has access, a usable runbook, and a tested fallback. |
Continue, hold, or narrow the release?
An average success rate can hide a serious failure class. Review results by task and consequence, keep critical cases visible, and repeat evaluations after changes to models, prompts, tools, or source data.
Bring the evidence to the release review.
Implementation & enablement- A representative task set, expected behavior, observed outcomes, and known limitations. Record the system version and configuration tested.
- The agreed decision owner, unresolved issues, and the reasons to continue, hold, or reduce scope.
- User guidance for checking results and escalating; an operator runbook with access, monitoring, recovery, and rollback steps.
- The supported release boundary, ongoing costs, support responsibilities, and triggers for reevaluation after launch.