Article · 18 min read

The technical founder's guide to pilots and POCs

Amplify Partners Free Intermediate

This is the sharpest playbook for the exact thing your government buyer is asking for: define numerical success criteria upfront (query time under 24 hours, cost cut by X percent, not vague "efficiency gains"), keep scope tightly defined so you don't become a free professional-services arm, and cap the pilot at 2 to 3 months. It also names the escape hatch you need with a public buyer: a well-scoped pilot converts because you deliver the metric, they see the impact, they pay, so a pilot that can't convert is a scoping failure you can catch before you build.

  • Set tangible, numerical success criteria in writing before you start, because vague "efficiency" targets are how a pilot runs forever
  • Keep scope tightly defined and split integration responsibilities, or you become an unpaid professional-services arm
  • 2 to 3 months is the right length; a 6 to 12 month pilot signals a scoping problem or a bad-fit buyer
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The question it answers

  1. A government buyer wants me to run a free pilot or PoC. Should I say yes?

Read with it

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