FAQ · Delivery paths
Why do AI pilots stall? What are graduation criteria?
Stalled pilots (endless PoC) usually lack a written timeline, metrics, and exit conditions at kickoff. Every FFDE pilot agrees graduation criteria at signing: meet them → expand to MVP/scale; miss them → archive cleanly — no zombie projects marked “ongoing” with nobody using the system.
Key points
- Four elements: timeline cap, measurable value metrics, activation goals (may include post-pilot observation), and two paths — graduate or exit
- Acceptance vs activation: GO/NO-GO at pilot end; stable daily use may be observed 2–4 weeks after pilot
- Red flags: no business owner, refusal to use real data, “cover the whole company” on day one — two or more → postpone
- Accept with real business samples and golden Q&A — not constructed data as sign-off evidence
- One scenario end-to-end beats shallow multi-scenario coverage
- FFDE would rather start slightly later than launch a heavy pilot at the wrong moment
How to do it
- Stage 1: after workshop, write Top 1 scenario and economics estimate
- Stages 0–1: confirm graduation criteria and GO/NO-GO signatory before SOW signature
- Stages 4–5: complete acceptance at pilot end; review activation rate during the observation window in graduation criteria
- If not met: document evidence and retrospective, preserve relationship, define restart conditions