Source: https://www.thetechstack.com/guides/evaluate-an-ai-pilot Author: Kyle Brierley Author profile: https://www.thetechstack.com/authors/kyle-brierley Editor: Not specified Editor profile: Not specified Publisher: TheTechStack (https://www.thetechstack.com) Published: Not specified Updated: Not specified Suggested citation: [Kyle Brierley](https://www.thetechstack.com/authors/kyle-brierley). [Did your AI pilot actually help?](https://www.thetechstack.com/guides/evaluate-an-ai-pilot). TheTechStack. Retain the source qualifications. Cite the original article and link the credited author profile where available. An editor is not necessarily the author. # Did the AI pilot actually help? By [Kyle Brierley](https://www.thetechstack.com/authors/kyle-brierley) A good demo gets the conversation started. A useful pilot tells you whether the work got better, what still breaks, and who needs to act before more people rely on it. This worksheet gives your team a place to record those results. Use it for one workflow at a time, whether that’s finding internal answers, drafting support responses, or reviewing code. ## Bring evidence to the next review Download the blank template and edit it in your own tools. It includes a comparison plan, test cases, an observation log, and a decision record. No signup or company-data upload. [Download the pilot evaluation worksheet (.md) →](https://www.thetechstack.com/resources/ai-pilot-evaluation.md) Want to see a completed review? [Read a fictional internal-knowledge pilot decision](https://www.thetechstack.com/guides/ai-pilot-decision-example), including failed cases, reviewer time, and the decision to pause. Still defining the pilot? [Start with the Workbench](https://www.thetechstack.com/workbench) to set scope, owners, and proposed release criteria. ## 1\. Agree on what a better result means Write down the current process and the standard both approaches must meet. Choose representative tasks, include difficult cases, and agree on acceptance criteria before looking at results. Record the product configuration and sources so a later change doesn’t quietly become a different test. Measure active work time, including review and corrections. Record end-to-end elapsed time separately: waiting for an answer and spending time fixing it have different consequences for the team. ## 2\. Test the boundaries, too Include cases where information is missing, a source conflicts with another, a user lacks access, or a requested action needs approval. If the workflow depends on another system, test what happens when it fails and how a person takes over. The worksheet separates expected behavior from observations. “Not tested” and “inconclusive” stay visible. Neither means the control passed. ## 3\. Count the work after the draft ### Illustration only: a support draft Suppose a response takes 12 minutes in the current process. AI produces a draft in 1 minute, but review and corrections take another 8. The comparable total is 9 minutes, giving a 3-minute saving on that task—if the final response meets the same quality standard. These are invented numbers to explain the comparison, not a customer result or a benchmark. One task cannot establish the expected saving across a team. Keep failed attempts in the record. List unresolved access or action failures individually, even when average quality looks good. For costs, separate observed spend from estimates for licenses, usage, review, setup, and ongoing maintenance. ## 4\. Leave with a decision and an owner Continue within the current pilot, fix and retest, stop, or propose a limited expansion. Record the evidence, unresolved issues, next review date, and the person accountable for the decision. The template doesn’t award a readiness score or certify a deployment. It helps your team make a decision that someone else can inspect and understand. [Get the blank evaluation worksheet →](https://www.thetechstack.com/resources/ai-pilot-evaluation.md) Still deciding where the workflow belongs? [Compare using an existing platform, buying, and building](https://www.thetechstack.com/guides/build-buy-or-extend).