Choosing the Right Pilot Project to Validate the Benefits of Exhive
Choosing the right product for a pilot project isn’t just a matter of preference or opportunity, it’s a strategic decision that can determine the success or failure of implementing AI into your product development process.
So, what makes a pilot project worth pursuing? Whether you’re a startup, a scale-up, or part of a larger R&D function, here’s a practical guide to help you choose the most insightful project for a pilot.
COST REDUCTION
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INGREDIENT REPLACEMENT
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QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
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NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
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PROCESS OPTIMISATION
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COST REDUCTION // INGREDIENT REPLACEMENT // QUALITY IMPROVEMENT // NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT // PROCESS OPTIMISATION //
1. Start with Commercial Value
When evaluating potential pilot products, begin with the end in mind: impact. That means targeting high-volume or high-margin products. If you’re able to cut costs or improve quality even marginally on a high-volume product, the ripple effect across your bottom line can be substantial.
Ask yourself:
Is this product a significant revenue driver?
Would a small improvement yield measurable financial results?
Tip: If you’re unsure where to begin, look at your most distributed or consumed SKUs. Reducing costs in a high-volume product can yield outsized returns, and make a strong case for scaling the pilot’s outcome.
2. Choose Projects with Rapid Experimental Velocity
Time is a resource R&D departments cannot afford to waste. Avoid pilots that drag on for months without meaningful results. Instead, select products where hypotheses can be tested and validated quickly.
Tip: Choose products with short production or iteration cycles since faster feedback means faster learning.
When selecting a pilot product, favor categories where the production cycle is short and easily repeatable. This enables quick iteration and learning, which are essential in the early stages of innovation. For example, products that don’t require long aging or curing, allow you to move from hypothesis to data in weeks instead of months.
3. No Need to start from Scratch
Innovation doesn’t have to start from scratch. Pilots are most effective when they begin with existing products, particularly those where improvements in quality or cost-efficiency can offer immediate value.
Look for “renovation” opportunities (like improving texture in a drinkable yogurt) rather than something completely unfamiliar to your team that may take years to validate (even though with Exhive you’d get there faster ;).
4. Think Like Your Competitor
Learn to view product selection through the lens of your competition. Where would they aim their innovation efforts? What gaps might they overlook that you can exploit?
Competitive intelligence can guide you to smarter choices that balance risk, opportunity, and speed.
5. Choose a Complex Problem to Solve
Consider selecting a pilot that addresses a particularly complex or previously unsolved challenge, even one that your R&D team may have deemed "impossible." These high-difficulty projects are exactly where AI can truly support product developers by augmenting human expertise and uncovering insights that traditional methods might miss.
The true impact of AI is in its inability to forget something it has learned, so you will never repeat the same mistake twice.
Ready to find your ideal pilot? Get in touch with us now!