Logistics pilots

Ops leaders will hand you a WMS or TMS sandbox, a "try it on one dock," a tour of the innovation logistics lab, and a dashboard walkthrough without much thought. None of that makes a pilot. A convertible pilot has a named use case (one lane, one DC, one mode, one SKU family), a compelling event, written criteria ops and finance can underwrite, and a path to a PO or MSA if the proof lands.

Keep unpaid sandboxes, design-partner content co-builds, and open-ended "logistics innovation" labs separate from customer pilots. Lab work can create evidence later, and it seldom closes deals this quarter. If one SOW mixes unpaid sandbox scope with a paid commercial path, name which clock you are on.

Hunt for compelling events: peak season, a carrier contract renewal, a WMS/TMS migration or module go-live, a DC go-live or retrofit, an SLA breach with a key shipper or retailer, a network redesign, or post-M&A integration of networks and systems.

Map these buyers early: the ops / logistics / supply-chain champion, the economic buyer (often the COO, VP Supply Chain, or CFO), the DC / warehouse or transportation lead, WMS/TMS/ERP / IT / integration, vendor risk / security, carrier or 3PL partners if in scope, and procurement. One ops champion won't get you to a PO.

Logistics buyers expect WMS integration work to start up front. In the first week of serious interest, start the vendor-risk questionnaire, the SOC2 packet, the EDI or API path to WMS / TMS / ERP (SAP, Oracle, Manhattan, Blue Yonder, or equivalent), data-room access, carrier / 3PL connectivity if in scope, and procurement. Run them before or in parallel with the product proof so you aren't starting after the champion has said they like the dock demo.

Write down the committee. The ops or logistics champion is often not the economic buyer. The check-writer is often the COO, VP Supply Chain, or CFO. Champion enthusiasm without EDI / WMS clearance and a budget line dies after the demo.

Work backwards from your target ACV and the MSA process. If production requires EDI, WMS/TMS hooks, or a named DC or lane owner, start those while the pilot runs instead of after the dock tour.

Write criteria an ops owner and a finance lead can both sign, and instrument them inside the pilot window on a bounded scope (one lane, one DC, one mode, one SKU family): OTIF / on-time delivery %, dock-to-stock hours, cost-per-shipment, dwell time, inventory accuracy, or claim rate.

"Dock team liked the UI" and NPS-only lines won't pass as success criteria. Price the pilot when you can, and put the phase-two commercial terms (lanes, DCs, modes, modules, ACV intent, MSA path) in writing so the pilot can't turn into a permanent unpaid sandbox seat.

Land a quick win in weeks 1–2 that ops and finance can see without living in the console. A one-page memo with one underwritable metric (OTIF, dock-to-stock, or cost-per-shipment on the named scope) beats another product tour.

Hold a formal midpoint against the written scorecard, with ops and finance or the economic buyer in the room or represented. Adjust only against the criteria, and don't expand to all lanes, all DCs, or a second mode without saying so.

Keep vendor risk, EDI / API work to WMS/TMS/ERP, the data room, carrier / 3PL access, and procurement moving each week. Logistics pilots miss peak season, the carrier renewal, or the DC go-live when the team finds the EDI stall in the final week.

Restate the criteria, the evidence, and the commercial path from the agreement, then ask for the PO or MSA schedule. "Loved the demo" without a signature is a stall.

If budget or risk appetite wobbles, cut to one lane, one DC, one mode, or one module. Hold list price and per-shipment pricing, and don't teach procurement that a successful logistics pilot earns a permanent haircut.

Name the logistics stall mode before you improvise.

Treat the pilot scope (one lane, one DC, one mode, one SKU family) as a proof sample. Expand from the phase-two price and the MSA terms in the agreement.

Add adjacent lanes, DCs, modes, or modules after production is live. A published win (with permission) helps you sell the next ops owner. If you keep "pilot seat" or pilot-SKU / per-shipment discount pricing going across the network, each expansion starts at a discount.

Use this as a pattern drill. It is not a claimed case study, and the numbers are illustrative.

Use the logistics pilot scorecard template for the blank worksheet, a filled example, the EDI / WMS / TMS / ERP parallel-path checklist, and a copy-ready AI prompt.