setup
Success criteria
Write three to five measurable success criteria before kickoff.
Weak vs strong
Weak: the team likes it, it should save time. Strong: 80% weekly unprompted use; cycle time from four hours to under one; 500 records at target accuracy.
Warehouse / ops example (fictional)
Same workflow, two ways to write criteria.
| Weak (do not use) | Strong (close against this) |
|---|---|
| Team likes the new cycle-count tool | ≥80% of named counters complete weekly counts in-product without prompting |
| Should save time on the floor | Median cycle-count time from 4.0h → ≤1.0h on DC-East (baseline week 0) |
| More accurate inventory | Variance vs physical ≤1.5% on 500 SKU sample; finance signs the sample method |
| Managers are happy | Shift leads submit exception log <15 min/day; no critical P1 blockers open at midpoint |
Finance-readable proof
Direct savings beat indirect ones. Soft wins with ops can still lose finance.
From criteria to ROI
Turn hit criteria into an ROI model: labor cost, volume, hours freed.
Write pilot success criteria
- Pick one workflow and one primary economic outcome.
- Draft 3-5 metrics with baselines and targets.
- Confirm each metric is measurable inside the pilot window.
- Get champion and economic buyer written agreement before kickoff.
Claims and patterns on this page are paraphrased from practitioner session notes and the Startup Bible pilots page. See Sources.