A single-round trial shows whether equipment covers the route; a pilot measures whether the new arrangement settles into daily work. Before starting, write down the duration (at least one full operating cycle), the single route or store group, and the field team that will be part of the pilot.
Without a group running the old arrangement over the same period, there is no way to tell whether an improvement came from the pilot or from the season. Preparation time, washing load, container returns, complaints and staff feedback go in the same table as temperature; a pilot that looks only at temperature can approve an arrangement the floor cannot run.
Rollout, adapt and stop criteria are written before the pilot and are not changed once results are in. If the arrangement has to change, the date is noted. A negative pilot is also a result: it prevents the cost of a full rollout.
