The introduction of any innovations is associated with significant risk. In case of failure, not only will not be able to earn money, but also have to say goodbye to all investments. The situation is even worse if the funds were borrowed. A pilot project is a way to assess the risks and prospects before starting the transformation. If this preliminary study proves the feasibility of wasting money and time, then the introduction of large-scale changes begins.
Using method
A pilot project is a competent start to any large-scale research with a large sample. Its implementation is necessary to save time and money. If the pilot project of the program was unsuccessful, then there is no point in starting large-scale changes at the enterprise, industry or the whole country. Such preliminary tests are a real way to avoid wasting money that is best invested in something else. In order for the situation to be reflected objectively, the participants in the pilot project must be representatives of the relevant social and demographic groups. Other people are being recruited for further research, as their involvement may affect their behavior in the second case.
A pilot experiment is often used to test analysis methods in a larger study. It can also directly be a way to find out the reaction of a potential consumer to a product or service. The results of this mini-study are used to refine the data processing system or the product itself.
Production application
A pilot project is a preliminary study that initially had exclusively engineering applications. After the development of a new product, part of it was sold in order to prove that its release is a worthwhile investment. In some cases, a larger experiment was carried out later, but often the success of the preliminary project was quite enough to start production. Why spend extra money if the results of this assessment method are completely objective? Now pilot projects are increasingly being used to test the convenience and rationality of the provision of certain social services.
"School card"
In 2014, in schools in one of the regions of Tatarstan, a project for the use of electronic passes was launched. A card is required for every student. It has all the information about the student, as well as money for the dining room. As soon as a child enters or leaves the building, a message is sent to the parents' phone. Some students are outraged by such excessive control over their pastime, but teachers are convinced that this will not only help improve performance indicators, but will also have a positive overall effect on the younger generation. Parents are also notified when children eat in the dining room. 15 million rubles were allocated for the implementation of the power system; similar electronic access systems will soon be introduced in additional education circles .
FSS pilot project
Starting July 1, 2015, Tatarstan is also planning to launch a project for the payment of benefits through the regional branches of the Social Insurance Fund. According to manager R. Gayzatullin, from this date the money will go not through employers, but directly from the state to personal accounts of individuals with banks. Those working citizens who do not have them will receive the funds due to them by postal order. The benefits scheme itself will also change. Prior to this, the offset principle was in effect, now money for insurance must be transferred in full. Such a system should be beneficial to the employer, since it saves working capital. In addition, it significantly reduces the potential for insurance payment fraud. Today, the project is already being implemented in ten regions of the Russian Federation.
Experimental preparations
In May 2015, Johnson & Johnson, represented by its representatives, announced that it had decided to create a committee to prescribe drugs, the testing of which has not yet been completed, for terminally ill people. We are talking about those drugs that have not yet been approved and have not been launched into mass production. It should be noted that in the eighties it was experimental drugs that saved the lives of millions of patients during the massive AIDS epidemic. In the USA, for example, the drug ZMapp, which has not yet been tested, was approved, but soon the manufacturer announced that it was over. This case illustrates two main problems: concerns about the insecurity of new drugs and their shortage after the approval of the trials. Representatives of Jonson & Jonson will independently choose who to provide the experimental drug. The committee will include not only doctors, but lawyers and bioethics experts.
Meanwhile, a pilot project on hypertension has been suspended in Ukraine due to insufficient funding. It was previously assumed that the state would provide people with high blood pressure with the simplest medicines. In many cities, pharmacies have not appeared where they can be purchased.
Other applications
In the social sciences, in particular in sociology, a pilot project is a small study that is necessary to adjust some technical parameters. After it, a complete study is usually carried out.
Despite the fact that pilot experiments have been used for quite some time, their usefulness as part of the strategy remains open to question. Prospects for the development of this research method are associated with the use of medium-quality resources and the rejection of the most favorable conditions for their implementation. In this case, we can talk about the objectivity of its results, which will help to correctly distribute free cash resources.